RELATED: Gustafson furious at Gordon over radio
Things got a little awkward at Richmond on Saturday night between Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., caused contact with Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet — you know, the one that Gordon drove to four Sprint Cup Series titles — and nearly cost his teammate a shot at the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after his ride was damaged.
Elliott managed to still make the cut on points, but Gordon, in some ways Elliott’s mentor, went out of his way to text the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and apologize for the incident, the 20-year-old told media at the Ready. Set. Chase. launch event Thursday in Chicago.
“He sent me a text after the race,” Elliott said. “I knew it wasn’t his fault. I wasn’t concerned with it at all. It was a racing deal. You hate, of course, it had to be two teammates, it had to be myself and Jeff. But at the end of the day we both get it and our teams get it.”
Elliott later added, that the apology “wasn’t at all necessary.”
Alex Bowman will be behind the wheel of the No. 88 at the Chicagoland Chase opener, but now we know there will be no tension between Gordon and Elliott over the incident for the veteran driver’s last two starts of 2016 — Dover and Martinsville — moving forward.