DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Four-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson wants nothing to do with Sam Hornish Jr.
It might even be too late for Hornish to apologize for what happened at Texas Motor Speedway in November.
Asked at Daytona 500 media day which driver he would least want to learn from, Johnson made it clear he is still fuming that Hornish never apologized for the accident that could have cost Johnson his latest championship.
``He hits way too much stuff, including me at important times of the year,'' Johnson said, making an uncharacteristically blunt assessment of a fellow driver. ``Still to this day, he has never said a word about (it). I wish he'd just walk up and say, 'Man, I meant to crash you.''
In Hornish's defense, the former IndyCar champion didn't actually cause the accident that cut into Johnson's Sprint Cup Series points lead.
``Either way, wouldn't you think that with what is on the line you'd at least walk up to a guy and be like, 'Man, I hate it for you. It wasn't my fault, somebody hit me?''' said Johnson, who clinched the championship two weeks later at Homestead. ``But the guy just doesn't talk, doesn't say anything.''
Hornish has a reason for his silence.
``I have a hard time talking to people when they want to talk to me, being as shy as I am,'' Hornish said. ``But talking to someone who wants to beat me up, that's another story.''
Nonetheless, Hornish conceded that he should have called Johnson after the wreck. He said he plans to ``clear the air'' this week.
``I feel that maybe he's right,'' Hornish said. ``I should have went over and talked to him. ... I should have said something to him about it. I don't have any problems with Jimmie. I certainly would never try to take him out. A lot of people want to say, 'Are you guys trying to start a rivalry or something like that?' I don't want to start a rivalry with anybody. But if I'm going to, I'm going to have to start finishing a lot better to be able to do that.''
Hornish, however, did let everyone know who really was responsible for the crash on the third lap. He said David Reutimann hit him from behind, causing him to hit Johnson as he tried to avoid spinning out.
Reutimann accepted all the blame, too.
``I called and apologized to Jimmie about eight times,'' Reutimann said. ``I called and apologized to Sam. It was my fault for sure. No questions asked. I did my part in creating the wreck and I tried to do my part in making sure that people knew that wasn't a Sam Hornish mistake. That was a David Reutimann mistake. That (stinks) having to call and apologize to two guys.''
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HAMLIN HURTING: Denny Hamlin has been fitted with a knee brace, but he's not likely to turn laps with the bulky binding.
Hamlin tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee playing basketball last month and plans to have surgery after the season. He recently did some clutching and breaking with his injured leg and believes he should be able to drive without pain.
Hamlin expects the new brace to eliminate his limp, but he won't wear it when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 11 Toyota.
``The confines of the cockpit are so small that - in case of an emergency or in a wreck and you have to make an abrupt move with your feet to hit the brakes - you've got to have that mobility and you've got to have that room, and I think the brace takes a little bit of that away,'' he said.
Hamlin said he has about 80 percent of his normal leg strength.
``That's good enough,'' he said. ``That's probably stronger than most guys at 100 percent.''
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FUTURE DRIVERS? Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon became the latest driver to announce a pregnancy.
Gordon and his wife, Ingrid, said Thursday they are expecting their second child in August. Four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Elliott Sadler and Juan Pablo Montoya also have pregnant wives.
``I don't know what's going on in our sport right now,'' Gordon said.
Johnson's wife is due in July. Edwards and Sadler could become first-time fathers in the next few weeks. Edwards' wife is due Feb. 17, three days after the season-opening Daytona 500, and Sadler's wife is due in early March. Montoya's wife is due in July.
Edwards should be the first to juggle a delivery with the racing schedule.
``My plan is to go race the best I can and we've got backup plans in case something happens,'' he said. ``I don't anticipate missing any car time. Not at all. My wife's pretty cool. She'd be mad at me if I left. Hopefully, the timing will work out. Hopefully, the worst case is I miss some practice.''
Gordon's first child, Ella, will turn 3 in June. Gordon said Ella ``is excited about being a big sister.''
``She can't stop talking about it at home,'' he said.
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HARVICK OUT: Kevin Harvick sat out Budweiser Shootout practice Thursday because of flulike symptoms.
Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, was still back home in North Carolina when practice began. Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer took Harvick's place in the No. 29 Chevrolet and was involved in a wreck during practice. According to the team, Harvick hoped to arrive in Daytona on Thursday night.
The Shootout, an exhibition race that kicks off Speedweeks, is Saturday night.
