As Jeff Gordon awaits Sunday's Talladega start, questions are swirling about NASCAR's no-call in the Danica Patrick-Sam Hornish run-in

Jeff Gordon: needs to win (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net


   TALLADEGA, Ala.
   On a rainy Sunday morning, awaiting soon-to-be blue skies and a hot afternoon, the hot question in the NASCAR garage is why officials made a no-call on Danica Patrick's post-race move running Sam Hornish into the outside wall after the finish of Saturday's Nationwide race.
   A similar situation last fall at Texas, in the Friday night Truck race, ended differently – NASCAR parked Kyle Busch from that Sunday's 500, for his mid-race yellow flag move running Ron Hornaday into the outside wall.
   Here Saturday NASCAR officials didn't even call Patrick and Hornish to the trailer to discuss the incident, which is unusual.
   Double standards here?
   Well, Patrick is set to make a Sprint Cup start at Darlington next Saturday night, and she's considered a hot draw.
   Would crass marketing affect a NASCAR decision?
   The Patrick-Hornish flap certainly raises the question.
    Here's the video: http://bit.ly/J5xELw
    And here's the video of last fall's Busch-Hornaday incident: http://bit.ly/rNszwN
    Both wrecks apparently occurred at about 160 mph.

  Sam Hornish: nose-first into the outside wall in Saturday's Nationwide race, after the finish, by an angry Danica Patrick (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)   

    Hornish's side:
   "We were trying to get a good finish, and I got hit in the rear and got into Joe Nemechek.  It cut the right-front tire; it didn't cut it down, but it started going flat.  
    "Coming off turn four the tire went flat.  
    "Elliott Sadler was pushing me -- which I appreciate, but at that time I didn't need it.  I was trying to get out from in front of him, but the car wouldn't turn anymore."
    And Hornish then slapped into Patrick, who slapped the wall.
   "After the race was over, we got right-reared by Danica Patrick," Hornish said. "I don't know what she had in her head, but she decided to right-rear us -- wrecked the car after the race was over.  That's really frustrating."
    Patrick said Hornish came over later and apologized for the first part of the incident. During that conversation Hornish said when he complained to Patrick about the post-race hit that she replied 'Oh, I know your style.'    
    Kyle Busch himself Sunday commented cryptically on the two incidents: "Nothing ever really makes sense to any of us, does it?"

   Danica Patrick: a NASCAR double-standard of justice? If Kyle Busch was hit hard for wrecking Ron Hornaday at Texas last fall, why the no-call on Patrick for a similar wreck here Saturday? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

    Jeff Gordon is on the pole for the eventual start of the Talladega 500/Aarons 499.
    He's mired deep in the standings after a ragged spring, so he's looking at having to win races to make into the playoffs.
   "Going back eight years, it was said the chase cost me a championship or two," Gordon reflects. "Now you can say the chase is what is keeping us in this championship.
    "We're going to focus on wins. Getting in the top-10 is a tall task; it's not insurmountable, but it is tough.
    "But getting two to three wins, I think we are capable of doing it.
     "A lot of people would go 'WHAT? You're crazy. Look at where you are at in points, the way you've been finishing.'
     "But for our team the performance has not added up to the results. We are very capable of winning races."

    One issue in Sunday's 500 is expected to be heat – engine heat.
    The forecast is for 90 degree weather, much hotter than Daytona, the first plate race. And Gordon, remember, lost an engine in that 500.
    NASCAR, to try to discourage two-car drafting, has ordered teams to modify cars to make engines overheat if drivers get too close together.
    Obviously that could lead to blown engines.
    "We all know a pole at Talladega doesn't guarantee anything for the race; track position is probably least important at this track…although with cooling at a premium, starting the race with some nice fresh air, hopefully we can maintain that for a while."
    Engine heat, and how drivers and teams deal with that, Gordon says "is going to have a big effect.
    "The one thing I am a little bit concerned about is that we didn't run in big packs (in Friday's lone practice).
    "There weren't a lot of guys complaining about temperature. But we never were in a big pack.
     "The guys that were pushing, they definitely saw it, and there are some big concerns. Basically our entire race, for 498 or whatever miles, is going to be managing temperatures the best we can.
    "Sometimes it (excessive water temperature) catches up to you in a matter of seconds."

   Maybe Gordon just needs some good luck for a change.
   "You don't luck yourself into wins," he says. "You work your way into wins. You have fast race cars, great pit stops, you're smart, and aggressive when you need to be.
    "We have had a lot of things that have kept us from getting that win this year: some engine issues…at California we made a mistake on pit road…last week (Richmond) I made a mistake.
    "Things have not been going our way.  But we can't let that get us down."  
 
    
  And Kyle Busch's take on the Patrick-Hornish flap? Nothing NASCAR does surprises him (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)