The gloves came off Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And NASCAR’s new ‘have at it boys’ preseason edict is about to get its first test.
Sunday Carl Edwards was parked by NASCAR after he tapped Brad Keselowski on lap 323 of the Kobalt Tools 500. Keselowski’s Dodge was turned backwards, lifted up and slammed hard into the wall. The car slid to a stop near the entrance to turn 2 and Keselowski was able to walk away. Shortly after NASCAR told Edward’s to take his Ford to the garage and go directly to the NASCAR hauler. Edwards drove his car backwards down pit road into the garage area.
The entire incident might actually have began earlier in the race when it appeared Edwards got a nudge from Keselowski on a restart and was sent up into the wall between turns one and two.
“I knew Brad was peeking inside,” Edwards said. “But I thought he’d give me just a little bit of room and he didn’t and we ended up overlapping. I had it saved and I guess I got into the 20 car at the very top of the race track. I didn’t see that part of it, but it’s so frustrating for a number of reasons, most of which is that I love racing here.
“I know Brad has made his career on being super-aggressive,” Edwards added. “We both had a part in it and it’s not his fault, but it’s just a little too aggressive overall, I think, for that early in the race and caused us to wreck.”
Edwards and Keselowski have a history of a less then cordial relationship on the track. Last April at Talladega, a tap from Keselowski sent Edwards Ford airborne and into a fence, injuring several fans. There was also an incident in the season opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona involving Keselowski and Edwards. Unfortunately the big loser that day was Dale Earnhardt Junior who was swept up and endured an upside down ride in his Chevy.
While the Talladega tap and the Daytona melee, along with Sunday’s first incident may have question mark as to guilt, the second tap from Edwards Sunday was pretty obvious to many.
"Wrecking someone at 195 miles an hour, that's not cool,'' Keselowski said after being released from the infield medical center. “Intentionally wrecking someone like that, that's not cool and could get someone killed in the grandstands. I know it's a little ironic for me be saying that.
"It'll be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it,'' Keselowski added.
Edwards wasn’t afraid to face the media after he got out of his car the second time.
“Brad knows the deal between him and I. The scary part was his car went airborne which was not at all what I expected,” Edwards who seemed genuinely shaken said. “At the end of the day, we’re out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people’s safety. I wish it wouldn’t have gone like it did, but I’m glad he’s okay and we’ll just go on and race some more and maybe him and I won’t get in anymore incidents together. That would be the best thing.”
“I think at the end of the day the best thing would be Brad and I just not getting together anymore and we probably won’t now,” Edwards added as he walked to the NASCAR hauler. I’m just glad everybody is alright.”
What will happen going forward is anyone’s guess. One thing everyone can agree on; Sunday NASCAR did the right thing by reacting to the incident. However, had Keselowski’s Dodge not gone airborne but simply spun into the infield, would the reaction have been the same?
Last season in the Nationwide Series season ending Ford 300, Denny Hamlin exacted revenge on Keselowski for an incident the week before. Hamlin spun Keselowski. There was no real damage to either car, but it was clear that Hamlin had intentionally sent Keselowski spinning. In that race, NASCAR forced Hamlin to pit and held him for one lap for ‘aggressive driving’ and the incident was quickly forgotten.
Then in the offseason NASCAR said they would out the job of policing back into the drivers hands.
“They choose what they can and cannot do out on the racetrack.” NASCAR chairman Brian France said during the preseason media tour. “Now, they all understand that we are still sitting there, looking at the unfolding of the race as it might relate to a driver going too far, but if we look at Daytona and Talladega now the same way we do at Charlotte or Texas or Kansas City, there still could be a line to cross but it's not going to be related to bump drafting, per se. It will be over-aggressive driving if it got to that.
But even the incidents like that we have had in the past, they might have called us to the woodshed, but we made the call during the race and it was over with as far as we were concerned.”
Did Sunday’s incident call for action outside the drivers hands for over-aggressive driving? Absolutely. But what will be interesting to see is what NASCAR does, or doesn’t do, from this point. Would their actions have been as severe had Keselowski not gotten airborne? And more importantly will they take further action?
Sunday night NASCAR said they would discuss the incident further this week to see if any further sanctions are necessary.
“We talked with Carl after the race, and we have an understanding about it,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition “We will talk internally again as a group Monday or Tuesday of this week and make any decision on if there will be any other actions we will take. We parked the 99, we reacted to what happened on the racetrack and we’ll go back and discuss it further.”
The outcome of those further discussions might be to answer the biggest question of all; was their preseason ‘hands off’ ‘have at it boys’ approach for real, or will it be the same as it ever was.
Comments
Nascars fault for not stopping Brad along time ago!
I never once heard Carl complain about the Talledaga race incident!!! Infact he joked about it!
FOX wanted to make it sould like a vendatta for Talladaga when it was all the other wreck and hits in the Nationwide series, seem Brad was a hit man for Carl and Denny Hamlin!
So if Nascar fines Carl they need to go Brad as well!
Carl seen they were not going to stop him, so mabe he decided enough was enough and had enough! IF Brad had been hitting Hendrick Cars instead of driving them he would have been stopped along time ago!
When Brad got out of the 12 car sunday, with the comments he was making it sounded like Ralph Nader!
Brad gets a bad wrap because he races these guys hard and he isn't afraid to use his bumper. Brad is mixing it up because he's got the cars and the skill set and he's giving Carl and Denny and Kyle a run for their money. What Carl did was premeditated and violent and hateful and his "awe shucks" act doesn't fool me or Matt Kenseth. Carl has anger issues and needs help before he really hurts someone. This isn't his first time to use his car in a malicious way.
Ok...I guess I need to readjust my glasses..I have been watching NASCAR for over 20 years...and have paid attention to Kez...and yes..I have noticed he is aggressive..doesn't always "give" when other "more important" drivers feel he should..but I really have never noticed Kez intentionally taking someone out. I realize "intent" is a fine line..but as things go..I can't say I have ever seen him "stalking" another car to take it out. So I need to ask..what is Carl talking about when he says "Brad knows the deal between him and I"? I remember Dega last year and Daytona this year .. but it seemed to me more Carl's "moving" that caused those wrecks. So..let me see.. as I see it if a "rookie" doesn't move or react the way a veteran wants..then they are taken out? "The list" Carl refers to...Hamlin, Edwards, Montoya...seems they have caused MORE then their share of problems on the track...wonder who's list they are on? I would think after Atlanta Carl will be at least 15 drivers "lists"!
Watch the tapes, Carl caused both incidents on Sunday. He needs anger management. Rather than being mad at Brad get a new spotter.
"Would their actions have been as severe had Keselowski not gotten airborne?"
That's the point. When someone pulls the trigger on a gun they unleash a flood of possible outcomes that they can not control. If I drink a six pack and then drive home I have no intention of hurting anyone. So if I do have an accident and hurt someone on my ride home should I be charged and sentenced the same as someone that just got pulled over for DWI or should I get a manslaughter or murder charge tacked on?
It is not Brad's job to "give just a little" if Carl did not have him cleared he should not have tried to make a hole. Some drivers will let you by with making a hole where one does not exist but Brad is not one of them.
Carl should watch next weeks race from home!
Carl and Denny need to learn the difference between hard racing and taking some one out. When 2 cars are racing for the same spot and one car crashes thats hard racing. Not always good judgement but hard racing. What Carl and Denny have done is just wrong
Carl is a thug and would probably fail a blood test for steroids or HGH. This Gary Busey clone has tried to fight everyone from his own teammate to blindsiding Dale Jr's car under caution. Jimmy Spencer was suspended for punching Kurt Busch in the face. Carl used his car as a weapon and could have seriously injured or killed Brad and/or any number of fans. NASCAR needs to sit Mr. Ed for a couple races to cool him off and wreck his season. Maybe Harvick should throw him across the hood of another car to get his attention.
Something in Carl's brain is cross wired - he is a Dr Jeckyl/ Mr Hyde. He appears all sweet and smiley then reacts like a thug. There have been several incidents with Carl's anger and he needs to be suspended. He needs some serious anger management!
Roush Racing should take their own initative to punish Carl Edwards. As a fan I will boycott his sponsors. 156 laps down and he seeks revenge that could have very well included fans in the stands. Ugly result could have been death resulting, certainly injured people if debris had gone into the grandstands. Carl has lost many peoples respect. He was my favorite and now I say X favorite. No excuse for this type of behavior especially from a respect driver, now a has been.
NASCAR had better deal with this in a serious manner. If someone had been killed in the stands I would pursue murder charges if it was a member of my family. Do not use a 3400 lb car as a weapon. If you do you should face penalties.
1. Banging fenders or clipping bumbers while racing for a win is “Have at it, boys”. Being 153 laps down on the fastest track in the series and intentionally and viciously wrecking a top ten contender is “we’ve had enough, boys”. Take Edwards’ points away for the Atlanta race and sit him for the upcoming Bristol race. And don’t let Edwards come back until he successfully completes an anger management program. This is a no brainer.
Carl Edwards is a mentally ill punk. When you smile at the cameras and say all the right things then go out on the track and try to kill someone it indicates a severe mental illness. And how about Jack Rousch ? was'nt he the one who got rid of Kurt Buschleague for being a collossal pain in the a** ? Well the time has come for Edwards to head back to the county fair tracks so he can work on that temper/immaturity problem without having the weapons to attempt to kill his fellow drivers. And no,this latest idiotic move by Edwards does not change my opinion of him- I have always thought that he was a real snake in the grass and this backs up that opinion.
I cannot believe how these self-righteous twits who complained about drivers being robots now cry foul over what Carl did. Kez had it coming. Drivers are tired of his crap, and now, maybe he'll think twice about trying to squeeze his car through spaces it won't fit.
Great post Josie. I too would like to see a list of drivers that Hamlin keeps referring to that have a problem with Brad. The only ones seem to be Carl, Juan and Denny. Guys who do their own share of running over people.
Carl said he guessed he got into Logano.If he does't know for sure then he should find himself a dose of reality somewhere
Is there any way that Jimmy Spencer can be convinced that Carl Edwards just dissed him and Jimmy should give him a good ass whooping for his own good ? Before you scoff you should remember that a few years ago another young punk messed with Mr. Spencer and got his teeth knocked out as part of his lesson in manners.The punk learned how to show some respect and went on to become a Cup champion, so perhaps a good slapping around by an elder statesman (sorry Jimmy)could have a positive effect on the impulsive Mr.Edwards. ?
Carl has always been two faced and acts like a spoiled brat. If you look back he has done this before ask Matt.
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