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Jeff Gordon is not normally a driver who loses his cool on the track. The same applies for Jeff Burton, but the 2010 Cup Series race proved otherwise. At the Texas Motor Speedway, Burton bumped onto Gordon during the caution period, and Gordon did not appreciate it.

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Unfortunately, it got worse when Burton got close to try and apologize. Apparently, the two of them bumped into each other, this time taking each other out of the race.

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Owing to that, an incensed Gordon stormed up to Burton and began to brawl with him. Recently, NASCAR posted a throwback video of the fight and dubbed it as their attempt at Olympic judo.

How bad was the Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton altercation?

As it turned out, Jeff Gordon was so furious that he refused to ride in the ambulance with Burton. The 4-time NASCAR Cup Series champion openly admitted that he meant to do more than swing at Burton. For his part, Jeff Burton could do nothing but apologize several times for his mistake.

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“The whole story behind it is we were both pissed off because we were running like 18th,” Burton said. “I was running the high line, he was on the bottom, he thought I should let him go, he made a big swerve at me because he was mad and my temper got the better of me, and I stood wide open in the gas.

“I wasn’t trying to wreck him, but we got hooked up. And once we got hooked up, we couldn’t get apart. And when he hit, I mean he hit really hard and as soon as he hit, all the energy–you know how mad you get–all that went away.”

To this day, Burton insists that the incident was one of his low points. Needless to say, the brawl left a bit of a sour taste in his mouth. Luckily, they calmed down later on, though their relationship would have suffered a little.

READ MORE: THROWBACK: NASCAR Champion Jeff Gordon Trades Cars with Juan Pablo Montoya at Indy

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Dhruv George

14,855 Articles

Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as F1’s Pierre Gasly and Moto2’s Tony Arbolino, cementing his reputation as a trusted voice among racing fans. Known for his candid opinions, Dhruv isn’t afraid to tackle contentious officiating calls, most recently defending Joey Logano after the DYL penalty in Phoenix. Before focusing on NASCAR as a Senior Writer, Dhruv contributed extensively to EssentiallySports’ coverage of F1 and NASCAR, building a versatile and impactful sports portfolio.

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