Rivalry between teammates in NASCAR is not something that is unheard of. In fact, it is one of the things that make the sport what it is. Back in the day, when Jimmie Johnson used to race alongside his teammate Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, there were signs of tension between the two. It eventually lead to an all-out rivalry between the two brilliant drivers.

At the peak of his powers, Johnson was interviewed by the legendary Larry King where he revealed the root cause of his beef with Gordon.

Johnson stated, “We’ve had some different run-ins on the track for sure and you know when you’re in the sport long enough, you’re gonna have it with everyone out there and it’s more difficult when it’s a teammate and a friend. But I think our friendship and the respect we have for one another…”

Larry King then intervenes and asks, “was the controversy over things that happened in the race?” Johnson responded, “Yeah race and related things, and Jeff Gordon’s been the man you know and I wanted to take him down and that’s uh, that certainly was the root of what went on.”

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King further questions, “Do rivalries run a long time, or could you able to put it away after a race?” Johnson then said, “I’m pretty good at putting it away. There are other guys that certainly carry it far longer.”

Jeff Gordon once admitted that he was getting frustrated with Jimmie Johnson

Back in 2010, the rivalry between the two drivers reached its zenith. At one point, Gordon reportedly was so upset with Johnson’s actions that he decided to call him out while giving an interview.

Right after the 2010 race at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon told the media, “The 48 is testing my patience, I can tell you that. It takes a lot to get me mad and I’m pissed right now. I don’t know what it is with me and him right now, but whatever.”

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Gordon was apparently pushed almost off the yellow line by Johnson, who suddenly made a move to go low. Gordon stated that he was forced to let go of the gas pedal to avoid incurring a penalty.