September 8, 2008
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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The thunderous applause and cheers that rocked the grandstands at Bristol after Carl Edwards spun out Kyle Busch on the cool down lap surprised no one.
Edwards, winner of six Cup races this year, employed a sophisticated racing technique made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt and nudged Busch’s car aside in the final laps, pulling away to easily cruise to victory lane.
Regardless of who had the better car at the end of the race, Kyle Busch led 415 consecutive laps and seemed rather indignant at being on the other end of the bump and run, a maneuver he’s used to his advantage several times this year.
"He hit me getting into Turn 1," Busch was quoted as saying in an AP article on ESPN.com. "Whatever. Carl's going to say he's sorry, that he didn't want to race that way, but he always does. We'll take it, we'll go on and we'll race him that way in the Chase if that's the way he wants to race."
Due to his continued whining at his own misfortune, Busch is well on his way to becoming the driver than fans love to hate, possibly replacing Jeff Gordon, and his continued success will only enhance his status.
However, Carl Edwards relished the victory and cheers of the fans after the race when he performed his customary backflip.
“It's one of those deals where I couldn't get by him, I couldn't get by him, and I just had to ask myself, ‘Would he do that to me?’” Edwards said in the same article. "And he has before, so that's the way it goes."
Has a new rivalry been born in NASCAR? Many avid fans would like to think so. So many times an incident on the racetrack is downplayed by the drivers and pushed to the back burner. Could this be the exception?
Kyle Busch assumed the mantle of the proverbial bad guy when he spun out Dale Earnhardt Jr., earlier this year, causing Earnhardt to post a dismal result in a race that he clearly would have won.
As a result of the post-race action on the track at Bristol, NASCAR placed both drivers on probation. Instead, officials should be slapping them both on the back and congratulating them because their behavior can only draw fan interest leading into the Chase, something that could not have come at a better time.
Yet, what further action will NASCAR take against them in the event of another on track incident? It would be a shame for either of them to lose the Championship due to a possible NASCAR points penalty during the Chase, especially after the amount of success both of them have had this season.
However, both drivers will have a significant advantage over the others in the Chase due to the number of wins each of them has accumulated. Still, neither could afford to wreck in NASCAR’s post-season. Will that stop either of them from spinning out the other if the opportunity arises? Because surely there will be retribution, from the opposing driver and more than likely from NASCAR as well.
Perhaps Edwards said it best after the race, giving NASCAR fans the rivalry they have been seeking. Instead of apologizing or making excuses for his actions, he laid it on the line.
"Let's make it real clear -- I'm not apologizing for it. We're even."
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