FORT WORTH, Texas — Jeff Gordon admitted Friday he was one of several Sprint Cup drivers who went to NASCAR last weekend and asked series officials to prohibit bump-drafting through the corners at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Fans — and even some drivers who complained to NASCAR about the practice — blamed a perceived lack of competitive racing Sunday on that decision.

“I was one of them,” Gordon said of drivers who requested the crackdown. “Bump-drafting through the corners is ridiculous. I don’t think that had anything to do with the race you saw last week.

“If anything, I think it’s what allowed 30-plus cars to be on the lead lap with 30 (laps) to go, which sometimes only makes the big wreck even bigger.”

Gordon said the reason more cars finished was NASCAR’s crackdown.

“I thought that was a big positive. If you have a car that you can bump-draft the way that car does, that’s the issue. It’s not telling us what we can and can’t do,” Gordon said.

“We need to get out there and work hard to swap positions. Track position is so important in our series and then they create a car that it’s not important, that you can kind of get up (front) whenever you want.

“Eventually you’re going to have guys that say, ’We got 500 miles to go; we’re just going to sit here and ride.”’

Newman: Ground cars

Almost a week removed from his harrowing wreck at Talladega, Ryan Newman insists he wants to be part of the solution to prevent cars from getting airborne.

Newman’s car flipped late in Sunday’s race and he spent 12 minutes upside down before he was extricated.

“From an aerodynamic standpoint, ultimately our biggest thing is to keep the race cars on the ground,” Newman said. “Crashes have always been a part of racing. There are fans that like that. Sometimes that adds to extra excitement, don’t get me wrong.

“Keeping the race cars on the ground is how we keep the drivers and especially the fans safe.”

Newman, who complained NASCAR needed changes to keep cars from getting airborne after Carl Edwards ’ harrowing crash during the spring Talladega race, found himself living out his frustrations .

Newman said he met this week with series director John Darby and Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition, about his concerns.

Goodyear pleased with test

Goodyear brought 17 Cup drivers to Daytona Beach, Fla., with in the past week to finalize a tire recommendation for next season’s Daytona 500.

The cars ran 25 laps Monday, and a 15- 30-lap runs Tuesday.

“Overall grip and wear was good, and we also improved the appearance of the tire over the course of a run compared with the past,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales.

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