CONCORD, N.C. -- They already were fans of his, but it is obvious Jeff Gordon's fellow Hendrick Motorsports employees are as fired up about Gordon's outburst last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway as Gordon was when he climbed out of his crumpled race car and angrily shoved another driver.

The incident occurred during a caution on Lap 192, when Jeff Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet ran into the No. 24 Chevy being driven by Gordon, knocking both cars out of the race. Gordon immediately climbed from his car and stormed off down along the apron of the track to confront Burton, and subsequently gave him a hard shove. Gordon continued to attempt to go after Burton, but the two were then separated by two NASCAR officials.

“

... Jeff hasn't had the success that he's had in this sport by being a guy that lies down and lets people walk all over him. So I'm proud that he asserted himself.

”

-- MARSHALL CARLSON

Steve Letarte, Gordon's crew chief, was among those who took notice. He was still smiling about it a couple of days after the fact.

"I'm proud of him for this: there are a lot of people in the world and the media who might question his gumption and how hard he's wanting to be here," Letarte said. "But he didn't get wrecked running third. He got wrecked running in the back. We needed to get better and we knew we needed to get better. He just didn't want to get wrecked in the back because he wanted to race that race out. He knew there were 150 laps still to go.

"He has faith in this race team and I have faith in him. It might not have been obvious on TV, but we were moving in the right direction. I am proud of him. That's what this race team has meant. We haven't laid down all year long, and we're not going to lay down these last two [races of the season]."

Gordon was running 19th at the time the caution came out, and Burton was running 18th. Burton later apologized for causing the wreck and said the two have talked and are ready to move on.

Marshall Carlson, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said he thought it was important for Gordon to take a stand and show that he's not going to be pushed around on the track.

"You know, I'm real proud of Jeff Gordon," Carlson said. "I've always been proud of Jeff Gordon -- but Jeff hasn't had the success that he's had in this sport by being a guy that lies down and lets people walk all over him. So I'm proud that he asserted himself. I think Jeff is incredibly motivated to perform continuing in this season and into next season. So I'm proud that he's not going to be somebody that lies down.

"I thought it was a great thing, absolutely. You know Jeff has been training a lot lately -- particularly over the last 12 months or so. He's really tuned up his physical training. I think he's probably confident in his physical capabilities and, you know, when he gets in a situation where he's getting pushed around, he's going to let that guy know that's not how he wants to be raced."

Chad Knaus, crew chief for the No. 48 Chevy driven by Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, said Gordon's aggressive post-wreck antics actually have helped make the pit-crew swap between the Gordon-Johnson teams that was made official Monday go more smoothly. Knaus insisted that the swap will be good for both teams, bringing some "spark and renewed energy" to both the No. 48 and the No. 24 car operations.

"I haven't seen a light in the eyes of the 48 guys like this for a while," Knaus said. "They're excited about going to work for a driver that's willing to go out there and just punch and scrap and scratch and claw and fight for a win. That's really, really neat to see."

Gordon heads into the last two races of this season -- at Phoenix and Homestead -- mired in a 63-race winless streak that is the longest of his 19-year Cup Series career. But Letarte said Sunday's outburst is proof that the hunger to excel still burns brightly in his driver's 39-year-old belly.

"I was just glad to see him upset. Any time I make a bad call, he can see I take it hard -- and it shows how much I really care," Letarte said. "It's no different when something like that happens on the race track. I like to see his emotion; our team likes to see his emotion.

"It's great because this isn't the old days, where the driver comes to the shop and hangs with the guys seven days a week. We all have limited access to one another because we all have huge responsibilities. And I think any time you see a guy like him who is clean cut and all that and he really shows his emotions, it fires everybody up and everybody knows he really cares."

Related:
• Gordon unapologetic after altercation | Watch video
• Burton says he and Gordon are 'moving forward'
• Children inspiring Gordon to extend his career