I have to comment on the incident at AMS yesterday between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. The media is in a frenzy over the whole thing, so I thought I'd weigh in my two-cents.
Did Carl Edwards intentionally dump Brad on the front stretch - absolutely. Not only was it intentional (which is corroborated by the video showing Carl's white gloves steering his car to the right when the incident occurred) but one could argue that it was premeditated. Carl was 150 laps down, and had been in the garage for nearly two hours stewing over the previous contact with Keselowski before heading back out on the track and exacting his revenge. In fact, he tried it a lap earlier, but missed him and had to catch him again on the following lap. In fact, the ONLY reason Carl even went back out on the track Sunday was probably specifically to do what he did. It wasn't about saving points or anything like that. I'm sure that he told his team, "Just get me back out there before it's over. I want him!"
Now, all that said, do I think that what he did was uncalled for and deserves punishment from NASCAR? That's a tough call. NASCAR did just announce the "old school racin'" and "let 'em go at it" paradigm shift a few weeks ago. This is really the first time that the new mindset has been tested, so I guess we'll see if they were serious about letting the drivers police themselves on the track. I heard several driver's say that Brad had that coming, and if it hadn't been done by Carl then someone else would probably had done it. Maybe not at Atlanta on the front stretch when they were down 150 laps and Brad was in the Top 5, but eventually. Maybe at Bristol. Maybe Martinsville. But it was coming. If you watched that race, and from reports of friends that I had at the race, Brad was messing with Carl all day and eventually Carl just snapped (after being wrecked.) As far as his "Now that I've looked at the tape it looks like both Brad and I both had a part in the wreck and it wasn't as intentional as I first thought" - that was a stone cold LIE. He didn't believe that for one second, and the fact that he could say that with a straight face on national television is a bit shocking. I think he should have won an Oscar for that performance!
So, with all that said, do I think that Carl should be parked for a race or two, or have points taken from him because of the incident? No, I don't. NASCAR said that they were taking the gloves off, and all of their commercials before races on FOX show bumping, crashing, fighting, pushing, helmet throwing, etc. If anything, this is exactly what NASCAR was looking for - the drivers policing themselves and making their own justice. It was unfortunate that Brad ended up on his roof, and Carl probably could have found a better time and place to exact his revenge, but in the heat of the moment shit happens. You mess with the bull...you get the horns.
If NASCAR parks Carl, then the whole pre-season mantra was all just a bunch of B.S. and nothing has really changed at all.
Those are my thoughts on the issue.
Marc.
