NASCAR showed some moxie in giving Carl Edwards a slap on the wrist
Jeff Owens
Jeff Owens has been covering NASCAR since 1991 and began covering the circuit full time in 1993. He has been with Street & Smith's Sports Group since 1998.
NASCAR officials proved Tuesday that they do indeed have some moxie.
By not suspending Carl Edwards for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, NASCAR officials stood by the declaration they made prior to the season that they are going to allow drivers to race aggressively, make contact and settle matters on the track among themselves.
“Boys, have at it,” NASCAR officials said prior to the season.
Edwards and Keselowski did at Atlanta, and NASCAR wisely stood by its stance in allowing them to get away with it.
Edwards was parked after wrecking Keselowski on purpose and summoned to the NASCAR hauler.
The incident, which led to a frightening wreck by Keselowski, sparked widespread outrage, with fans, the media and, of course, Keselowski all calling for a suspension and harsh penalties for Edwards.
But on Tuesday, NASCAR President Mike Helton said nay, nay, not going to do it.
Edwards was placed on probation for three races, which basically amounts to a slap on the wrist, and Helton said NASCAR officials will have a meeting with the two drivers and their team owners to settle the dispute.
The Edwards-Keselowski incident was a direct result of the two drivers doing exactly what NASCAR encouraged them to do prior to the season – race hard, be aggressive, make contact and let the chips fall where they may.
Helton admitted that Edwards crossed the line by retaliating, but said that parking him during the race and putting him on probation was an appropriate penalty.
While saying publicly that retaliation is not acceptable, NASCAR’s mild response sends the message that it is indeed OK.
The biggest reason Edwards’ actions sparked so much outrage is that Keselowski’s car lifted off the ground, which is rare at a 1.5-mile track and an issue Helton said NASCAR will immediately address.
Had Keselowski just spun and crashed, the incident wouldn’t have been nearly as dramatic or stirred nearly as much debate.
But even with the horrifying crash, the incident did exactly what NASCAR was hoping – it proved that NASCAR is still an exciting, fender-banging, contact sport and it sparked interest and debate.
What NASCAR essentially said again Tuesday was, “Boys, have at it,” and when you do, you might get a token slap on the wrist, but you won’t face severe penalties.
For once, NASCAR officials stood their ground, didn’t back down and proved that they are not talking out of both sides of their mouths.
And that, to their credit, is a good thing.
