JOLIET, Ill. -- Jeff Gordon spun out Matt Kenseth with four laps to go, then held on to win Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Fans showered the track with debris after the race, an apparent protest of Gordon's racing tactics.

"I hate to win one like that,'' Gordon said in Victory Lane. "Matt, he ran a great race.''

Gordon and Kenseth tangled earlier this year during a race at Bristol Motor Speedway, causing Gordon to shove Kenseth afterward. Gordon denied that Sunday's finish had anything to do with Bristol.

Gordon said he didn't want to wreck Kenseth, insisting, "I wanted to race him.'' But he added Kenseth was trying to block him.

"I'm not going to back down,'' Gordon said. "I wanted to win.''  More