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Jeff Gordon had to say no to Tony Stewart, couldn't say no to Rick Hendrick

When there was something weird, and it didn't look good for Tony Stewart after his dune buggy crash, who was Smoke going to call?

Jeff Gordon.

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In addressing his return to Sprint Cup as a replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr., starting this weekend at Indianapolis, Gordon reminded that he was asked to replace Stewart. A Jan. 31 accident in the California desert left Stewart with a broken back, causing him to miss the season's first eight races.

Gordon would have jumped at the chance — had he not committed to being a race analyst for Fox.