NASCAR clarifies its warning to Brad Keselowski at Kansas
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Friday, October 09, 2009
FONTANA, Calif. – NASCAR officials clarified their intent in warning Hendrick Motorsports’ Brad Keselowski during last week’s race at Kansas Speedway.
NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Friday afternoon that Keselowski was not warned because of contact with a competitor in the Chase For The Sprint Cup; the warning was one that NASCAR often gives to competitors when it feels contact is unnecessary.
Keselowski had contact with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya during the race, drawing the attention of NASCAR. At the time, NASCAR said that Keselowski was told to be “aware and cognizant of who he was racing against at this particular point in the race.”
Friday, Pemberton clarified what NASCAR meant and that it did not refer to racing against drivers in the championship hunt.
“We warn drivers all the time,” Pemberton said prior to qualifying at Auto Club Speedway in California. “It wasn’t a Chase warning whatsoever. The previous week we warned the 14 [of Tony Stewart] and somebody else about beating on each other, too.
“When we see things going on around the race track that could affect the outcome of innocent bystanders, drivers who don’t have a fight, we’ll take and call a driver out on. That’s basically what we did.”
The warning sparked debate over whether drivers in the Chase should be given extra room by non-Chase drivers.
“It’s about causing an incident unnecessarily,” Pemberton said. “You do that. You don’t do it every week, but there are times that you do that.”
Montoya said last week he figured that Keselowski’s spotter didn’t know he was there.
“Most of the people that are non-Chase drivers are very good,” Montoya said. “They give you a lot of room and you’ve got to respond the same way. There’s not much more you can do.
“Everybody is still racing. By you being in the Chase you’ve got to be aware as well that you’re vulnerable. People can run over you pretty easy. I think you help yourself by giving them the space because they don’t have much to lose compared to us.”
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Tony Stewart said he had no problem with Keselowski getting the warning because he believed it was done in the general nature of racing and not for the benefit of a Chase driver. Keselowski is running a part-time Sprint Cup schedule this year.
“It was more of a young rookie driver who was racing like he was in the Nationwide Series or the Truck Series,” Stewart said. “That’s how you race on Friday and Saturday, but that’s not how we race on Sunday. Guys realize that it’s a longer realize and there’s more give and take and more patience.
“In his situation, he’s young, he’s aggressive, he wants to do well, wants to earn respect. But he’s got to understand that you’ve got to be patient and you’ve got to give and take at different times of the race, especially early in the race like that to get that respect. I think it’s good that NASCAR at least mentioned it. They’re not telling him how to drive his car, but at least it lights [something] in his ear that maybe [he’s] not doing something the way it is done in this series.”
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11 responses to "NASCAR clarifies its warning to Brad Keselowski at Kansas ". Post a Comment.
Villebilly said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 5:52 PMIt's funny to listen to Tony or Juan or any number of veteran drivers chastise a rookie but they to were exactly the same way when they came in or worse.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportVillebilly said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 6:05 PMI'm glad NASCAR straightened all that out, you can count on them for the truth.
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» Confirm Abuse Report4-DA-88 said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 6:52 PMHow many warnings can anyone remember Kyle B getting? I am trying awfully hard to remember, but the warnings he has received seems to have escaped me. I've seen Tony go to the rear for aggressive driving. I still raised my eyebrows with what Tony is quoted as saying in this article. Honestly, can anyone remember Kyle going to the rear? He may have... I have just started seeing what might be construed as aggressiveness from Brad. Nothing like other drivers at all. I am shocked whenever they say he has.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKBfaninGA said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 7:21 PM#3 - first of all, this article is not about Kyle Busch, so I'm not sure why you brought him up unless you are one of those that talk Kyle 24/7. NASCAR warns drivers all the time, they mention it many times during a race. Just because they radio a team doesn't mean they send drivers to the back. Tony didn't get sent to the rear a few weeks ago. Whoever decided to write an article about this is the one that blew it all out of proportion. Drivers are warned all the time....Kyle and others.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndi said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 8:34 PMI know they give warnings to drivers, but the way it came off was that they were giving it to him because he was around the chase drivers. And that didn't look right. Maybe the ones in the booth are the ones who said got it wrong, which would NOT be the first time the guys in the booth said something that wasn't correct.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBILLFAN50 said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 9:35 PMAndi, Keselowski said Eury Jr. relayed to him about Nascars warning, during the race. Read the article "Brad K. shrugs off warning from Nascar during race".I don't think the booth was guilty this time.
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» Confirm Abuse Report4-DA-88 said:
Oct 9, 2009 at 9:59 PMThis article IS also about NASCAR and warning drivers, NO? And I said what I said in earnest. I no where said that Kyle is overlooked, I was just wanting my memory refreshed. Sorry if it upset you. And Tony being sent to the rear I am not sure exactly when it happened, I do believe (at least once) last year (others before). It just happens, IMO, that if NASCAR is going to "warn" drivers they do it fairly! No, I rarely bring up Kyle until someone else does. I try awfully hard to forget him altogether. It is just when I think about aggressive drivers, it is his name and Tony's I think of. And, I am a Tony fan. And yes, I have heard Junior receive warnings over his radio. Again I apologize if what I said upset you in any way.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJrNation_re-tards said:
Oct 10, 2009 at 2:38 AMKyle got sent to the rear in a truck race earlier this year at texas for aggressive driving...feel better now?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportcollettelenard said:
Oct 10, 2009 at 3:08 AMThis NASCAR thing is after all racing. Seems to me that an aggressive nature is desirable (if not required) if you are going to race a car or anything else successfully. To warn of being overly aggressiveness is NASCAR's job - it's their show. Of course these are only my opinions as a spectator.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportfronto said:
Oct 10, 2009 at 9:54 AMyeah, of course!
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» Confirm Abuse Report4-DA-88 said:
Oct 10, 2009 at 6:48 PMForgive me for bringing this up, as his name is not mentioned in this article, but .. Today Biffle got into the side of Joey and just kept easing him up into the wall. Very obviously intentional! It was reported that Biffle said he was going to do this. (But I did not hear the interchange). There was nothing said to Greg, (that we were made aware of). So .. I just don't understand where NASCAR is coming from with this clarification in the article.
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