NASCAR needs to look closely at Edwards, Keselowski incident
Carl Edwards better have one eye on his rear-view mirror for the rest of the season.
After Edwards drilled his Ford into the side of Brad Keselowski’s Dodge on the final lap of the Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, he reignited a feud which began 15 months ago at Talladega Superspeedway.
Back then, Edwards blocked Keselowski coming to the Talladega finish line and Keselowski punted him into the grandstand fence.
Edwards returned the favor earlier this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he sent Keselowski airborne in March during a fairly successful run in what should have been the closing laps of the race.
NASCAR parked Edwards for the remainder of the Atlanta race and put him on a three-race probation for his actions. But in NASCAR’s “Have at it, boys” era where the competitors are allowed to settle their disputes on the racetrack, how strict can the sanctioning body’s penal system be without accusations of hypocrisy?
If NASCAR parks Edwards following his latest incident or fines him "for actions detrimental to stock car racing," it creates a mockery of the sport which has tried in earnest to revamp its image.
Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash described the incident as “a lot of hard racing going on. There was some movement on the racetrack. It was a tough finish for a really great race.”
However, if NASCAR continues to let the racers settle scores on the racetrack, the repercussions will escalate. Rubbing is racing. Intentionally wrecking a driver and setting the stage for innocent racers to be collected in the process goes beyond simple retribution. At least eight cars were destroyed on Saturday night — including the Fords of Edwards’ Roush Fenway teammates Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Colin Braun.
Still, as Edwards took the walk of shame from the media center to the Nationwide Series trailer to discuss the incident with Balash, he received a number of congratulations from various crewmen throughout the garage. Although he paused for a moment to view the remains of the No. 22 Dodge, which at that point was half-veiled and guarded by security, there were still no signs of remorse from Edwards.
“I would have won the race if he had not bumped me in Turn 1 and he would have finished second,” Edwards said moments earlier. “The way it happened, he bumped me and he finished wherever he finished and I still won the race. That was the only way I could see the race turning out fair. That’s my job — to win that race and make sure that I don‘t get walked on or get something taken away from me that‘s mine.
“That‘s how I race. He knows that‘s how I race. And I know that’s how he races, too. We both respect that. I know tempers are up right now, but hopefully after looking at it, we can each step in the others shoes and see it from another perspective. From my side, we just go on and keep racing.”
But we can‘t "keep racing" until someone is maimed. NASCAR must lay some ground rules before moving forward particularly for repeat offenders.
Edwards admits he has a history with Keselowski. He insists it “has nothing to do with what happened” on Saturday night. Still, despite Keselowski having his bell rung in that incident, it’s unlikely he will soon forget what happened at Gateway.
As the Nationwide Series points leader, Keselowski is a target with Edwards trailing him by 168 points with 16 races to decide the championship. In the Cup garage, Keselowski, who is currently 26th in the points standings, has nothing to lose.
Rivalries are essential to sports. It’s the very reason fans pack stadiums and tune in for games and races. But contests should not be decided by which driver ends up on the podium and which driver ends up sidelined by an intentional crash. When "Have at it, boys" turns into "The last man standing" then it’s time for NASCAR to step in and decide what is truly best for the sport.
