Since making his Cup Series debut in the final race of the 1992 season Jeff Gordon has always tried to avoid controversy both on and off the track, something that has greatly contributed to the polarised opinion shown to him by NASCAR fans. However as the most successful active driver on the current circuit people have learned that when Gordon does speak out, he usually says something worth listening to.
One such occasion was on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway when, shortly after hitting an abutment on the inside wall of the back straight at the 1.5-mile oval Gordon had some harsh words for track chairman Bruton Smith and the venue as a whole.
After walking away from he readily described as the hardest crash of his career Gordon told local newspaper
The Las Vegas Sun that he felt the situation with the unprotected gap in the wall was unacceptable.
“I'm really disappointed right now in this speedway for not having a soft wall back there,” Gordon told the paper. “And even being able to get to that part of the wall shouldn't happen. I've got two things to say: 'Bruton, you need a soft wall and to change the wall back there on the back straightaway'.”
LVMS, which is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc, has announced that it will conduct a review of its retaining walls and SAFER barrier programme with immediate effect.
Speedway Motorsports Inc also operates the Texas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Atlanta Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's Kobalt Tools 500.
![Jeff Gordon - DuPont Chevrolet [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/292500.jpg)
