Eli Ross issued a public apology to Gordy Gundaker after his Hail Mary slider on the final lap of B-Main 1 at the Show-Me 100 on Sunday.

On the final lap of the race, Gundaker was in the third position and the final transfer spot for the main event and was in a spirited battle with Ross and Brenden Smith. Heading into turn 1 Ross threw caution to the wind and just kamikazied it into the side of Gundaker’s car. The contact sent Gundaker’s car up the track while it wounded Ross’ car ending his night. While Gundaker was trying to get the car back underneath him, Brenden Smith was able to sneak past him and get the final transfer spot.

💥 Contact for the final #ShowMe100 transfer spot in @lucasdirt B-Main #1 at @lucasspeedway!#LucasDirt pic.twitter.com/grsMBkblyu

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) May 25, 2026

Ross apologized in a post to Facebook, “I wish to offer my sincerest apologies for the incident involving Gordy in the bmain on Sunday. This incident is not representative of my character as a driver or a person.”

“I have a deep appreciation for the Gundaker family and their contributions to the sport of racing,” he contnued. “I regret any disappointment or frustration that my actions may have caused my fans and sponsors, and I am committed to using this experience as an opportunity for growth. I would also like to take a moment to thank my parents, whose love, support, and encouragement have made my racing career possible.”

The apology comes after a moving post from Ross’ father and car owner Brady Ross, where he admitted his son “made a tremendously poor judgment call while attempting to pass Gordy Gundecker. Unfortunately, it did not end well.”

“First and foremost, as Eli’s father and car owner, I want to personally apologize to Gordy and the entire Gundaker family for the incident,” he wrote. ” What happened is completely uncharacteristic of Eli. Over the years, so many people have complimented him on being a clean driver and someone they would race beside anytime. I know Eli is upset about what happened, and so am I.”

Ross then publicly praised Gundaker for how he handled the aftermath of the wreck, “I also want to publicly praise Gordy for the way he handled the situation afterward. He had every right to be angry. In moments like that, when adrenaline is high and emotions are running hot, situations can escalate quickly. But instead, Gordy, along with Lucas Oil officials, calmly came to our pit and asked to speak with Eli.”

“One of the first things Gordy told Eli was that there would be no retaliation. He understood why Eli was going for it on the last lap of the biggest race of his young career,” he added. “But he also wanted Eli to understand something important: if you want to race at this level, you cannot build a reputation like that.”

“I truly appreciated the older-brother approach Gordy took with Eli. That conversation meant a lot to all of us,” Ross stated. “As everyone knows, 17-year-old children often think they have it all figured out. I’ve raised three of them. Sometimes lessons coming from Mom and Dad do not carry the same weight. But I know Eli listened closely to every word Gordy said, and I deeply appreciate Gordy taking the time to talk to him the way he did.”

“Our team has tremendous respect for Gordy and the Gundaker family, and we are deeply sorry for what happened. We hope to move forward from this, and Eli has assured me it will never happen again. Eli wants to race late models for a living, and he understands that earning the respect of both veterans and peers is part of that journey. We sincerely hope this moment does not define him as a driver, but instead becomes a lesson that helps him grow both on and off the racetrack,” he concluded.

Gundaker reacted to the post writing, “Appreciate Brady Ross, Eli Ross and their entire Family for this post. We are all prideful in what we do and how we compete with one another. I did not know Eli at all before this deal but I’m sure we will always know each other now. And after walking over and seeing the look on his face it was obvious how he felt. I felt as if I was looking at myself in the mirror in a way and just wanted to help him understand and grow from it in anyway possible.”

“Thank you to for Rick and everyone at Lucas Oil for allowing us to have this conversation along with his parents being right there as we all are better for it at the end of the day,” he concluded.

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