Charlotte, NC – NASCAR team owner Jack Roush said on Tuesday mile Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Speculation of teams orders by Roush Fenway as well as other race teams surfaced after Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne bailed on Jeff Gordon to help teammate Matt Kenseth in a two-car draft during the closing laps of the Talladega race.
Gordon, in a Chevrolet, anticipated that Bayne would partner with him on the final restart with two laps to go. But Gordon was left hanging and wound up finishing 27th.
Bayne drives a Ford for Wood Brothers Racing in Sprint Cup, but is behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car for Roush.
The incident between Bayne and Gordon prompted Roush to release a statement.
"At Roush Fenway Racing, we expect our individual drivers to make decisions that put themselves in the best position to win each and every race," Roush said in the statement. That is a philosophy that we have lived by for over two decades, and one that we will continue to abide by going forward.
"Of course, as in any team, we would prefer for our drivers to work together when possible. However, to be clear, we did not micromanage or dictate to any of our drivers, nor any other Ford drivers, how to race with other drivers at Talladega last Sunday. There are unique codes that all drivers establish and have to live by on the track. How they manage their code is up to our drivers as individuals. This weekend, there were no team orders, from myself or anyone at Roush Fenway, given to any of our drivers as to whom they could or could not choose to run with or assist, nor did I give similar directions or suggestion to any of the other Ford drivers."
After finishing 15th, Bayne spoke with Gordon briefly on the matter.
"It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had come up in my career to be between two drivers and can't keep all three cars together," Bayne said on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's 'The Morning Show' on Tuesday. "For the last two days, I've tried to think about how I could keep three cars attached. When I talked to Jeff Gordon about it, he laughed about it. He's like, 'Man, there was nothing you could do there'."
According to Roush, he has met with Bayne to discuss the incident.
"I've spoken with Trevor and understand that he was put in a situation requiring a split-second decision on the track and in his response to questions justifying his actions afterwards, where it was almost certain that not everyone was going to be satisfied," Roush noted. "Trevor is extremely talented, but it is still very early in his career. Over time, he will grow to understand that in such a high-paced, competitive and hostile environment it is unlikely that all of his decisions will make everyone happy. I'm confident in his decision-making, his ability and actions on the track, and I'm excited as we continue to move forward with his development."
Roush drivers Carl Edwards and Kenseth are currently 1-2 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship point standings. With four races to go, Edwards holds a 14-point advantage over Kenseth.
