posted March 31, 2006 at 09:48 EST in NASCAR Betting Trends

Gordon has temper

It’s only a matter of time before a NASCAR driver intentionally maims or kills a fellow driver.

The amount of road rage on the racing circuit is getting so prevalent that it’s leading calm, cool and collected guys like Jeff Gordon to blow a gasket.

Last week following the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup points leader Matt Kenseth approached Gordon on pit road seemingly to apologize for an incident that happened on the track.

On the final lap of the race, Kenseth had bumped Gordon and sent him in a tailspin that dropped him from third place back to 21st.

But before Kenseth could say anything, Gordon, who was still wearing his helmet at the time, violently shoved Kenseth. The outburst resulted in a $10,000 fine and probation until the end of August for Gordon.

It was the first time the four-time NASCAR champion had been penalized for his behavior in his 14-year career. Gordon accepted the punishment and subsequently apologized.

The Kenseth-Gordon incident was just one of numerous spats that occurred as a result of aggressive driving on Sunday.

In fact, Gordon angered both rookie Martin Truex Jr. and Jeff Burton when he knocked Truex Jr. out of the race and inadvertently took out Burton as well.

As for Kenseth, he was burned about how he was bumped by eventual race winner Kurt Busch.

The increase in flared tempers is a side effect of a sport that is becoming more and more popular, competitive and expensive, suggests Gordon.

“I think every year the sport gets more intense,” Gordon told CBSSportsline.com. “Everything is so intensified just by the competition getting tougher.”

Another reason for heightened anger last week was the racetrack. There tends to be a lot more congestion, bumping and crashing on short tracks like Bristol.

This weekend, NASCAR returns to another short track, this time at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Once again, fans will likely see anger and aggression after the green flag is waved to begin the DirecTV 500 (Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

Gordon, who has won seven times at Martinsville including both races last season, opened as the early favorite at +400. Gordon has won 15 races on short tracks over his NASCAR career.

Busch has the next best odds at +500. Including last week’s victory, Busch has won seven short track races in his six-year career. He has won once at Martinsville.

Defending Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart also logs in at +500, followed by Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson at +700.

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