MONTREAL — Marcos Ambrose should have won the race. Robby Gordon insists he did.
In the end, it was Kevin Harvick who celebrated the victory in Saturday's inaugural Busch Series race in Canada.
It was a controversial finish that thrilled the crowd, infuriated NASCAR and probably jeopardized Gordon's participation in today's Nextel Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
Gordon refused to forfeit his position on the track when ordered by NASCAR, officials said he knocked Ambrose out of the race, and then refused to pull off the track as ordered. He also celebrated as if he had won the event — behavior that is expected to earn him a suspension before today's race.
Gordon was second on a restart with four laps to go, and a multicar accident brought out a caution. Gordon passed Ambrose at the same time as the accident, but Ambrose spun him to reclaim the lead seconds later. Gordon was idling sideways as the field roared by him, but he raced back to the front under yellow and gave Ambrose a retaliatory bump.
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He then tried to move into the lead because he thought he was in first — or at worst, second — when the caution came out.
NASCAR instead ruled he was 13th, based on where Gordon was when he righted his car following the spin. He refused to move back into the field, and NASCAR warned him they would not score him if he didn't forfeit his position.
When the race resumed with three laps to go, Gordon was still holding second but immediately spun Ambrose to take the lead. NASCAR then ordered him off the track. He refused and led the field around the course for the final three laps.
But NASCAR did not acknowledge him, and waved the black flag at him every time he crossed the line. The results show he finished 18th but Gordon celebrated as if he won the race by doing victory burnouts at the same time Harvick did.
NASCAR officials furiously retreated into their office, where Gordon was summoned after he climbed from his car. He had a copy of the rule book in his hands when he left.
Pit stops
● Fernando Alonso was dropped from the pole of Formula One's Hungarian Grand Prix and will start sixth after a ruling Saturday by the governing body. FIA overruled stewards and determined that Alonso and his McLaren team had delayed teammate Lewis Hamilton during a pit stop and denied him a chance to make another qualifying run. FIA also ruled that any points McLaren earns in today's race will only count toward the driver standings — and not the constructors championship.
● Points leader Dario Franchitti won the pole for today's IRL Firestone Indy 400 in Brooklyn, Mich.
