Hours before yet another Ronda Rousey knockout, there was a different kind of fighting at Rougemont, North Carolina’s Orange County Speedway.
On lap 97 of the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Super Late Model Tour event at Orange County Saturday night, there was a multiple-car incident that included Clay Jones and Richard Gould. After their cars came to rest between turns three and four, Gould climbed out and charged towards Jones, where they exchanged shoves and harsh words before being separated by CARS Tour officials.
In the immediate aftermath, Gould expressed his frustration with Jones’ role in the incident, which saw Jones’ car ride against Gould’s driver’s side door.
“He drove right over the top of me,” Gould exclaimed. “I don’t know where I was supposed to go. There was a car right in front of me.”
Jones declined comment immediately following the incident, but both drivers expounded on their views of the crash after the race, won by Brandon Setzer, was over.
“I don’t know what happened back there, man,” Jones said. “The guy got by him, and I had pulled up to his quarter panel, and he just turned left going down the straightaway. “Once we touched, it just jumped up on top of him, and there’s nothing you can do but hold on then.”
“I don’t know what his deal was after the race,” Jones continued. “I reckon he thought it was my fault.”
Gould still certainly thought it was Jones’ fault in his post-race comments.
“All I know is that I was behind, I think it was [Joey Mucciacciaro],” Gould explained. “He kinda checked up, and I was drifting a little bit low because he checked up. Next thing I know, [Jones] is coming over the top of me.”
“I think he could have slowed down before that happened,” Gould added. “Apparently he was going somewhere.”
Gould also tweeted out a picture of his mangled Woodman Racing machine, with a humorous caption regarding the crash.
Apparently there was a @MonsterJam Show that I didn’t know about?? #gotbrakes? @WoodmanRacing @CARSTour pic.twitter.com/bSWdtTNTrL
— Rich Gould (@1laprule58) August 2, 2015
At the time, Clay Jones was working his way back through the field after a right-front tire failure, an issue which miffed Jones and several other drivers in both the Super Late Model and Late Model Stock fields at the event.
“Best run we’ve had all year, and we busted a right-front tire,” Jones said. “It sucks to get took out over a right-front tire and then something stupid like that happens. But we’ll get it fixed. I don’t know if we’ll make Concord.
Gould expressed a different issue with his tires.
“Our tires were okay,” Gould deadpanned. “Except for the ones that were flat after the wreck.”
