This incident, from Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas, happened after a restart with 5 laps to go. As you'll see, Gordon (in the green car) will slide underneath Dale Earnhardt Jr. (white car) as Matt Kenseth (blue car) heads up top.
As they enter turn 1, Gordon and Kenseth draw alongside each other and when they exit turn 2 at 0:14, they make contact.
Gordon admitted fault for the accident after he got tight off of turn 2, slid into Kenseth, and then lost control himself. The No. 24 then slid into a break in the inside wall, catching the front end and ripping it all to pieces.
He had his breath taken away and walked gingerly to the waiting ambulance.
The hit was so hard that the transmission was knocked out of the race car. Calling it the hardest hit he's ever taken, Gordon wasn't happy with the wall's design.
"I couldn't have hit the wall at a worse angle," said Gordon. "It really tore the thing up. I'm really disappointed right now in this speedway for not having a soft wall back there. And even being able to get to that part of the wall shouldn't happen."Las Vegas Motor Speedway and NASCAR are both looking at the wall, and hopefully there will be changes done to all NASCAR tracks in light of this huge incident.
One thing that I missed completely the first time I watched was the incredible save that Matt Kenseth had (2:47). His car spun completely sideways off of turn 2, and he had straightened out and still nearly up to speed by the time he reached turn 3.
Gordon and Kenseth have had a history together including a shove at Bristol and a punt at Chicagoland. Both of those hung heavy on Kenseth, who wound up 20th.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-06-2008 @ 8:44AM
Rusty@therustygourmet.com said...
Gordon is right. That 'safer wall' should be included in the infield. Anywhere a car can hit...that's where the wall should be.
I wonder what the drivers do after the crash. What do they do to heal in time for the next race? Chiropractor? Massages? Lots of time in hot jacuzzi's? Impact with a wall has got to hurt and keep hurting long after the race is over. Gordon and Stewart, what are their remedies?
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3-06-2008 @ 2:36PM
Mary M said...
It was my understanding that Jeff deliberately struck that wall to avoid the people in the infield, at least I thought several of the Announcers said that. I was very proud of him, and still am, he is a great guy, and I wish him and his family God's blessings and good health and safety.
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3-08-2008 @ 8:54PM
BrckyrdHarvickfan said...
I'm sorry.... Casey Mear's crash was 10x worse than Gordon's! Everyone is only making a huge fuss over it only because it's Mr. Gordon! Get over it! My fiancee had a wreck in his sprint car & it flipped end over end 13 times..... where is his big stink about it?! I forgot, again, it's Jeffy Gordon that it happened too!
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3-08-2008 @ 8:55PM
Bill said...
It was a radiator, not the transmission. He didnt make the car hit the wall to miss people. He did it so he wouldnt hit the wall head on. Watch the video again. The tires sturn so he hit the wall with the side of the car and not the front.
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3-08-2008 @ 9:07PM
Mike said...
I thought the wall looked good on him....don't you know Jr was grinning going into the next turn...with the mess behind him.
And people actually claim these guys are not athletes? ask them how many pounds they lose in 3 hours of heat. 170-190 mph inches away from each other, is a skill indeed.
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3-08-2008 @ 9:31PM
Susan said...
BrckyrdHarvickfan, you need to get over your whiney self dear.
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3-08-2008 @ 9:52PM
Lizbeth said...
Susan, please keep the negativity to yourself!! No need for a bully!!!!
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3-08-2008 @ 10:38PM
Amanda2524 said...
BrckyrdHarvickfan-
Most of the time the kind of impact Gordon had last week are worse than when the cars flip! Sure, the flips look worse, but normally they aren't. The car has time to slow, etc. When it hits the wall that fast, it doesn't. It's the kind of wreck that killed Dale Sr. The G forces are unreal. If it weren't for the Hans device and other safety features, he very likely would have been killed or at the very least seriously injured.
Learn the facts before you say things. People don't make a big deal just because it's Jeff Gordon. They make a big deal because it was a hard hit. Much worse than Casey Mears'.
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3-08-2008 @ 10:50PM
steve said...
yee haww
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3-09-2008 @ 5:06AM
wildwind055 said...
hitting the wall couldn;t happen to a better person it was fun to watch
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3-09-2008 @ 5:04AM
Tony Coughlin said...
Jeff Gorden is a great driver!!! Too bad he's having tough luck so early in the season but he will bouce back!!!
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3-09-2008 @ 2:41PM
softballmn1 said...
Im a Hendricks fan all the way. And i totally dislike Stewart. But seeing him hit the wall, I did worry about his well being. These men go out there every weekend and put their life on the line, not knowing what the track or car has in store for them. So to listen to you guys say it couldnt happen to a better person, just makes you looks like a small uneducated hillbilly.
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3-10-2008 @ 10:19AM
Ted said...
BrckyrdHarvickfan Is a freakin' dolt!
Any driver would much rather do a few endo's Vs. hitting an entrance wall like Gordon did. It's the sudden stop, type hit, that is most dangerous.
There should be a wall extension to prevent this from ever happening again...kinda like those restroom "doorless" entry's.
Poor track design could have easily cost a drivers life. Easy to fix...and I'm sure it will be addressed
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3-11-2008 @ 11:20AM
carol said...
Go JR, nice finish at Atlanta. Was it just me or did it seem like boring race???
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3-11-2008 @ 11:27AM
carol said...
A crash, no matter if head on hit or roll over are deadly and dangerous, regardless, to compare one to another is crazy. My father was killed at track in 71 in NH and his head on was not as fast as Gordon, but killed him just the same, the safer barriers are doing their job, he hit where there was none, my guess is that will be changed. Its been over 30 yrs and NASCAR has done amazing job with safety, my hats off to them and track owners, I'm not a Gordon fan, actually hate him as driver, but wouldn't wish for any driver to get hurt on the track, even him, so wish him speedy recovery. It could be your favorite driver in the car next time. Remember that.....
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4-21-2008 @ 5:19PM
Vicky said...
Who would want anyone have a Bad accident, geeeze wildwind055 . What would you think if you were in a bad accident or set on fire, just to see you dance. Get real...
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4-21-2008 @ 5:22PM
Vicky said...
To whom it may concern: Does anyone in here know Jeff Gordon? why talk bad about him? the young man is a DARN good Nascar driver and what I can see out of him , he is a good kid. Thank you for your time.
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