Jeff Gordon had just gotten into the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac for the first time in today’s 24 Hours of Daytona, only to accidentally pit maneuver the No. 70 Mazda RT24-P that was coming out of the pits. OOPS!
Gordon was still managing his cold tires, so he was passed for the lead in front of the pits. Unfortunately, when he turned the corner to Daytona’s International Horseshoe, the Mazda on even colder tires was coming out slowly from the pitlane into a just-restarted herd of cars.
Gordon then tagged the No. 70 driven by Tom Long and spun it around. Fortunately, both cars were able to keep going, and both drivers were okay. Still, that’s got to be an embarrassing start in the No. 10 for a NASCAR legend, regardless of the circumstances.
Just breathe, Jeff. It’s not NASCAR. Remind yourself: not NASCAR. Definitely not NASCAR. Same track! But a different series, layout and car. Rubbin’s not racin’—it’s bad and loses time.
UPDATE: Pit lane was not open and Long should not have gone back into traffic yet, so it’s hard to pin this one on Gordon. Long was handed a penalty for running the red light at the end of pit lane.