FORT WORTH, Texas -- Prior to the 2010 Sprint Cup season, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton told the drivers they would largely be permitted to police themselves on the race track.

"Boys, have at it," he said.

“

He deserved a lot more than that, I can tell you that.

”

-- JEFF GORDON

Well, on Sunday during the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Pemberton's one-liner could have been modified to, "Jeffs, have at it." After Jeff Burton wrecked both Jeff Gordon and himself during a caution period on Lap 192, Gordon climbed out of his No. 24 Chevrolet and immediately started looking for Burton.

He found Burton walking toward him on the apron just down the track from the exit of Turn 2, where their two cars had collided. A furious Gordon promptly greeted Burton with a hard two-handed shove to the chest. They then grappled briefly with each other, accompanied by an angry exchange of harsh words shouted over the shoulders of two NASCAR officials who quickly stepped in between to separate them.

"He deserved a lot more than that, I can tell you that," Gordon said. "That kind of stuff is ridiculous and uncalled for. You know, Jeff and I ... I just like the guy too much and we'll be able to go on racing with one another after this -- but I just lost so much respect for Jeff for doing something like that. That was really stupid.

"Sometimes I can't hold my emotions back -- and believe it or not, I was holding them back right there."

Burton said the setting sun got in his eyes as he exited Turn 2 and, he insisted, inadvertently ran into Gordon. He said the incident actually began about half a lap earlier when Gordon tried to pass underneath him and Burton admittedly cut him off.

"I should have let him go and didn't," Burton said.

So just after the caution came out and the cars slowed, Gordon pulled up alongside Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet to register his displeasure for the initial and relatively minor confrontation. Burton said he understood Gordon's frustration and was "pulling up next to him to acknowledge him" when the sun got in his eyes and caused him to trigger the wreck.

He said he didn't blame Gordon for subsequently coming after him, either.

"I knew he was going to be mad, and I don't blame him for being mad," Burton said. "He didn't do anything that he shouldn't have done. He was upset. He should have been upset. I wrecked him under caution, and he wanted to tell me he was upset. That's OK. I don't have a bit of problem with what he did. He was mad, and he deserved to be mad." (Continued)