Carl Edwards' sponsor Scotts doesn’t want repeat of Atlanta
Scotts, the primary sponsor for Carl Edwards at Atlanta, issued a statement saying officials had expressed their concerns over the late-race contact between Edwards and Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski.
LADON GEORGE
// LaDon George, NASCAR Illustrated
Scotts, the primary sponsor for Carl Edwards and the Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford at Atlanta, released a statement that indicated that it does not want Edwards – nor other drivers – to be involved in a situation like the one Sunday between Edwards and Brad Keselowski.
Edward was parked before the conclusion of the Kobalt Tools 500 and subsequently placed on three weeks probation for a retaliatory tap on Keselowski, which sent the Penske Racing driver’s car airborne and into the AMS wall.
Scotts was displayed on the car with a “retro” paint scheme celebrating Edwards’ first NASCAR Sprint Cup win five years ago.
“Scotts appreciates the support of NASCAR fans everywhere, and we have an excellent relationship with Carl Edwards, Jack Roush and the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing team,” the statement on the Scotts Web site said. “However, like many fans, we were very concerned about the on-track incident that occurred in Atlanta this past weekend.
“As a result, we have strongly expressed these concerns to both Carl and [team owner] Jack [Roush], and we are confident that they have a clear understanding of the trust we have placed in them as ambassadors of our company, our associates and our brands. In addition, as a sponsor, we want to make sure that drivers, race teams and NASCAR focus on keeping these types of incidents and misjudgments from happening.”
Aflac, which is Edwards’ primary sponsor for the majority of the races this year, also issued a statement:
“Aflac supports and values the relationship we have with Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Roush Fenway Racing team,” the Aflac statement said. “While we don’t discuss the specific details of our partnerships, we trust that the on-track incident will remain just that and was handled appropriately by NASCAR.”
The Roush Fenway team will try to put the incident behind them.
“I respect NASCAR’s penalty and look forward to our meeting [with Keselowski] in Bristol,” Edwards said on his Facebook page. “I’m ready to put this behind us and get on with some good racing.”
In a statement, Roush said: “We are satisfied that NASCAR fairly considered all the circumstances in its decision to discipline Carl. We look forward to meeting with NASCAR, Roger [Penske] and Brad in Bristol next weekend and it is our hope to put this behind us at that time.”
