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
Okay, here’s where I pull on the reins a bit. I know the kneejerk response is to yank Edwards aside, toss him in jail and throw away the key. But before we go all Dr. Laura on him, let’s consider the facts:
Fact 1: Within just the last year, Keselowski has caused more crashes than malware. Yahoo! Sports blogger Jay Busbee has documented at least eight incidents involving Keselowski.
Fact 2: At least two of those incidents involved Edwards, one of which sent him flying through the air.
Fact 3: Keselowski wrecked Edwards’ day early in Sunday’s race.
Now, I know a lot of you are screaming, “BUT KESELOWSKI DIDN’T DO IT INTENTIONALLY,” and you’re right. But just because you didn’t do something intentionally doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.
When I’m driving on the highway and I’ve got some idiot cutting me off at 75 mph after making a four-lane change, I’m ticked. He just put me in danger for no other reason than his own impatience. And if we wreck, you better believe I’m going to let him know it was his fault EVEN if he didn’t mean for it to happen.
Just like there are rules on the highway, there are rules on the racetrack, albeit unwritten ones. While most drivers follow them, Keselowski acts like he’s above them all.
The fact is, his aggressive driving style has directly ended a lot of races for a lot of drivers and cost team owners hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in crumpled-up race cars.
All of this had to be going through Edwards’ mind Sunday. Putting myself in his shoes, if I’m seeing Keselowski through my windshield, running for a top-10 finish while I’m 100-plus laps down thanks to him, I’m ticked. I’m thinking to myself, “There’s no way this guy deserves a top 10, not after what he did to me.”
And so he sent the message that a lot of people inside the Cup garage have wanted to deliver.
One last point: I think you have to separate the action from the result. What Edwards did was not part of a pattern of bad behavior, so let’s not respond by treating it as though it’s an epidemic that must be dealt with swiftly and firmly in order to send some kind of message. Any messages that need to be sent already have been: Edwards clearly knows not to do that again, and Keselowski (hopefully) has gotten the hint that his way of doing business has consequences.
I think that even most conservatives aren’t against police enforcing laws against trying to wreck into someone with their car at 200 mph with a reckless disregard for whether or not their target or people in the area get killed. For example, if this didn’t happen on a race track but on the freeway, would it make me an Obama shill to want the perp arrested? Is this really that different? If you think it is, OK, fine. I don’t. It goes WAY beyond acceptable behavior, even on a race track.
He needs booted off the track, too, then...
Yup, and those flying parts can kill. So Edwards didn’t just put the other drivers at risk, he easily could have killed some spectators.
NOT acceptable behavior. Hope they sue the #### out of him!
You also are likely unfamiliar with the COT car and its very effective safety features, nor have you seen the many spectacular crashes its been in since being introduced.
You likely missed Edwards' crash last year (with Brad K) when he climbed out of his destroyed car and ran across the finish like Ricky Bobby.
You also seem to be confusing a 190+ mph race track with a freeway and mistake what goes on in a race for what happens in rush hour and are trying to make the two equivalent. They are not. Not even close.
The only thing I can agree with is the potential for fans to be injured, but that exists regardless of whether or not a wreck was accidental or intentional.
What you probably aren't aware of is Keselowski is a very aggressive, but somewhat inexperienced, driver. He was being schooled, nothing more. The car flew because of the wing, something I blame NASCAR for more than I blame Edwards for. Had the wing not been on the car, it probably would have spun out, maybe hit a wall, tearing up the car and ending the race for Keselowski, which is what Edwards seem to expect, as that is what usually happens. For what it's worth, NASCAR knows the wing makes the cars fly if they get turned around and they are doing away with it.
Bottom line? It's racing. It's a small fraternity of drivers and they race with each other almost every weekend for most of the year. Let the drivers and NASCAR handle it. Watch a race sometime. You might like it!
You make some good points. I’ve been to two NASCAR races - apparently exceptionally “clean” ones - at the Brickyard and had a TON of fun, but don’t really follow the sport. Been thinking about getting into it.
I’m far more into motorcycle racing (Go Spies!), but need another sport during summer. (I’m really a football, hockey, and to a much lesser extent hoops fan. NOT into watching grass grow while two guys play catch aka baseball.) May give NASCAR a whirl this summer.
To my original point, if this is part of the sport, then there is consent, so I was wrong calling for charges...
I have no problem with letting drivers work things out by themselves, but I do have a problem with a driver that is 150 laps down with no chance to improve his position working things out with another driver running in the top 10. Bottom line: it cost Edwards nothing to wreck Kesel.
So the new NASCAR sanctioned paradigm for working things out is for a driver to wait until he’s destined for a high 30’s finish and then get even with as many cars as he can, (but he can only do it once every 4 races). Brilliant!
If you get a chance, watch the races at Bristol March 19-21. It's basically a half mile roller derby/demolition derby with 850 hp cars at over 100 mph. Lots of hot tempers, wrecking and torn up cars. I thought I'd hate a short track race until I saw my first Bristol race. Pure racing insanity.
The incident, not the probation, had to rattle Danica Patrick. It will be interesting to see how hard she runs in NASCAR.
My guess is she goes to where there is the least resistance to fame & $$$. So that means a movie deal or such. But not winning at Nascar and not winning at Indy.
If we’re going to talk theory, here’s mine: had Edwards done this to almost any other driver, he would have been drawn and quartered. This was as much as message to Brad K as anyone else: as you reap, you sow.
When drivers are actually going for position, NASCAR gives them a lot more leeway. When you’re 140 laps down, it’s just pettiness.
IMHO, Edwards should have waited until he and Keselowski were going for position and taken him out when it would have been more justified.
Carl Edwards‘Scotts appreciates the support of NASCAR fans everywhere, and we have an excellent relationship with Carl Edwards, Jack Roush and the #99 Roush Fenway Racing team.
However, like many fans,
we were very concerned about the on-track incident that occurred in Atlanta this past weekend. As a result, we have strongly expressed these concerns to both Carl and Jack, and we are confident that they have a clear understanding of the trust we have placed in them as ambassadors of our company,
our associates and our brands. In addition, as a sponsor, we want to make sure that drivers, race teams and NASCAR focus on keeping these types of incidents and misjudgments from happening.’
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