#24-Jeff Gordon’s comment’s from a GM Press Release and NASCAR.com about his recent troubles:
WHAT IS YOUR SITUATION WITH YOUR CREW CHIEF, ROBBIE LOOMIS? “As long as Robbie wants to be the crew chief, he’s going to be the crew chief. He’s a great guy. He works so well with this race team. We brought him here for a reason. And at no time have I doubted Robbie. There have been times when I’ve doubted myself. But I know we’ve got the right people in place and the right team and the resources we need. It really is disappointing to me that so much pressure is put on the crew chief because they usually are the first to go (laughs). And they usually are the first to blame. But, not within our team. That’s not the case. It’s usually the media and the fans that focus on that. Trust me, that’s not the problem. The problem is not any one person. There won’t be any changes there.”
HAVE YOU AND MIKE BLISS SETTLED YOUR DIFFERNCES?) “I’ve been racing with Mike for a long time. I’ve known Mike since I was 7 years old. We had our instance on the track and if it’s not already settled, which I think it is, I’ve got way too much at stake on the race track to try to get back into the top 10 than to worry about what happened there. It’s a non issue.”(GM Racing PR)
and from NASCAR.com’s Marty Smith: Ask Jeff Gordon if he has lost any faith in his crew chief and he’ll grin. Chuckle, even. Robbie Loomis’ job is not in jeopardy and never has been, Gordon says. “There is not going to be any other crew chief with me than Robbie Loomis,” Gordon said Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway. “He’s the guy. As long as he wants to be the crew chief, he’s going to be the crew chief.” Gordon’s recent struggles have raised questions about Loomis’ job stability. Gordon maintains the problem isn’t Loomis or his team. He cites lack of testing preparation as the primary culprit.(7-15-2005)
MORE on Bliss: #0-Mike Bliss denied rumors of an altercation with Jeff Gordon after last week’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. Gordon was bumped into the wall by Bliss late in the race. Gordon, who has raced against Bliss since he was a teen in sprint cars, said the incident was forgotten.(Richmond Times Dispatch)
AND Jeff Gordon apparently didn’t take lightly his on-track run-in with Mike Bliss during Sunday’s USG Sheetrock 400 that sent Gordon into the wall. Gordon, according to sources, confronted Bliss at the airport that night over the issue. But neither man wanted to discuss that yesterday.(Winston Salem Journal)
AND II: Gordon’s frustrations seemed to get the best of him last week after he was wrecked by Mike Bliss at Chicagoland. He criticized Bliss when talking to reporters, and there apparently was a confrontation between the two possibly involving fisticuffs at a local airport afterward. Gordon wouldn’t answer questions about the airport incident. “Whatever happened between Mike Bliss and me, we’re going to work it out on our own,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything that’s worth even discussing. As far as I’m concerned it’s over with.” Bliss, who appeared to be recovering from a black eye, said there was some sort of fuss at the airport. “[Gordon] just came up and told me how upset he was,” Bliss said. “I understood it. There was no swing. He was frustrated, and the wreck was the icing on the cake.”(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(7-16-2005)
UPDATE: during NBC’s Countdown to Green pre-race show at New Hampshire International Speedway, Bill Weber announced that NASCAR looked into an off-track incident between Jeff Gordon and said one punch was thrown and since it was away from the track, NASCAR planned no action against either driver. Gordon declined to be interviewed before the race.(7-17-2005)
