Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer Collision: NASCAR Stars Collide In Garage Causing Significant Damage [Video]

Saturday’s collision between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer caused significant damage to Gordon’s race-car while Bowyer’s Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota sustained only minor front-end damage, SB Nation reports.

The collision occurred in the garage while Gordon was backing out and Bowyer was pulling in. Reportedly, a confused crewmen cleared Gordon and didn’t notice Bowyer coming. The incident report states that as Gordon’s car came out of the garage, Bowyer had nowhere to go and the nose of his vehicle collided with the right-rear quarter panel of Gordon’s car.

The collision caused a substantial amount of damage to Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet and his team spent the rest of the session fixing the right rear and preparing it for final practice while Clint Bowyer was able to return to the track, Yahoo! Sports wrote.

Low-speed accidents are no longer unexpected in the Sprint Cup Series and collisions of this type may embarrass — albeit rarely — even professional drivers, as evidenced by the incident that occurred at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5FuEUP6Ug

Both drivers released statements following the incident and both acknowledged that it was unintentional, unlike encounters they’ve had in the past. Gordon, who is a four-time Sprint Cup champion, told Fox Sports that a pit cart outside of his garage stall blocked his line of sight as he was backing out.

“The guy that backs me out looked over, guess he was just starting to back me out and I crept out there and he cleared me, but (Bowyer), probably couldn’t really see me,” Gordon explained. “I don’t know if he kind of glanced away or what, but when he looked back, I was just right there and couldn’t go anywhere. It’s kind of a combination of, I guess, both of us could take fault in that.”

Speaking with NASCAR.com, Clint Bowyer had the following to say about the incident.

“There are so many people in here. Hell, I glanced up… all that (equipment) was there; that guy backing him out, I think he glanced up for a second but when I got there he wasn’t even looking. There’s just so much going on (in the garage). It’s a wonder that stuff doesn’t happen more often.”

[Image via YouTube screenshot]