“Jimmie should have waited a little longer before he approached Kevin”: When Jeff Gordon reflected on his teammate’s bad timing 

After his teammate Jimmie Johnson's chaotic playoff-opener race, Jeff Gordon explained how the former's move to patch things up backfired because of bad timing. Johnson was racing in third and tried to take the lead but the cascading effect of Joey Logano's shoving proved detrimental for Kevin Harvick.

The fateful incident transpired on the Lap 135 restart when Logano wrecked Johnson. Even though the then-six-time Cup Series champion corrected his veering high-octane ride, it clipped Harvick's rear, damaging his car and tire. The defending Cup Series champion was leading the 2015 MyAFibRisk.com 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway but the HMS rival's wreck forced him to pit and lose contention.

The pit stop extended for 57 laps and Harvick was back on the track albeit with a disappointing P42 finish from what could've been a potential win and automatic advancement into the Round of 12. On the contrary, it put the SHR driver in a risky situation with a lot of heavy lifting to do in the following two playoff races.

After the race, Harvick confronted Johnson and punched him with a closed fist, but the latter kept calm and tried to patch things up. A week after the altercation, Jeff Gordon said that Jimmie's timing to cool the matter was 'off' and that he should've waited a little longer.

“I wasn’t in that situation so you don’t know how you’re going to react in those situations until you’re in them. We all agree maybe Jimmie should have waited a little longer before he approached Kevin on that one. When I look at Jimmie, his sincerity of trying to patch things up with somebody I believe he respects on the track and give his side of it is admirable, just maybe off on the timing of it,” Jeff Gordon said via NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick was so frustrated that his wife DeLana and the business manager had to interfere to prevent a further disaster.

"I wasn’t surprised he was that upset": Jeff Gordon's teammate expressed his feelings on his wreck with Kevin Harvick

Harvick was the polesitter in the playoff opener and could've salvaged a victory as he led the race before chaos ensued. But after finishing P42, the #4 SHR Chevrolet driver dropped below the elimination line with a massive 22-point deficit.

Jimmie Johnson broke his silence the following week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon's teammate emphasized that he wanted to go to Harvick's motorhome to discuss but appreciated the SHR driver & Co. for coming to his bus to address the incident.

The HMS driver also commented on a video depicting him walking away calmly despite Harvick's recent wrath, saying he wasn't surprised that the rival was "that upset" with him.

“I wasn’t surprised he was that upset. Believe me, I knew good and well going over there that he wasn’t going to be in the best mood. It was just important to me to try and make contact with him, to talk to him based on experiences I’ve had,” Jeff Gordon's teammate said via NASCAR.

Despite the setback, Kevin Harvick made it to the Final 4 and posted a runner-up finish in the penultimate race. Kyle Busch won the race and his first Cup Series title.