NASCAR policies often ebb and flow in their enforcement. In the past we’ve seen a sanctioning body that really likes to loosen things up when people start complaining; but when that inevitable watershed event occurs enforcement gets ramped up again.
In true NASCAR form, this season brought us one of those promises of lighter enforcement. They wanted to foster an atmosphere of self-policing (within moderation of course). In response to that just more than a month ago Robin Pemberton looked at the gathered media and said, “Boys, have at it.”
Well Sunday in Atlanta, NASCAR got their wish; the boys had at it. After getting wrecked early in the race, Carl Edwards returned to the track 153 laps down and quite clearly took out the guy who helped him into the wall earlier.
That guy, Brad Keselowski, has made a name for himself in his very short career of getting involved in incidents like this one. Remember the Brad K. v. Denny Hamlin feud just a few months ago? Right or wrong, being aggressive and unapologetic about it is his style.
So with that, it was only a matter of time before an incident like this one occurred and it came as no surprise (to me at least) that Brad K. was involved.
I applauded NASCAR’s move before the season began and I still believe it was a good call. I think this incident though should be a wake up call to everyone in the garage. There’s self-policing and then there’s self-policing. Everyone needs to agree this sort of thing can’t be tolerated. Obviously Carl didn’t mean for Keselowski to get airborne, or expect that happen, but the possibility always exists at 200 mph.
That said though, I have a hard time justifying a suspension, and I’d be surprised if NASCAR issued one (famous last words). Even more, of all people to be calling for someone to get suspended for aggressive driving, it’s almost laughable that person is Brad Keselowski. By all means he deserves to be angry for what resulted from the payback; he could have been seriously injured (thankfully he wasn’t). But if ever there was a situation where that old idiom ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ applies, this is it.
No question, it’s unfortunate this happened. Frankly drivers should know better than to do things like this. While I can’t say what the proper punishment should be here, Robin Pemberton has said NASCAR will evaluate the incident further. If there are additional penalties, we’ll likely hear about them by Tuesday.
So what do you think? Was the retaliation justified? What, if any, should the punishment be for retaliating on track?
Related posts:
- A Serious Test For ‘Boys, Have At It’?
- Precedent Means Nothing To NASCAR
- Keselowski Continues To Make Enemies
- Payback For Accidental Contact Not Cool
- Guess Who Wins Without the Chase?
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on Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:09 am
while I will never be an apologist for Brad K. this doesn’t surprise me even a little, Carl has the big smile and plays to the media but if you’ve watched Nascar for more then 6 months then you know Edwards is a sneaky,phony punk. IMO
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Retaliation is the norm and drivers understand that. However retaliation at fast tracks under green should not be tolerated. Carl know better then anyone what can happen at that speed. I say park him a race to let them know that something that flagrant deserves such a penalty.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 7:22 am
I wonder if this would even be a huge big deal, if BK had not gone airborn. Just a thought.
I also believed it was only a matter of time before BK got wrecked by someone because of his driving. Don’t think it will be the last time either, unless NASCAR comes down hard. But also, they have let Keslowski go for the most part, so maybe he needed a talking to about “respecting” the drivers, because I think that was Carl’s issue.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 7:55 am
I’ve been an Edwards fan since he was racing trucks, but he was wrong Sunday. Seems like everyone should know better than to try and take someone out at Atlanta. It’s too fast. Better to wait until after the checkered flag flew, and do something then.
It would have been better if he did something like Dale Jr. did to Kurt Busch at Rockingham in 2000. Kurt spun him out early in the race. Dale caught up to him later and just sat right on Kurt’s rear bumper for about six laps… and never touched him. It was a pretty cool psychological payback. Then NASCAR told him to knock it off.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I was a bit surprised, given that Edwards had seemed to back off his initial assertion that Keselowski had hit him intentionally. And I suspect that Edwards and some other drivers might think about wearing dark gloves from now on.
I think the penalty for retaliation ought to be determined by where and how the offending driver makes contact and not by what happens after contact. A driver who retaliates on a straight and away from other (innocent) cars, as Edwards did to Keselowski, is doing it better than a guy who takes someone else out in a pack.
And one last thought about Keselowski: the guy doesn’t give room to Edwards, who ends up crashing… and Keselowki gets that close to Edwards later in the race? If there was anyone I’d want to run clear of, it’s a guy I had a part in taking out earlier that day, red mist doesn’t dissipate that fast.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Agressive driving is one thing . . . but intentionally taking another guy out at 190+ MPH is a whole nother ballgame. I’m all for being agressive on the track. Heck, Dale Sr. was agressive and everyone liked it. It’s one thing to intentionally take someone out at Martinsville, but taking someone out at Atlanta is just stupid. The possibility of getting someone hurt, or God forbid killed, is real.
I like Carl Edwards and I appreciate his love for the sport. But this type of action should not be allowed. Agression is one thing . . . stupidity is another.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:22 am
My feeling is he will get parked for a race. They parked Robby Gordon for the Pocono Cup race for his antics in Montreal, and that didn’t seem as severe of an infraction as Carl Edwards’. At least in Robby’s case he was racing for the lead and not 153 laps down.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:39 am
There should be no further NASCAR action regarding the wreck. Parking Edwards immediately was sufficient. Let the drivers and owners hammer things out between themselves, and let everyone in the garage talk among themselves about how stupid the decision Carl made was. Let the fans decide for themselves about Carl’s actions. Brad has already been decided on by fans.
Lastly, there should be a hefty fine for Carl’s actions after being parked, he circled the small track and went the wrong way down pit road. This off track endangerment & disregard should never be tolerated.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I think we have seen the true Carl Edwards once again and it is scarey. We got a little dose when he almost punched out teamate Matt Kennseth a few years back and now this. I understand Brad K has a way about him and has pay back coming. But even the newest person to the sport knows you don’t take your renvenge at the fastest track on the circuit especially with Bristol next week. You cannot have a guy 156 laps down basically waiting on a lead lap car going 200 mph. I understand and I am all for getting back to the roots of the sport I love my local short track, but thats just it a short track!! not a superspeedway with guys going 200 mph with speeds like that anything can and does happen like we saw. What would people be saying if we weren’t so lucky and somebody was seruously hurt or even killed? Maybe you don’t sit him out a week but it better hurt is pocket book enough to actually think next time if he is capable of such actions but aww shucks Edwards.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:47 am
I am ashamed of Carl Edwards actions on Sunday. There is no place for this. Carl has been my favorite driver for some time now but I hope he gets over this attitude NOW>
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:51 am
This is a situation where I feel Nascar is stuck. No matter how they handle this situation people are going to complain. I love that they let the drivers loose to race like the old days. I am also betting that Edwards crapped his pants when he saw Brad upside down in his rearview mirror.
It’s very clear Edwards was intentionally going after Brad to wreck him.
Nascar has dealt with things like this in the past the same way they already have. Parking the driver for the remainder of the race. I don’t believe this needs to go any farther.
The severity of what happened does not make it any worse than any other incident of intentional wrecking that had happened before. It just makes it look more spectacular on TV.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:06 am
I agree with NASCAR saying Boys have at it, but they also said at the same time they would step in if somebody crossed the line. NASCAR is doing just what they said. Carl Edwards crossed the line when he took Brad out.
I think what NASCAR could see is Carl made two attempts, he missed on the first one and was able to complete the second.
Carl crossed the line and I think he needs to sit out a race or two. Carl has had a histroy of this type of agressiveness. Look back to several situations, the most recent with Harvick and his team mate Matt K. Sit him out and let all the drivers know there is a fine line that nobody wants to cross.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Journo – What happened yesterday had nothing to do with self- policing. This was an out of control driver with a real bad case of the “red mist”….he wasn’t thinking at all. This will happen no matter what NASCAR’s policy is.
There is a difference between “rubbing is racing” someone for position and deliberatley wrecking someone when you are 156 laps down. Remember the Robby Gordon-Marcose Ambrose thing?? Gordon ignored the black flag and continued to hunt down Ambrose. You can’t have that. NASCAR needs to be in control. I would give Carl a steep fine, take points and sit him down for a race. Driving the wrong way on pit road was giving NASCAR the middle finger…he needs to know who’s really in charge.
By the way, who is surprised?? Carl has made a career out of punting other drivers out of the way especially in the NW series. He is a VERY aggressive driver. The “aw-shucks” persona is the PR machine busily at work. Brad’s driving reminds me exactly of Carl’s driving. Take away Carl’s “media darling” status and you’ve got Brad Keselowski!!
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:28 am
You are wrong.
There is a difference between rough driving (BK) and intentionally putting a driver and fans life at risk (Cousin Carl). If it were Bristol, Martinsville, or even the back stretch at Atlanta, this would be different. However, Carl chose to intentionally wreck someone at the fastest part of the fastest track on the circuit. I have not made up my mind on suspension, but a strong message needs to be sent regarding judgment.
What Carl did was not self policing or going back to the roots. There is a time and a place for everything. Carl chose the wrong place.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:44 am
There should be NO room, ZERO, ZIP, NONE, for that kind of obvious retaliation. Not only did he potentially severely injure Kesolowski but fans are in jeopardy. Not only that but he single-handily ruined the end of a GREAT race with his selfish focus on retaliation.
The announcers said it was Brad’s fault when Edwards got knocked out early in the race. From the first moment I saw it I wondered why Edwards was moving down to the lower lane. Brad was hugging the yellow line around the corner. Edwards was high and should have stayed high. That was NOT Brad’s fault.
Then, for Edwards to come back with only one intention to f-up Brad is totally irresponsible. And at those speeds to intentionally do that borders actually on criminal behavior
I want NASCAR to suspend Edwards for the season.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:45 am
As a Carl Edwards fan, I was deeply dissapointed, to watch him take such a cheap shot. Being a hundred and fifty some laps down and blatantly and intentionaly wrecking a driver, who was, at the time, running in the top ten, he deserves to be suspended, for one race, as was Kevin Harvick a few years ago. If NASCAR does not nip such a blatant practice, in the bud, where will it end? I believe in self-policing, but Carl Edwards crossed the line.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Revenge is to race well and win, not to fall prey to the bait of “crash me, I’ll crash you”. There are what, 32 more chances for the 99 group to out perform the 12 group? So, I believe that should be the emphasis. Not that outdated eye for an eye thing. The real discussion should be the tire problems. Goodyear’s response to the questions raised yesterday was certainly self serving and not very enlightening. But, there is no other tire at the track, so Goodyear does not feel the pressure that only competition and oversight can bring. NASCAR has many problems, and most, I believe, stem from top management. Empty seats, lack of sponsorship money for teams, and falling TV ratings should be the wake up call.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I think its done – you cannot punish one person more than another. In the April race Brad and Carl were racing to the finish. It was a couple of racing boys racin’ to the finish; and there was no suspensions given then (wedges were inserted into driver respect and friendships severed). Yesterday’s race was a bit different, Carl was down laps, Brad was in the top 10 (I believe) there was very few laps left and Carl tried once to crash him and missed, which probably pissed him off so the second attempt Carl wasn’t going to miss. Did he know Brad was going to flip – no. Does it make it any better that Brad crashed him in April – No. Will Nascar suspend Carl – politically correct concrete cousin Carl – No way. Does Carl lose some fans (Not Die hard Carl fans but the guys that don’t care if Carl wins as long as it’s not Kyle Bush, or Jimmie Johnson, or Jeff Gordon) absolutely. I lost a little respect for him – I like Brad – I like Carl – I just hope they continue to race each other cause it make it fun to watch. And also cause my driver can’t seem to win a damn thing – Go 88 yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah (that last little bit was sarcasm which doesn’t read well in a post)
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 10:11 am
CE needs to be thanking BK for “not” getting into the stands. “If the white gloves fit, you cannot acquit.” No mistaking the malicious act on CE’s part.
I am no huge BK fan, but he is getting the raw deal here from both Cousin Carl and Hamlin.
“Self-Policing” should extend beyond the track and IMHO CE should take a self-policed time out from Bristol. He is not performing, but is acting like a big baby.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 10:44 am
All of you that said that Keselowski needed this are jackasses. The first encounter between Carl & Brad was Carl’s falt!!! Brad gave him enough room(watch the replay!!!!). Carl tried to cut infront of him and he just got too close. That was Carl’s own stupidity!!!!! Carl should have never retaliated against Brad on the track at 195mph. Brad or fans could have got killed!!!!! If Carl didn’t like what Brad did to him he shouldn’t have been a puss and wreaked him he should have been a man and taken care of it after the race like the old timers of NASCAR used to do used to do it. Carl should be parked for the rest of the year or 5 races at the minimum, and he should have to pay Penskey for a new race car out of his own pocket!!!!!!!!!
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 10:52 am
I’m with Larry (#15) in commenting on the facts that Edwards was 150 laps down, while the 12 car was in the top 10. That’s wrong. Also, I saw the earlier incident a few times, where the 12 hit the 99, driving him into the 20, and never saw the 12 move up the track at all. I kept watching the left front of the car and the yellow line, and it didn’t seem to me that Keselowski came up the track.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 11:09 am
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. Even Mayfield on Meth never intentionally wrecked a guy at 195 mph. This is a no brainer.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Well, at least the wing will be gone soon and the flying will be much more infrequent in the future. Look at the replay and you can see BK’s car turn, the wing actually flex when the air catches it and then the car go airborne. Duh… How the wing ever passed engineering scrutiny in the first place is beyond me.
But all that said, it was a stupid move by Carl even though BK had it coming from Carl. Watch the replay of BK doing it to Carl and you see the exact same “gloves turning right” as you did when Carl did it to BK. I say sit them both for a few races since neither one seems to show anything beyond a self justifying remorse.
That, and remind them that if someone actually gets hurt during one of these episodes, they very well may have a Sherriff waiting on them with “attempted vehicular homicide” charges. In fact, charges could be successfully made under the law without someone getting hurt, since someone getting hurt is not a requirement for such charges. Maybe that would get it thru their thick skulls…
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
If there is an obvious intent to retaliate, then part of that intent by any driver, needs to include the thought process of what the end result could be. Carl was INTENT on retaliation, no question there. So does Carl need to deal with his anger issues, does NASCAR need to add steroids to it’s drug testing? To not get over your anger issues after sitting for 153 laps, to not consider the out come of what you are determined to do when you get back on the track, that does make one wonder about the issues one might be having. Carl has always shown his bully side, this was something more, something to question. A one race suspension would not be out of line in this incident. Nascar has to draw a defined line some where, the drivers won’t. This was too blatantly intentional and too dangerous. Actually it was bone headed and stupid!
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Wow, I think this is the first time that I’ve totally agreed with something that you’ve written!
I relate this to the bully on the playground deal. You only take so much crap and then you fight back…and of course, the instigator never gets punished, it’s the retaliator that does.
Only in this case, NASCAR shouldn’t punish CE. Call it a day and move on. Hopefully, BK got the message, loud and clear that his BS has to stop.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
(#19)…” If Carl didn’t like what Brad did to him he shouldn’t have been a puss and wreaked him he should have been a man and taken care of it after the race like the old timers of NASCAR used to do used to do it…”
Ok, sure, then BK sues him for assault..even though an ass-whoopin’ would’ve been in order??
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
If NASCAR is going to let drivers self-police, then they should let drivers self-police.
People have said there’s no difference between what Denny Hamlin did last season to Brad and what Carl did to Brad yesterday, but there is. Last season, Denny said for a week that he was going to take care of business. And he did. And he got parked for one lap. The intention of what he did was the exact same as what Carl’s intention was yesterday. Carl got parked for the rest of the race when he was already down 150+ laps.
So is NASCAR going to punish based on intent or based on result? and which is more fair?
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
To followup on my previous post, I still think self policing is best for the sport.
However, in my opinion NASCAR would be well advised to bring in some lawyers to explain to teams exactly how a court case would go down if someone gets hurt or killed during one of these episodes. I can tell you it would not be pretty and everyone can forget about being shielded from liability by any disclaimer language if malicious intent is proven.
Once everyone understands that it isn’t NASCAR that has some arbitrary “line in the sand” but it is in fact the judicial systems of the cities, counties, and states that have a “line in the sand”, there is a much greater chance this sort of thing either doesn’t happen anymore or that it’s reserved for short tracks where the legal test of “reasonable expectation of the consequences of the malicious act” do not include injury and/or death.
So race on boys and police yourselves. But understand, you can screw up bad enough where NASCAR has nothing to do with it anymore and you’re now in the legal system…
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
The end result didn’t meet the expectations. I think Carl wanted to teach him a lesson (and Brad surely had it coming), but didn’t expect that violent of a hit. If he just spun him out and maybe had Brad touch the wall enough to damage his car for the day, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal. The headlines would have read “Brad learns his lesson.” Sadly this was not the case. I do hope Brad learns something from this. Carl did what many others wanted to do, and for one reason or another, did not. I applaud Carl for stepping up to the plate, but I also gained some respect for Brad. He took his medicine. Hopefully this scared him just enough to think about being so damn aggresive next time.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Journo, here’s a different take on this. Do you think CE’s team worked so hard to get his car back out on the track for points? I think not. Being 150 laps down, was there any way for CE to get any more points? Curious if you think this was a team effort?
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Nascar is not going to park Edwards for any amount of time over this. If doing the right thing means that a high profile sponsor has their car parked Nascar isn’t going to do it, not that I’m saying that parking him would be the right thing to do. I think since Keslowski’s car was destroyed he should have to reimburse Penske for the car. That would be a big enough hit in the checkbook to make any driver think twice about taking their anger out on the track.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Personaly I loved it. Best race of the season so far. Jack them ratings up boys.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
@ markh (#29) that was my thought as well. it was not immediately obvious to me that Carl had any points left to get being that many laps down. If he didn’t then that would definitely seal it that he only went back out to find Brad.
I don’t have a problem with drivers getting back at each other, it’s part of the sport. I do have a problem with it if they fix a wrecked car for no other reason than to wreck someone else.
What I would have loved to see is the Captain giving the Cat in the Hat a good whoopin’…
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Jackass party of 1 (raises hand)…. Sorry, I’m not a fan of either 99 or 12. Keselowski has proven to be extremely unapologetic for his aggressive driving style. If I remeber correctly after winning a nationwide race last year, in which he wrecked Carl, Mike Bliss, and one of the JGR drivers his statement was “this is what the fans want.” Well this fan enjoyed seeing him lose a certain top 10/probable top 5 spot. HATED seeing him on his lid, but hoping it will have a lasting impression.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
I am convinced Carl was wrong, but I don’t think he should be forced to sit out a race – that would punish the team for Carl’s actions. If you’re going to use a car to get revenge, then you ought to be prepared to accept the consequences if you don’t know or, apparently, care what the result may be. What if Carl had run into Brad on pit road and hurt a crewman? Would that have been OK if Carl didn’t think there would be anyone in the way? Payback is one thing – but the result of Carls action was more than payback. I think he ought to forfeit all the driver points for the race and his share of the winnings. NASCAR has to send a message that there are limits to self-policing. Since Carl told Dick Bergeran in the garage that he knew the first incident Sunday with Brad was “not his fault,” was Carl telling the truth when later he said “his car went airborne which was not at all what I expected?”
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Racing for the win is one thing, taking another driver to the fence when you are 156 laps down at 195mph is another. Carl had ample time to cool off while he was in the pits getting his car repaired. He made the decision to do this and not on the spur of the moment. Now he can live with the consequences. The next 3 races he should drive a plain white #99 with him and his crew in plain white uniforms, no sponsorship allowed. No points,no prize money. Donate any prize money he “wins” to the Victory Junction Gang or another appropriate charity. The way to get these drivers attention is through the sponsors.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Boys will be boys, let em play.
NASCAR said let em police themselves, now we will watch the ratings go through the roof …… or at least we will watch the cars go on thier roofs.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I want to clear one thing up here. Carl’s guys did not work to fix his car for over 100 laps so he could go back on track and wreck the 12. Edwards was able to pass Blaney and Reutimann for points. And let’s not forget that in racing anything can happen, so you send the 99 back on track to log laps in case anyone else falls out of the race.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Carl seems to make a habit of driving down on the track, thinking that whoever is already there should just back off and give him the spot. He needs to learn to finish his passes, or stay out of the way. I’m no fan of Brad’s style either, but about the only thing Carl has going for him is better PR and that stupid duck.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
I think with the “have it” in place, NASCAR parking Edwards is enough. Yes I think it unfortunate that BK got airborne. I’m grateful he is ok. I’m also a BK fan. With that said if you are gonna dish it out you better be able to take it. Drivers have been warning this was gonna happen. even KB’s crew chief predicted (Phoenix nationwide race last fall) this would happen.
I do think Cousin Carl might need the number to Tony’s anger management guy. When he snaps its ugly. I don’t think that is helping his situation at all.
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
GH — Your remarks about Edwards are WAY off base. He is anything but phony. I don’t approve of his actions in Sunday’s race but that single incident does not a phony make. I not only have watched NASCAR years but I have personal relations & researched drivers. Carl Edwards has done more good quietly off screen than most drivers have done before an audience. Whatever happened on Sunday needs to be dealt with & not repeated but Edwards doesn’t deserve name-calling.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 1:32 am
Points that all what counts. If BK wrecks sombody and makes the chase, and the people who gets wrecked don’t is that fair. All carl was doing was evening out the points.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 9:01 am
some thoughts after a few days of pondering & reading. i’m not interested in the personalities of edwards and keselowski; i’m looking more at the ramifications on the sport and competitiors:
1. to me, retaliation at atlanta is unacceptable. fast track, big track, lots of possible unintended consequences. for this reason, the analogy of “hamlin/homestead = edwards/atlanta” doesn’t hold for me. if my driver did the same thing, i would most certainly feel the same way.
2. seems to me that “have at it, boys” was solidly in effect the first 2 times that edwards attempted to get to keselowski after returning to the track. i’m confident nascar was well aware of what edwards’ intents were when he came back on & i haven’t read anything, anywhere that says he was warned.
3. TC, thanks for squelching the thought that the team was involved.
4. i have no issue with retaliation by drivers: it’s part of the sport. but i do expect a professional racer to know how and when and — most importantly — when NOT to do it. yes, tempers flare and things happen. but edwards had 153 laps to decide what to do and he chose this. i’m not the biggest fan of hamlin but i give him props for picking his race track for his action.
ok, these last two points ARE driver-related: i lied.
5. i remain concerned about edwards’ escalating behavior toward colleagues who he believes have done something to him. he has taken action on the track as well as off the track and, in the case of the particular incidents involving kenseth, harvick, and earnhardt jr, it was after a sufficent “cool down” period. should nascar take that into consideration? i don’t think so: they need to respond to what happened on the track in this particular case.
6. but that being said: i am hard pressed to think of another recent driver who has been as physically threatening outside the car as edwards. i would like nascar to use this as a motivation to work with edwards in reviewing his behavior over the past 4-5 years toward his colleagues and perhaps invest in the “tony stewart school of anger management” classes. anger is one thing: physically threatening or attacking a colleague on repeated occasions is unacceptable.
what would i do in nascar’s place? i’m liking marty smith/jenna fryer idea: no practice for the 99 at bristol. (or how about this: park him for the first lap. let him qualify, let him practice but then hold him for 1 lap.) in addition, i’d hit the driver — NOT the owner! — with a points fine. yes, they can “have at it,” but when it gets out of control (and i strongly feel that this was out of control,) i believe nascar has the responsibility to step in and take some action, not just let it pass.
to those who are asking if the severity of the reaction is because of the 12 car getting airborne: of couse that’s a big part of the reaction. but that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed out of hand, either. the “what ifs” may be interesting but nascar needs to review the “what happened.”
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Just curious, are you suppose to apply the brakes so that someone can pass you or is it only if CE is coming by. Brad held his line and CE cut in too quick. For those who feel BK was in the wrong if you watch the replay you will see a bottleneck forming directly behind BK. I think it was the 71 almost getting into Brad.
Test CE for steroids every time she shows up for a race. Park the 99 for 3 races. CE has a history and it’s with multiple drivers over several years.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Carl needs to wake up…. upon reviewing the early incident, his spotter was saying “inside… Inside.. Inside”. Carl went there anyway. Not too bright in my estimation. Keselowski held the line and the position. Let us not forget competitors other than “Cousin” Carl are allowed to race for position. I’m no Keselowski fan, but Carl acted stupidly. He put a black eye on his sponsors, (I’ll buy Scott’s Lawn Products anyway) Jack Rousch and himself. And oh, by the way, it cost Roger Penske about a cool quarter million… that car is junk. The 99 needs to be parked for a while.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I don’t believe this would have even been an issue had BK just been spun out, which Carl meant to do. BK does have a reputation already, and NASCAR etc. would have said “him again?” And Carl didn’t throw a fit. He had plenty of time to think about it while his torn up car was being fixed. The bottom line,like it or not, is NASCAR cannot bite the hand that feeds them too hard, (parking a driver) or more sponsors will just up and leave. We shall see…
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Looks like a mere slap on the wrist from Cousin Carl. I guess the precedence has been set for future grudge flippings and spinnings. Fans, bring your football and hockey gear if you are along the fence.
I’m suprised NASCAR didn’t place CE on “double secret probabtion” ala Animal House.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
LOL, I saw where NASCAR, as a part of this episode, “needs to investigate why the 12 flipped”…
HINT: Its the wing, stupid.
View the replay that shows the reflection of the wing and you see it flex massively when that 195 mph breeze catches it, then the car goes airborn…
But if empiracle evidence is not enough, let’s break out the engineering formula for calculating the lifting force of a wing. It’s hard to represent it correctly here since there are no symbols, but for a wing in clean air:
L = 1/2ClPV*A
Let’s assume some reasonable values for the formula and see what we get:
Coefficient of lift for wing at 20 degrees deflection = 1.5
Air density at race time = 1.2 Kg/meter3
Velocity = 195 mph
Wing area = 10 square feet (my best guess looking from a distance)
Run the numbers and the lifting force is…drum roll please…
1428 pounds of lift
Now bear in mind that this force has a mechanical advantage because the wing is sticking out the back of the car, so you get a ‘lever effect’ much like handles on a wheel barrow.
The weight bias of the 3500 lb car is (I’m guessing) about 60/40 to the front so you only have about…another drum roll please…1400 lbs weight in the rear of the car.
Hmmmm…about 1400 lbs rear weight pulling down, and a wing producing about 1428 lbs force (not counting the lever effects) pushing up…and they wonder why it went flying???
on Mar 12th, 2010 at 10:49 am
It’s nice to see some gumption back in the Cup series.
I’m not a Brad K. or a Carl fan… but I really enjoyed the post incident interview with Carl. It reminded me of the trash talking we used to see back in the 1980′s.
The touchy feely NASCAR just doesn’t do it for me.
I understand them not wanting flying race cars for not wanting to take out the fans(thanks dudes)… but then again when they do take flight it’s on every sports recap from the cable sports channels to the local nightly news and big hits on the video sharing sites.
I’ve always felt that NASCAR believes in ‘if you can’t have a good finish, at least we can have an exciting wreck’.
I know the networks approach it this way with the ads for the plate tracks and they way they analyze the wrecks with ad nauseam replays.
-W