#24-Jeff Gordon spunout #40-Sterling Marlin Sunday at Dover International Speedway early in the race. Gordon was apologetic. Marlin was furious. “The 24 got up under us and turned us around again,” said Marlin, who wound up 35th. “That’s twice in three races. It’s getting kind of old. I don’t know what’s wrong with the 24, but we need to find out. You’ve got to give and take in this league, and he has done a lot of taking.” Gordon called it a mistake, not an intentional act. He said his car might have hit the apron. He shot up toward the wall and caught the left rear of Marlin’s Dodge. “I’m sure he’s mad, and I was mad when I got hit by him one time in Richmond,” Gordon said. “Hopefully, we’ll get past it and move forward. He’s not a guy I really talk to a lot and he doesn’t talk to me a lot, so I guess we’ll see each other on the race track.”( ThatsRacin.com/AP )(6-2-2003) UPDATE: After Sunday’s MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway, Sterling Marlin is mad at Jeff Gordon. Gordon says he’s not angry with Marlin, but he’s not backing down. Marlin took exception to Gordon’s bump coming off Turn 2 on Lap 114 at Dover. It was the continuation of a mini-trend for Gordon, who hit Marlin and Ward Burton at The Winston all-star race two weekends ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “I definitely got into him, no doubt about it,” Gordon said of the Dover bump, which took out Marlin’s No. 40 car — one of the field’s stronger cars. “I didn’t mean to. Sure he’s mad. I was mad when I got hit by him one time at Richmond. Hopefully, we’ll get past it.”( Charlotte Observer )(6-3-2003)
