Jeff Gordon revs up feud with Jimmie Johnson

Of all people.

Brief feuds between NASCAR drivers break out routinely, but Jeff Gordon versus Jimmie Johnson?

What makes their current tiff so compelling is not just that they’re friends, teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, but that Gordon helped launch Johnson’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career and that Gordon owns Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet, although that would be enough.

Their quarrel also stands out because Gordon and Johnson often are listed as Examples A and B in the modern version of Cup racing that annoys some fans, where buttoned-down drivers generally stick to politically correct public comments that won’t upset sponsors, fans and teammates.

So little wonder that jaws dropped Sunday when, for the second weekend in a row, Gordon unloaded on national television on Johnson’s driving and extended an unexpected rivalry that might give NASCAR an added boost.

Late in the race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Gordon’s No. 24 Chevy was coming up fast inside Johnson when Johnson moved over to effectively block Gordon, forcing Gordon to the apron and slowing his momentum.

Gordon then slipped back into traffic and quickly was caught in a multi-car crash. He finished 22nd and Kevin Harvick won by a nose over Jamie McMurray. Johnson, seeking an unprecedented fifth consecutive Cup championship, finished 31st.

“I don’t know what it is with me and him right now,” Gordon fumed after the race. Johnson, he said, “has been testing my patience and it’s about reached its boiling point. It takes a lot to make me mad and I am [angry] right now.”

Johnson later took the blame, telling the Associated Press that he had misjudged how fast Gordon was coming.

Even so, Gordon’s remarks were telling. They showed that an increasingly feisty Gordon is willing to publicly vent his anger with another driver, teammate or not, even though it’s generally his nature — outside of the race car, at least — to be a good sportsman.

“There is no doubt” about Gordon’s heightened passion this season, said Steve Letarte, his crew chief. “I have seen it since Daytona.”

There’s certainly reason for Gordon’s frustration. Now 38 years old, the four-time champion’s last Cup title came in 2001, and he hasn’t won a championship since the arrival of the Chase playoff format in 2004.

Gordon has been close — he finished second in the standings in 2007 and third last season — but there’s been no stopping Johnson’s title march over the last four years.

Gordon also has been in contention to win several times this season but has come up empty and he’s 10th in points. Johnson, with three victories in nine races, again leads the standings. Gordon’s strong showings included a week ago in Texas when he and Johnson bumped and both griped afterward that they were “disappointed” with the other.

A few days later, Johnson said they had talked things through and “everything is fine and in good shape.” But he also said there are times on the track when “you have to stand up for yourself regardless.”

Just ask Jeff Gordon.

james.peltz@latimes.com