Gordon is a team player

Jeff Gordon could have thrown a monkey wrench into the works and undermined Hendrick Motorsports's addition of Dale Earnhardt Jr. through the subtraction of Kyle Busch.

Gordon could have pitched a fit in an act of self-preservation and persuaded car owner Rick Hendrick to take a pass on Earnhardt when the popular driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet became the biggest free agent in NASCAR history by announcing his departure last month from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team his late father built.

But Gordon did none of the above.

Instead, the four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, and current series points leader, embraced Earnhardt's decision to drive for Hendrick, effective next season. In fact, Gordon said he even recruited Earnhardt, who approached Gordon with the notion.

"I spoke to him before the final decisions were made and just told him that we'd love to have him and how our organization works and that I thought it could be a very good move for him," Gordon said. "He seemed pretty excited. He seemed like a nervous little kid.

"It was really strange to see him in that situation, because here you have all these teams and sponsors and everything else wanting him to sign with them, and he was the one who was shy and standoffish about the whole thing.

"I think that's why he's going to fit in so well, because he's very humble and appreciative and excited and he's not this guy who has this big ego and feels like he's going to come in and take over the place.

"He wants to come in and fit. I was kind of feeling where he was coming from and I think he wanted to see how I felt about us being teammates and I supported it from the beginning."

Earnhardt's decision not only paired him with a Hendrick Dream Team that includes Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears, but also seemed to signal a cease-fire between two of NASCAR's biggest warring factions: Earnhardt and Gordon fans.

After Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt for sixth place on NASCAR's all-time win list with the 76th triumph of his career, at Phoenix in April, he proudly flew a black No. 3 flag in honor of the late seven-time champion. But Earnhardt fans pelted Gordon's car with beer cans.

It was more of the same the following week at Talladega, when Gordon recorded his 77th victory.

"I'm confused why people think that's going to stop because we're teammates," Gordon mused. "Jimmie Johnson and I are competitive, but we're good friends and we have a lot of respect for one another. We've showed at Martinsville, and other times this year and several years, that we know what kind of equipment we have.

"Gathering information and sharing information benefits all of us, but when it comes down to the race and who's going to win, we want it really, really bad. We're willing to trade a little paint for that and I think nothing's going to change with that with Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming to our organization, either."

Although Earnhardt's fans may have felt betrayed by his decision, Gordon believes they will come around.

"The bottom line is this: When he goes out there and he starts being competitive week in and week out on a consistent basis, and battling for championships -- hopefully, one day winning a championship for Hendrick Motorsports -- all those fans are going to be following him," Gordon said.

Then, with a laugh, Gordon added, "And they're still going to be booing me."

Now that Earnhardt has announced his plans, the focus has shifted to Kyle Busch, whom Earnhardt displaced at Hendrick. Busch insisted his departure was the result of a "mutual agreement" after negotiations on a contract extension reached an impasse. Busch said he was kept in the dark about the nature of the negotiations and fired his agent, Alan Miller, who also represents Johnson and Mears. "To me, just from what I know, is that the negotiations were going well, then they weren't going well, then we started getting back on track, and then Junior announced [his] availability, and then that's where we kind of stalled out again," said Busch, who has engaged Motorsports Management International as his representation. "So, you know, I'm not stupid. You guys aren't stupid, so it's kind of common sense, I guess." Asked if his agent cost him his ride at Hendrick, Busch said, "I don't think so. It was a tough decision to let him go, and I really didn't want to do it. But I feel like I've got a better background now where I'm at that I can work really hard to not only become a better racer, but a better driver. You know, I wasn't in that much contact with him and that's what I want. I want to have contact with people where I can be more informed, more involved with everything."

With rumors rampant about where Busch will end up, one car owner emphatically stated his position. "I'm not interested," said Jack Roush, who in 2001 employed the Brothers Busch: big brother Kurt in his Cup car and Kyle in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts. "I've got no interest," Roush said. "And that is for the record." . . . Another matter Roush had no desire to discuss was the status of Greg Biffle's contract extension. Despite being under contract to Roush Fenway Racing through 2008, Biffle has surfaced as a candidate for a number of openings. But he said he was not inclined to sign anything until he sees some improvement in his team's performance; it recorded just one top-five finish in the first 14 races of the season. "It's not like I forgot how to run at Pocono," said Biffle, referring to last weekend's race, where he was 43d in practice, 41st in qualifying, and finished 30th. "We showed up there and we were 43d. We need to show that we can run better before I sign off for five more years." Biffle qualified 14th for today's Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway . . . J.J. Yeley captured his first career Bud Pole Award with a fast lap of 187.505 miles per hour . . . Although one of his drivers, Dale Jarrett, was sent home after failing to qualify at Michigan, Toyota owner-driver Michael Waltrip was spared that ignominy after he qualified 18th in the 43-car grid. It marked only the third time in 15 races this season that Waltrip has not recorded a DNQ. After making the field for the Daytona 500, Waltrip recorded 11 consecutive DNQs. "We are taking baby steps, and this is a good step in the right direction," Waltrip said.

The globe-trotting Formula One circuit will make its only American stop today, for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where rookie McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton will attempt to build on his historic season. Hamilton, the current F1 points leader, became the first black driver in F1 history to win a race when he captured the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend in Montreal. "It's an amazing opportunity for any driver to come here and compete," said Hamilton, who will be on the pole for the US Grand Prix. "Watching the Indy 500 over the years, it's an awesome race, and I've always wanted to go and watch and be a spectator. But to be here racing on the circuit is pretty cool."

Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com; material from personal interviews, sanctioning bodies, race teams, sponsors, and track publicity departments was used in this report.