NASCAR NOTES

• NASCAR says Gordon's restart was "close" but legal: NASCAR admits that Jeff Gordon's restart on Lap 144 was "close" to being illegal, but officials ruled that his pass of leader Kyle Busch was good. "It was close and all of our resources, especially our new resources ... that helped us make our decision," said Richard Buck, managing director for the Sprint Cup Series, after Sunday's race at Chicagoland Speedway. "That official is looking and listening for when they fire," Buck told reporters, referring to when the cars accelerate. "It gives us another perspective. He calls up to the tower and will give his input. We start to pull together all of the other resources from the video we have available to us. That's when we come over the radio and say, if this is the case, the restart is under review. That allows us to pull the information in and make the decision." Series officials reviewed Gordon's restart and a decision came about 10 laps later. Asked about the timeframe for announcing the decision, Buck said: "The most important thing for us is to get it right and be consistent. We'll take whatever measures necessary to make sure we get it right."(NBC Sports)(9-21-2015)
  
• Chevy will continue to run the SS: Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevy, was asked Sunday about the future of the Chevy SS in Sprint Cup competition with the company's Australian manufacturing facilities shutting down the next couple years.
  Campbell: The specifics on that, in our industry, anything on the forward product portfolio, we don't talk about in too much detail until it's the right time. Right now the SS is play in the showroom and on the racetrack obviously. We're fuel injected, V8, rear wheel drive in the showroom. Same here at the track. We love that relevance, that connection. We really think it's genuine, authentic. It's kind of how it used to be, if you will. . . For Chevy, our SS will be our play here for the near future. If we make a change in the showroom that necessitates a change for the track, we'll certainly go through that process again with NASCAR and our counterparts.(NASCAR)(9-21-2015)
• arvick shoves Johnson after race: The intensity from NASCAR's elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs ramped up earlier than ever this year. Defending series champion #4-Kevin Harvick shoved six-time champion #48-Jimmie Johnson to express his frustration about a midrace clash during the MyAFibRisk.com 400, the first race of the 2015 Chase. Harvick cut a tire and crashed into the Turn 3 wall at Chicagoland Speedway a few laps later on the way to a 42nd-place finish. Johnson went to Harvick's motorhome to discuss the incident after the race. He was standing outside with Josh Jones, the business development director of Harvick's company, when the driver of the #4 driver emerged from his bus. Within a few seconds, Harvick shoved Johnson in the chest with a closed fist and, separated by Jones, began jawing at his rival. Jones restrained Harvick until Harvick's wife DeLana intervened and the two of them coaxed him into a waiting Chevy Suburban.
  The come-together in question happened just after a restart on the 135th lap of of the 267-lap race. Joey Logano's Team Penske Ford bumped Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as they were getting up to speed, sending the #48 car low on the the apron of the track. Johnson's #48 pulled alongside Harvick and the two Chevys made side-to-side contact when Johnson attempted to move back onto the racing surface. Harvick's car developed a left-rear tire rub, and four laps later, the tire let go and the #4 car backed heavily into the Turn 3 wall. After extensive repairs by Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick rejoined the race 57 laps down, warning over his radio: "Let me know when that 48's near me on the track." Logano steered clear of the controversy after finishing in sixth place. "I ain't getting in the middle of it," he said with a smile. "I don't want no part of that!"(ESPN.com)(9-21-2015)