“I Swear I’m Gonna Punch Him”: Jeff Gordon Discloses Locking Arms With Former Nemesis to Break Silence on 19-Year-Old Face-Off
A spicy story that recently dropped from NASCAR’s chronicles is something that never goes unnoticed. Every scandal, brawl, drama, and action, whether it’s on-track or off, gets highlighted and talked about. But one story did slip through the cracks, and it’s been nearly two decades since it was buried. It involves the big dogs, Hendrick Motorsports.
This drama was so wild it involved an airport fight, a punch that left someone with a shiner, and the driver showing up on the track with that black eye! This isn’t a NASCAR movie, but a real showdown that went down between NASCAR’s golden boy, Jeff Gordon, and one of his fellow drivers.
Everyone involved in this has been super hush-hush, which is why the story stayed under wraps. But now we have Jeff Gordon himself spilling the tea about what went down with his fellow driver 19 years ago.
A punch that left a rival with a black eye!
In an interview with The Athletic, Jeff Gordon peeled back the curtain and shared the details of the showdown he had with Mike Bliss, who’s run in all three national series. The year was 2005, and the place was Chicago Speedway. Both drivers were doing their thing, racing at their best pace. Gordon was already bummed that he was running in the 20s, and he recalls it as “not a good day.”
With tensions sky-high and emotions running wild, Gordon found himself caught up in a fiery confrontation with Mike Bliss on the track. They were involved in a move so brutal that it led to a collision and sent him spinning. Jeff Gordon said, “I remember with a few laps to go, we went into Turn 1, and I was side-by-side with somebody, and (Bliss) took me three-wide going into (Turn 1) for 20-whatever (place) and crashed all of us.”
According to him, Bliss’s behavior was just plain crazy, and he didn’t get why Bliss would pull such a wild move when they weren’t even fighting for a good position. The HMS Vice Chairman back then said, “Was it really that important?”
Jeff Gordon had them hands on him lol https://t.co/d69KvWcX2t
— Ian (@GRoddy3x) June 5, 2024
And the fire he had on the track didn’t cool off once he was off it. Gordon confessed to Brian Vickers at the time, “Man, if I see Mike Bliss, I swear I’m gonna punch him.” And as luck would have it, they get to the airport, and guess what? Mike Bliss is the first guy he sees! And Gordon isn’t someone who backs down from his words. In his words, “I said I was gonna do it, and I ended up doing it.” So, he punched Bliss in the airport.
But Jeff Gordon did admit that it wasn’t one of his proudest moments. But for someone in a high-intensity sport like NASCAR, anger sometimes goes beyond the tracks. While drivers can always learn from Gordon, the anger and punches are something they can skip!
However, this incident is far from what he will be known for in NASCAR. Jeff Gordon has achieved so much more since then. One of his most talked-about performances is the one in Dover in 2001—and there, no punches were involved!
Gordon leads 95% of laps in an epic 2001 Cup Series Showdown—a race for the ages!
In sports, sometimes certain performances transcend time, or decades, in this case. Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup Series champion, showcased his exceptional skills at Dover in 2001. He had a track record of success by claiming one of his most impressive and dominant race victories during his fourth championship-winning year.
It was 2001, and it hadn’t been the best couple of seasons for him. He didn’t have a trophy in his name for far too long. So he decided he needed to reach the top again, and Dover, according to him, was always sweet. And he dropped jaws at the MBNA Platinum 400. He just didn’t win the race, but also led 381 out of 400 laps—unbelievable, right? That’s Jeff Gordon for you!
The best part is he could have led all the way to an epic 400 if there weren’t any green flag pit stops. But Gordon being Gordon, played it safe and didn’t take any chances. Because maybe had a “flashback” from the past. It was in 1999 at Dover that he was leading 375 laps and ready to take the victory home. But HMS veteran had to stop for fuel and he saw Bobby Labonte take the crown home. Hence he didn’t chance it!
His history is going down in the lores of NASCAR. What do you think about Jeff Gordon and his achievements? Do you remember watching any of these races? Share your favorite moment with us.
The post “I Swear I’m Gonna Punch Him”: Jeff Gordon Discloses Locking Arms With Former Nemesis to Break Silence on 19-Year-Old Face-Off appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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