July 24, 2010
By Brenda Benedict
Should Carl Edwards have been penalized for wrecking Brad Keselowski or did Keselowski deserve what he got from Edwards?
Fans have very strong opinions on this question and it seems to be more in the forefront of NASCAR discussions this week. This Brad and Carl show has made for some interesting discussions.
This is the question that I am hearing discussed whenever someone brings up last Saturday's Nationwide race. I am a careful listener and I can report that most fans I've talked to seem to feel that Keselowski deserved the bump he received from Edwards.
Several long-time NASCAR fans mentioned that this type of retaliation was more common in the past. Also, I've heard the argument that Keselowski has been driving too aggressively and needed to be taken down a notch or two.
But that is not what I have been hearing from NASCAR drivers. Kevin Harvick was very clear when he appeared on Sunday night's Wind Tunnel. Harvick's opinion was that Edward's behavior was inappropriate and he would have retaliated immediately if it were him instead of Keselowski.
Jeff Gordon said in the NASCAR press conference on Tuesday, "Just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into (Turn) One, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done."
I feel that Carl Edwards would not have been judged to be out of line if Keselowski had not wrecked so completely. Was this a result of Keselowski's lack of driving experience? There isn't agreement on this question with the fans I've been talking to.
Now that NASCAR has penalized Edwards with a $25,000 fine and the loss of 60 driver's points, the question has changed. It now deals with NASCAR consistency or lack of consistency.
Is NASCAR is talking out of both sides of their face? Are they saying one thing but doing another?
First, they began the race season with a statement to the drivers that tells them to 'have at it'. This was taken to mean that NASCAR wouldn't be coming down on a driver who sought to retaliate for something done by another driver. In essence, the drivers would be policing themselves.
It would not have been practical for NASCAR to mean that they would not be policing drivers at all. I feel their statement to drivers meant that they would not be policing so tightly. When drivers have been repeatedly so aggressive toward each other, it was time for NASCAR to slap them on the wrist and let them know it won't be tolerated in the future.
This is the second time this season that Edwards and Keselowski have tangled. Both skirmishes have resulted in spectacular accidents but just minor injuries. That in itself called for NASCAR's attention.
NASCAR's Robin Pemberton explained the decision. "We wanted to do the right thing for the competitors and the right thing for the garage area as far as maintaining law and order. Every situation, they're never the same."
So whether you are on the side of Edwards or Keselowski, you probably have probably been talking about last Saturday's race with fellow fans. And that can only be good for NASCAR!
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The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
