■ 08 March 2010 | 12:08 PM
What they're saying on Edwards: Kyle Petty: "He shouldn't show up at Bristol''
A look at what folks are saying about the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski incident Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
CARL EDWARDS (via his Facebook page)
"My options: Considering that Brad wrecks me with no regard for anyones safety or hard work, should I: A-Keep letting him wreck me? B-Confront him after the race? C-Wait bil bristol and collect other cars? or D-Take care of it now? I want to be clear that I was surprised at his flight and very relieved when he walked away. Every person has to decide what code they want to live by and hopefully this expalins mine.''
DUSTIN LONG (in my blog)
"Just because someone didn't mean for something really bad to happen doesn't absolve them from being penalized. Now, there's no doubt Carl was frustrated with his earlier contact with Keselowski. Who wouldn't? Again, he had more than 100 laps to calm down before getting back out on the track. ... Safety could have been compromised (by Edwards' actions).''
KYLE PETTY (on Speed Channel's "NASCAR Victory Lane'')
"That's just flagrant. That's flagrant. They throw people out of basketball games for that. It's called a T. Go to the locker room. ... This is a black eye on NASCAR. This is a black eye on the competitors. This is a black eye on everybody. I don't care. This is wrong. This was blatant, flagrant foul and he ought to be parked.
"He shouldn't show up at Bristol and that's my opinion. Brad Keselowski said the ball is in NASCAR's court. We're going to see if they've got a pair now. I'm just throwing that out there. They need to park him and send him home.''
JEFF GLUCK (SBnation.com)
"NASCAR should not -- and cannot -- punish Edwards further. ... Why? Because though the wreck looked spectacular and horrifying and was certainly dangerous, Edwards' intention was not to send the car flying.
"Retaliation has always been a part of racing. Edwards retaliated and was punished for it, and officials met with him afteward to explain why he needed to be more careful next time. And really, thats' all that can and should be done. No suspension. No points. No fines. No probation. Nothing.
"This is racing, and no one ever said it wasn't dangerous. Have at it, boys.''
KENNY BRUCE (Scenedaily.com)
"Taking chances is one things. Taking a driver out is another. Edwards' move was wrong. It was blatant. ... So was parking him enough? Do we just wink, chuckle and move on? The sport will be worse if that's the case. Because it's called racing. It's not called retaliating. I just hope they remember that back in the home office. And weigh it accordingly.''
DAVID NEWTON (ESPN.com)
"For the integrity of the sport, a suspension is warranted. This wasn't an accident. It was premediated.''
TOM BOWLES (SI.com)
"What Edwards did was no different than what any other driver has done through the years in retaliating for a wreck that took him out of contention. There was no intent to injure, and both drivers understand what happened and why. When the smoke clears, people need to realize this incident was "just one of those racin' deals'' and move on.''
TOM JENSEN (SpeedTV.com)
"It's over and done with. Edwards knows it. Keselowski knows it. Score is settled, time to move on. NASCAR has gotten what it wanted with its new, hands-off policy. Boys behaving badly. Real emotion. Controversy. Debate. Discussion. Energized fans.''
REID SPENCER (THE SPORTING NEWS)
"The bottom line is that Edwards is responsible not only for the intendend consequences of his actions but also for those that were unintended and unexpected. NASCAR, too, is complicit in what only can be viewed as a predictable outcome of a lenient attitude toward aggression on the racetrack.''
JENNA FRYER (The Associated Press)
"So now NASCAR plays judge, jury and executioner, and its decision will reverberate through the rest of the season. A severe punishment against Edwards is akin to a death sentence on the "have at it'' attitude. If the first driver acturally "had at it'' is hit with a stiff penalty, then other drivers won't ever dare test the limits.
"A significant fine, points deduction or probation will likely back Edwards into a conservative mode that could alter the way he races the rest of the year.
"And no action at all, aside from infuriating an enraged mass of fans, well, that could promote repeat behavior from Edwards or others.''
LEE SPENCER (Foxsports.com)
"NASCAR has long allowed the competitors to settle their battles on the racetrack. But the sanctioning body also knows when to neutralize a situation that's gotten out of hand.
"This should be one of those times.''
TERRY BLOUNT (ESPN.com)
"If NASCAR fluffs off Sunday's incident and refuses to punish Carl Edwards severely, someone somewhere could die at a future event.
"A harsh and uncomfortable thought, but entirely possible if Edwards' payback moment on Brad Keselowski goes unchecked.''
HOLLY CAIN (AOL FANHOUSE)
"NASCAR told its driver to "have at it'' this season. After all, what's a little bumping and heavy banging in the name of television ratings, improved attendance and high marks on fan surveys, right?
"Four races into the season, however, even NASCAR has had to draw the line somewhere.
"Across Carl Edwards' forehead.''
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I don't see how a driver has the time to tweet on twitter. It seems like they don't have a spare second. Recently, ol Daryl and Mikey the Clown have mentioned all of the tweeting they have been doing, and how neat they think it is. Man, those two dudes are way, way, way over exposed to the Nascar audience, so to have those birds going tweet, tweet, tweet all day, is just too much to tolerate. Buckshot, anyone?
I think it's funny
That this Dustin Long fella put his own comment in "What they're saying." That's pretty doggone funny.
nascar
Yep....professional wrestling has nothing over NASCAR. PHONY! I gave it up for lost when the "Honorables" all retired.
W(what)T(the)F(french toast)???
Why is everyone going after CArl Edwards? Is he now the go to villian because lately Kyle hasn't shown his butt, or some other driver with an interesting personality hasn't shown their human side with their emotions? Here we are attacking this dud after NASCAR themselves pretty much told EvERYONE that they wanted the drivers to mix it up more. And now, when they get EXACTLY what they had asked for, everyone screams & wants to crucify Carl. Hey, I ain't a Carl Edwards fan. Hell, I even have pretty much lost most interest in following NASCAR like I used to. This right here is one of many reasons that I have done so, too. No, it may not matter to YOU, the reader, but I bet when more of folks like me bail on the sport, that NASCAR will take notice. They already have, in fact. Why do you think they wanted the drivers to mix it up a little more this season? They crave the revenues generated from Television as well as the races, the merchandise, everything that is profitible to them. This is a business, people. We may view it as a sport, but it IS what it IS, & THEIR bottom line is prfoit. It's the great American way, my friends. We live in a capitalistic society that wants excitement, bu
Common sense
What penalty did Carl receive by being parked? He was already as far back as he could go. No penalty. Now Mr Jones decided to stop at a bar after work to have a few drinks to unwind. He doesn’t realize that he is setting in motion the events a few hours later. In the meantime, Mr Smith and his family are coming home from vacation. They are glad to be almost home. They stop for dinner, and go on their way. Mr Jones has finished his few (6) drinks and is feeling no pain. Unfortunately the Smith car and Jones car meet at a red light which Mr Jones runs. The two cars wreck violently killing Mr Smith and his family. Mr Jones survives. What should his penalty be? He didn’t intend to kill four pelple, but he DID. He set this event into action when he drank too much to drive safely. Carl on the other hand with premeditation stalked Brad waiting for the chance to wreck him. He couldn’t know how big the wreck would be but he WRECKED him nevertheless. He had hours to get over his rage…to calm down…but he was simply out of control. We don’t need malicious drivers in Nascar. There is too much at stake. If Carl can’t control his anger, he must be taught to. This is not his first ac
I'm not a real avid follower or NASCAR, but I thought
I read recently that more rivalries and more banging around were what they were promoting this season.
Bill France, “It’s time for us to allow the drivers to drive,” France said. “We don’t want the rules and regulations to get in the way of great racing and fantastic finishes.
“NASCAR is a contact sport. Our history is based on banging fenders.”
I said at the time, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."
Wait until someone is killed or seriously hurt and watch the lawyers throw Bill France's words back at him in court.
Bill France, the founder of
Bill France, the founder of NASCAR, is long deceased. His son Bill France Jr. is also deceased. His grandson, Brian France, is actually the one making the comments to which you refer.
Edwards vs. Keselowski
Though it looked spectacular and dangerous, it has been a part of the "good ole days of racin'" Payback has been and always will be a part of the sport. There have been many comments attributed to Brad's lack of respect and aggressive driving, especially around the veterans. Case in point Hamlins' payback. And yes, that too was premeditated. No one wants to see someone get hurt. Maybe this incident will give Nascar an opportunity to set "gloves off" guidelines. Give Carl a suspended 3 race suspension sentence do to the severity of the results and perhaps not using good judgement. If it is determined that his further involvement of an overzealous nature occurs that is "detrimental to the sport and Nascar", perhaps then he serves his sentence and forfeits any eligibility for the chase. Not just Edwards, but any driver.