Gordon on Keselowski's move: 'I wouldn't have done it'

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jeff Gordon can remember getting wrecked a couple times by Dale Earnhardt Sr. - and how 'The Intimidator' would respond afterward.

'The first thing he did was put his arm around you and say, 'Hey man, I didn't mean to do that. I really apologize,' ' Gordon said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. 'While you didn't necessarily believe him, it had an effect. It did.'

Brad Keselowski didn't do that Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway when he made a bold move for the lead, leaving Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet with a cut tire and relegating him to a 29th-place finish, and Gordon said that's why he was angry enough to start a fight on pit road after the race.

'There's a little bit of a misunderstanding: I have no issue with a guy being aggressive and making a bold move,' Gordon said. 'If you win the race and the guy you slam finishes third or fourth, I'll be the first to stand up and say, 'That was awesome. Great move.'

'But when you don't win the race and you ruin the person's day, there are consequences you're going to have to deal with. And how you handle yourself after that is a part of that.'

The four-time Cup champion acknowledged there was a big enough gap 'for a very split second,' but said he didn't think it was worth trying to force the situation like Keselowski did.

'I wouldn't have done it, because I think I would have known what the results were going to be, which is pretty much what they were,' Gordon said.

Where Gordon got especially angry was when Keselowski turned and walked away from him on pit road, behind his crew members standing guard, instead of having a conversation about what happened. That's how drivers make enemies, he said.

'When it ruins your day, you want somebody to have a little bit of sympathy,' Gordon said. 'Doesn't mean you have to take back what you did, it just means you have to understand what it did for the other person. And that's certainly not the way that one was handled.'

Keselowski and Gordon have not communicated this week, Gordon said, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver said he had no plans to do seek out the Team Penske driver. Gordon said he's 'not mad about it' and is ready to move on - but warned Keselowski should expect Gordon to try a similar maneuver if he gets the chance.

'I race people the way they race me,' he said. 'If I'm in a situation where I feel like I can make a bold move I think is going to help me win the race and he stands in the way, I'm going to do the same thing he did to me last week. The difference is if the same results happen, how I'm going to deal with it afterward and face him on that.'

But didn't Gordon get revenge on Clint Bowyer at Phoenix two years ago after the driver had taken him out earlier in the season? Gordon dismissed the comparison and said 'that wasn't (about) racing.'

Gordon was fined $100,000, docked 25 points and put on probation for intentionally wrecking Bowyer at this 1-mile oval in 2012.

'There's a big difference between racing side by side going for an opportunity (and taking someone out),' he said.

Gordon said his only regret was getting some of his crew members involved in the fight. Gordon's engine tuner, hauler driver and a mechanic were suspended and fined for their roles in the melee.

'They're sending me text messages: 'Go get this thing done this weekend. Do this for us,' ' Gordon said. 'Those guys were there to protect me. I believe 100% they weren't there to fight, they weren't there to go after a driver. They were there to make sure I was safe.

'That's the only regret I have, is that I got them involved and in this situation. It's going to affect us because it is a change and because you want those guys in there. It's going to make us have to step up our game.'

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

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