Sorenson’s No. 41 Fails Inspection Following Superspeedway Event

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are more than teammates at Hendrick Motorsports; they are also close friends.
That friendship often is forgotten on the race track, however, where they are fierce competitors when it comes to racing.
Earlier this year when Johnson banged his way past Gordon to win at Martinsville, Gordon was visibly upset afterwards.
Gordon got to return the favor in Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway when Gordon was able to pull off a nifty move, faking Johnson who tried to block him and then getting a draft from rival Tony Stewart to win the race.
“I wasn’t happy with getting passed but that would have been the situation with anybody,” Johnson said. “If you get that close and not win, it’s a letdown. There must have been stuff going on back behind me that I didn’t see but Jeff saw in his mirror and he pulled up and got in front of the 20 (Tony Stewart) and got that big push.
“But I have to think about the big picture and where we were when this race started. I would have taken a 15th-place finish at that point. I’m never happy with second but with all that we had to lose here, to come out of today’s race in second was pretty good.”
Johnson and Gordon both said every driver is here to win but losing to his teammate is a bit different.
“We are very fierce competitors,” Gordon said after winning the race. “We love to race each other and beat each other. The way he came in he sort of looked up to me and came to me for advice. That started a relationship where he looked up to me and we became friends.
“We have similar personalities so no matter what happens on the race track, we should be able to get along on the track.”
Johnson now trails Gordon by nine points in The Chase for the Championship with six races remaining.
“So far in The Chase, Jeff and I have had some pretty good luck,” Johnson said. “We’ve been able to get good finishes. I don’t think we’re a runaway by any stretch of the imagination. Jeff and I have separated ourselves a little bit but that can be erased very quickly.”
One thing is certain on this team — there is no such thing as “team orders.”
“I’ve been in that position, chasing Jeff before, and I know I’ve done everything I could to try to get by him for the checkered flag,” Johnson said. “Even though we are all part of a team, we can work together and still go out and do everything we can for our individual teams.
“We worked very well together all day long. Then Jeff saw a big run coming from the 20 (Stewart) and pulled out in front of him at the right time and got a big shove. I hate losing but it wouldn’t matter if it were Jeff Gordon or Dave Blaney. As a competitor, you just want to win.”
 
• Reed Sorenson’s Dodge Avenger was too low in NASCAR’s post-race inspection. According to NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp, “We have a few issues with the front end height of the 41. We will review the situation and determine if there are any penalties later in the week.”
Sorenson’s car was taken out of a random group of cars to be inspected.
Two weeks ago at Dover, Del., Carl Edwards’s Ford was too low in the rear after winning the race and the team was fined $25,000 and docked 25 points in the Chase for the Championship.

• Dale Earnhardt, Inc. vice president Richie Gilmore was treated and released from a Birmingham, Ala. hospital after suffering what has been diagnosed as a minor aneurysm. Gilmore suffered stroke-like symptoms on Friday and was taken to Birmingham for evaluation. He returned to his Mooresville, N.C., home.

• Scott Riggs will have a new employer next season. Riggs, who has driven for Gillet Evernham Motorsports the past two seasons, will join Haas CNC Racing in 2008.
In a sense, the team’s two current drivers, Johnny Sauter and Jeff Green are in a competition during the remaining races to drive the team’s second car.
“We’re very happy to welcome Scott Riggs to Haas CNC Racing,” team general manager Joe Custer said. “It’s exciting for us to land a driver with Scott’s leadership experience and great attitude. We’re confident in our equipment, so from a competition standpoint one of Matt’s (Director of Competition Matt Borland) challenges is to find the right personnel combinations to get the most out of it,” Custer said. “We believe Scott has the ability to get every bit of speed a car can offer. That’s very important to us.”

• Mars North America announced a three-year partnership with M&Ms Brand Chocolate Candies as the sponsor of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team and driver Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2008.