NASCAR Gordon gets questionable win

He ignored an unwritten rule and passed Kevin Harvick under caution.
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Robby Gordon knew he had to get in front of teammate Kevin Harvick to win the Dodge/Save Mart 350.
So, Gordon ignored an unwritten rule to pass Harvick under caution and went on to the victory at Infineon Raceway.
The move also drew a fusillade of criticism from four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon.
"Really, that's what won him the race," Jeff Gordon said. "You just don't do that. You don't pass a guy under caution. He won the race fair and square except for that move right there. What he did can be done, but there's not going to be too many guys in that garage area who are going to have too much respect for him."
No arguments
NASCAR had no argument with Gordon's pass. A NASCAR spokesman said it was made clear in the pre-race drivers' meeting that racing back to the finish line under a waving yellow would be allowed.
"Do you think I really care what Jeff Gordon says?" Robby Gordon said. "He's won enough races. I guess he just doesn't like it when someone comes in and rains on his parade a little bit. Kevin Harvick may be mad at me, but it is what it is. I don't see what Jeff Gordon has to do with this."
Harvick, who also drives for Richard Childress Racing, wound up third.
The controversy arose when the teammates stayed on strategy and pitted under green on lap 66 and briefly fell back into the field. Harvick beat Robby Gordon back onto the track even though Gordon smoked his tires trying to get out ahead.
How it happened
Harvick stayed in front of Gordon until rookie Christian Fittipaldi hit a tire barrier and brought out a yellow on lap 71. Gordon took advantage of the situation to pass Harvick as they raced back to the flagstand to take the caution.
"Jeff Gordon sat in the same drivers' meeting as I did and I asked the question three times during the meeting to have the rule clarified," Robby Gordon said.
Jeff Gordon said Robby Gordon broke a gentleman's agreement not to pass for position under yellow.
"On a waving caution in a corner you can pass if you happen to be making a move on a guy, but that's not what happened because he about did it the caution before that," Jeff Gordon said. "In that situation, we kind of maintain our position because you don't know what's on the track."
Harvick heard what Jeff Gordon said, but his only comment on the pass was, "It was good hard racing except for that chicken move under yellow."
Close twice before
Controversy aside, the victory was particularly satisfying for Robby Gordon, a former Indy-car star who had two NASCAR road races slip through his fingers in the past.
Two years ago on this same course, Gordon dominated only to see Tony Stewart slip past when Gordon wasted time trying to keep Harvick a lap down.
Later that year at Watkins Glen -- the only other road course on the 36-race schedule -- Gordon was again the best car but lost an almost certain victory when the in-car camera battery exploded and started a fire.
"I don't think there was any luck here today," Robby Gordon said. "We had a plan and we stuck to it all day. We stopped when we wanted to stop and the strategy just worked out perfect."