‘Bugs Bunny’ Jeff Gordon Fell Out of His Car and Ran Over by His Former Teammate, Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR’s Unique Challenge in 2002

During the early 2000s, NASCAR used to have a number of strange sponsors. At one point in time, Chevrolet collaborated with the Looney Tunes. As a part of the collaboration, Chevrolet drivers competed in the races in a Looney Tunes paint scheme, especially at the Richmond Raceway. Additional duties included promotional events, and one of them was a golf cart race with their respective characters. For this race, Jeff Gordon snatched pole position with co-driver Bugs Bunny.

Unfortunately, for the four-time Cup Series champion, it all went wrong at the start. While rounding the first corner, Gordon forgot the cardinal rule of safety, that is, keeping oneself strapped in. Safe to say, he paid for it dearly when he tumbled out of the cart, leaving a bemused Bugs Bunny in the cart. Gordon then had a lucky escape, as he barely dodged getting run over by Jimmie Johnson and Sylvester the Cat.

What did Jeff Gordon say about the incident?

Speaking about the tumble, Gordon told the media, “Jimmie got a little jump on me, but I was beating him going into Turn 1. I wasn’t about to lift. Was more worried about Bugs falling off than myself. Next thing I know, that thing really hooked up. Unfortunately, the seat didn’t have near as much grip as tires did.”

READ MORE: NASCAR Drivers Including Hendrick Motorsports Legend Jeff Gordon Fell Victim to an Astonishing Jinx Once

With Gordon out of commission, and Johnson likely hampered, the race win was free reign. In the end, Jeff Green and Daffy Duck won the race, ahead of Robby Gordon and Pepe Le Pew. However, that was when the fun and games pretty much ended for the Chevrolet contingent.

During the 2001 race, many of the Looney Tunes cars endured nightmare runs. The highest finish came from Kevin Harvick in 2nd place, despite a number of shenanigans. However, he was the only bright spark in that race, because the next highest finisher was Bobby Hamilton in 13th. While the sponsorship lasted only a few years, NASCAR as a sport was pretty much at the pinnacle of its popularity when the collaboration began. This video is an ode to the fun novelties in the history of the sport.

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