Clint Bowyer was not penalized for his part in Sunday's clash with Jeff Gordon at Phoenix, although his crew chief Brian Pattie was fined $25,000 and placed on probation for failing to keep control of his pit crew, members of which went after Gordon, which prompted the resulting brawl. However, both Bowyer and his team offered public apologies as they moved to put the incident behind them.
On Twitter, Bowyer apologized for referring to Gordon as a “retard” in the aftermath of their confrontation. “Very sorry about interview with the R word. I was so focused on not saying the F or the A word...I don't even know what I said!” Bowyer tweeted.
Car owner Michael Waltrip had been extremely critical after the race, calling Gordon's actions "cowardly," but after tempers had cooled, his team issued a statement expressing its regret for the incident.
“The goal of Michael Waltrip Racing is to be a championship-level organization both on and off the track. The on-track incident which occurred during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway was extremely disappointing and brought raw emotions of a long and hard championship battle to the surface,” the statement read. “Though we generally cannot control certain actions on the track, the unfortunate reactions off the track Sunday did not live up to the professional standards in which Michael Waltrip Racing expects all of its representatives to live by. We commit to our sponsors, our manufacturer, our fans and NASCAR that we will do so in the future.”