Gordon issues apology

Gordon's retaliatory strike at Greg Biffle on lap 64 of Sunday's Sylvania 300 set off a three-car wreck that took out championship contenders Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart. Gordon was penalised two laps by NASCAR for that incident, and finished the race 32nd, seven laps down.

Team boss Richard Childress, asked during Sunday's race about Gordon's on-track actions, was evasive and neutral, saying only that Gordon's main mistake was in announcing his intentions on radio. After being spun by Biffle on lap 17, Gordon told his team that he intended to pay Biffle back. "I'll get him," Robby said via radio.

Afterward, confronted by a throng of media, Gordon pushed aside a female radio reporter and walked brusquely to a golf cart. His parting shot as he left was to hold up a finger in an offensive gesture.

"First and foremost, I feel terrible for Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart, their teams, sponsors and car owners Joe Gibbs and Ray Evernham," said the RCR driver. "I allowed my frustration with the 16 car [Biffle's] to affect two other teams, both of which have great shots to win a championship, and for that I am sorry.

"I also want to apologise to Cingular Wireless and everyone at RCR. We had a car capable of winning Sunday, and from my standpoint I was spun intentionally after I made a clean aggressive pass on the 16, and I showed poor judgment in trying to even the score.

"As for the post-race events, I chose not to speak with the media given the fact that I had nothing to say other than I'm sorry. One media member made what I felt was a very inappropriate comment to me because I would not answer his question, and he was the target of my gesture, not the media contingent as a whole. It was a bad day that just seemed to get worse and worse."

Gordon has had a poor season with RCR with the former IndyCar driver having only finished in the top ten five times this season - his best result a fourth in Darlington back in March. There is speculation that Gordon's contract will not be renewed with the team for 2005 and that he may start his own outfit, as he did when he competed in the Indianapolis 500 earlier this year.