</sarc>
Posted on 03/09/2010 10:33:51 AM PST by Salo
NASCAR places Edwards on three-race probation More concerned that 12 car flipped on a 1.5-mile track
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
March 9, 2010
01:12 PM EST
NASCAR president Mike Helton on Tuesday announced Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards has been placed on probation for the next three Sprint Cup races as a result of Edwards intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski this past Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Helton said the decision came "after meeting and discussing the events Sunday evening, all day Monday and [Tuesday] morning." Helton added that an additional meeting "that was still being set" would be arranged between NASCAR officials, team owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske and the two drivers.
Helton added that an additional meeting would be arranged between NASCAR officials, team owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske and the two drivers.
"We feel that will come before the Saturday or Sunday of the Bristol weekend," Helton said.
Helton said the fact that Keselowski's car went airborne at a 1.5-mile track was a bigger issue than Edwards' action.
Helton's participation in a national teleconference was quickly scheduled and announced less than 90 minutes in advance in the aftermath of the vicious accident in the late stages of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500.
With two laps remaining of the scheduled 325-lap event on the high-speed 1.5-mile track -- where two days before Dale Earnhardt Jr. had clocked the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded by NASCAR's new car, 192.761 mph -- Keselowski's Dodge flipped into the frontstretch fence following contact from Edwards' Ford.
FOX Sports' TV replays showed Edwards' white-gloved hands turning his steering wheel to the right, into the back of Keselowski's car, which caused it to spin backwards. The car then lifted into the air and turned over, striking the top of the fence, upside-down with the driver's-side corner of the windshield "A-post." (watch video)
NASCAR immediately parked Edwards, who had made another lap of the race track after the contact. Upon getting the word on his in-car radio, Edwards drove the wrong way up pit road to turn into the Sprint Cup garage area to park at his hauler.
Keselowski was helped from his car and walked to an ambulance. After being examined in the track's infield care center, Keselowski emerged and promised that actions such as Edwards' would result in injuries to either another driver or to fans.
"To come back and intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool -- you could have killed someone in the grandstands," Keselowski said. "It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands.
"It's not cool to wreck someone intentionally at 195 mph."
After getting out of his car at the track, Edwards didn't deny spinning Keselowski but said flipping the younger driver's car wasn't his intent. Later Sunday evening, in an entry on his Facebook page, Edwards said "his code" dictated that he take action immediately.
Earlier in the race, Edwards and Keselowski's cars made contact when Edwards attempted to move his Roush Fenway Racing Ford from an upper lane to a lower lane already occupied by Keselowski's Penske Racing Dodge.
The contact caused Edwards' car to skitter up the track, where it hit Joey Logano's Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, causing both Edwards' and Logano's cars to hit the wall. Edwards spent more than 150 laps in the garage while his crew made repairs. (watch video)
Edwards came back on the track in 41st and could have made up three positions -- and nine championship points -- by running to the end of the race. When he was parked, Edwards ended up 39th and lost the chance to overtake Joe Nemechek, who was already out of the race.
The End
nascar ping
Wrist slap.
It’s worse than Double Secret Probation.
Ping.
Probation is a slap on the wrist. 3 races makes it a tap on the wrist. Although its 3 short tracks.
But NASCAR said they’d let the drivers go this year, so it is consistent with that.
While I like Carl, I’m not a big Edwards fan. None the less, I appreciate the education he gave Keselowski. If he didn’t do it, the line was growing for those who would. Edwards has a bit of a history letting other drivers know when they’ve crossed the line with him and I’m not surprised by what he did.
Those gool ol’ boys at Nascar really screwed the pooch on this one.
You watch, they will come up with another reason for a harsher penalty in the next few days as this firestorm descends upon them
</sarc>
I agree, it could have been much worse.But I think there should be a stiffer penalty, Edwards was too aggressive the whole race. Nascar still has the problem of controlling the drivers, myself I would suggest a remote V-Chip in the cars, they get too aggressive then Nascar hits the switch and slows them down a little, just a hundred or so RPM.
A boxing ring in the middle of the infield.
A rule that says if you wreck someone, they have the right to challenge you. If you win, their crew gets to challenge you one by one. If you beat them all, then in the future they should just move over when they see you coming. If you turn down the challenge, you’re no longer a NASCAR driver.
I don’t know how people ran the World without computer chairs. It is all so simple from here.
Did you watch Talladega last year?
I quit watching when Tony Stewart intentionally ran #17 Matt Kenseth off the track at Daytona a couple years back. Of course Stewart was not penalized.
You have to hand it to Edwards. It must have taken a super human effort to turn Keselowski into the good guy.
Sure did.
Brad K. has caused a lot of problems with a lot of drivers. If Carl Edwards had just spun him, nothing would have happened, but since the COT flies, people are all upset.
Carl deserved something, but not much. This is probably about right.
In case anyone is wonderingwho was in that black 09 car at Talladega, it was Brad Keselowski. Keselowski has also spun out Edwards at a NASCAR Nationwide event last year in Memphis.
Oh by the way, Edwards was going about 200mph when he went into the fence at Talladega. That was on the last lap of the race and Keselowski was declared the winner with no punishment.
How will this affect his points and his chances at the chase at the end of the season?
Don’t start no crap, there wont be no crap.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.