Edwards And Keselowski Hear From The Big Red Truck

((HT: NASCAR.com))

From NASCAR their ownselves...

NASCAR has penalized the No. 60 team and the No. 22 driver for rule violations committed during last Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway.

The penalties come as a result of violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing/ aggressive driving) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60, has been penalized with the loss of 60 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points, fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31st. Car owner Jack Roush has been penalized with the loss of 60 series championship owner points.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Since Keselowski was the hittee and Edwards the hitter ((in this case)), the HQ thinks that's why Edwards was placed on probation until the end of the year in the Nationwide Series.

The HQ also thinks Daytona is the next spot where these two hook up... again...
Here's what caused the mess... this time...
((HT: NASCAR/ESPN/MT89Motorsports))

Edwards-Keselowski Rivalry Continues At Gateway

We all remember Atlanta and the Nationwide Series... actually, this started all the way back at Talladega when Edwards went airborne in one of the mastiest crashes in the modern era.

Gateway was another notch in this rivalry's belt...

Keselowski gets in to Edwards in Turn 1 of the final lap, and Edwards takes Keselowski out for the win. Spinning wounded, Keselowski was T-boned just short of the Start-Finish and ended up 14th...

"I just couldn't let him take the win from me," said Edwards. "We had a great restart. My guys built me a great car. We came to the checkered flag, and I hate to see stuff tore up, but we came here to win and he took it from us there in Turn 1. Just an awesome race. ... I'm sure some of them don't like that win -- Brad Keselowski fans and stuff -- but, man, I just couldn't let him take it from me. I had to do what I had to do."

Expect another tour of the Big Red Truck...
Here's the last lap and the money quote from Brad's dad...
((HT: XERB1090/BumpsNotes/ESPN/NASCAR))


The HQ knows this is far from over...

Edwards gets Probation...wrists are probably sore from slapping

Well, NASCAR stepped up to the plate this afternoon and punished Carl Edwards for his really not-so bright move at the end of the race this past Sunday in Atlanta. Yes, the "Truth" got a penalty for wrecking and subsequently flipping driver Brad Keslowski. One so severe that he may never consider running into anyone ever again. One so scary that he might actually...well...he got probation.

What exactly does one do on NASCAR probation? We don't know. We are guessing that it means he has to be a good boy for the next 3 weeks while serving his penalty.

AutoWeek reported on the story RIGHT HERE

((Edwards and Crew Chief Bob Osborne//Courtesy: LAT Photographic/Autoweek))

Yes, Mike Helton did say that Edwards behavior was "Not Acceptable" but then didn't really punish him a whole lot either. Most attribute the lack of a serious penalty to the new edict of "Let 'em Race" philosophy that NASCAR is embracing this season in hopes of stopping sliding TV ratings and attendance. We like most think that this really isn't the way to go about it.

In case you haven't seen the wreck, here it is. Thanks You Tube/NASCAR:

Edwards-Keselowski Rivalry Continues

((HT: NASCAR/NASCAR Images/NASCAR on Fox))

It started with this at Lap 41...
Keselowski wiggles Edwards and sends him in to Joey Logano...


Both were severely damaged and had to spend a lot of time behind the wall...
Logano would finish 36th and Edwards 39th...

As we got to the end of the race, there was payback from the 99...
((HT: NASCAR.com))


Carl was told to take a lap penalty and head straight to the truck. He did so, but not before going the wrong way on pit lane...

Here's their reactions, thanks to NASCAR on FOX


All this goes back to the fun Edwards had last year at Talladega...

Talladega: The Day After/Nightside Update

((HT: WBRC-TV/myfoxal.com))
Team coverage from Melanie Posey and Sports Director Rick Karle from WBRC-TV on the aftermath of the Carl Edwards crash Sunday afternoon.
Included: fan reaction, Carl Edwards sound from raceday, Rick Humphrey reaction

Talladega: The Day After/The Round-Up

((Picture, thanks Mark Almond/Birmingham News))

al.com's Kevin Scarbinsky was less-than-pleased...
The Highlights:

Thank God that catch fence caught the low-flying plane of Carl Edwards on the last lap and threw it back on the track where it belonged.

Otherwise it could've been the death of countless men, women and children. Not to mention the death of a sport.

Is that too dramatic?

Tell it to the seven spectators in the area who were treated for what a track medical official described as minor injuries because the catch-fence didn't catch every piece of the flying Ford. One woman suffered what may have been a broken jaw, which is minor only if the jaw isn't yours.

Tell it to Edwards. His signature move may be the back flip off the roof after a victory, but he'd never before piloted a car that went toes over nose.

This is NASCAR racing at Talladega: There's a fine line between wrecking someone and killing someone.

It was the experienced Earnhardt who put the day in perspective -- and put a lot of people to shame.

"You have to understand that, like, for years, we have had wrecks like this every time we come to Talladega ever since the (restrictor) plate got here, and for years, it was celebrated. The media celebrated it, the network celebrated it, calling it the Big One, just trying to attract attention.

"So there's a responsibility with the media and the networks and the sanctioning body itself to come to their senses a little bit."

Tell it to the twisted promoters at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

They're offering 1,000 seats for their next NASCAR race at $14 each -- because that's how many cars were involved Sunday in the Big One that didn't come close to killing anyone.

Earnhardt said the drivers "have been saying this for years: racing like this is not a whole lot of fun."

It's not a whole lot of fun to watch, either, when sheet metal and your life both pass before your eyes.

And your Keselowski victory press conference ((thanks, al.com))

Brad Keselowski at Talladega

Talladega: The Day After/Allison Reaction

((HT: WBRC-TV/myfoxal.com))

Here are the money shots from WBRC-TV Fox 6 cameras...


Bobby Allison left Talladega Superspeedway before Carl Edwards' car hurled into the safety fence and showered the stands with debris.

Allison listened to the scary and spectacular ending on the radio, then caught replays of the crash Monday morning - a scene that looked eerily familiar. It was Allison's twisting, airborne spin in 1987 that led to restrictor plates the following year at Talladega.

The driver responsible for the change, designed to slow down the cars, doesn't agree with Edwards that NASCAR needs to adjust the rules again to prevent a death at that track.

"In modern entertainment there's a risk, but the risk is part of the attraction," Allison said by phone on Monday.

Like Edwards' last-lap accident on Sunday, Allison's car also went airborne, collided into the steel-cable fence and scattered debris into the crowd. Allison was running over 200 mph when his crash happened.

Edwards said he hoped his own accident, which sent his car flying around like the tractor in the movie "Twister," will make NASCAR consider rules to make the racing at Talladega safer.

"We'll race like this until we kill somebody," Edwards said Sunday, "then (NASCAR) will change it."
Allison, who lives in Mooresville, N.C., called that an overstatement.
"Well, it's scary, but it's exciting for the fans. It always has been," Allison said. "Part of the attraction of Talladega is the potential for danger."

Allison should know that as well as any driver. He didn't even have to catch the replay to know what Edwards experienced.

"It was pretty spectacular, but it was nothing compared to what I did," Allison said. "My wreck was way bigger, way more guard rail, way more cars involved."
Allison was running fourth on the 21st lap in 1987 when his engine blew and slid under the car. When he ran over it, the engine sliced the rear tire.

Allison's car slid sideways, became airborne and went tail-first high onto the steel-cable catch fence at the front of the grandstand near the finish line, tearing a 150-foot hole in it and scattering debris into the crowd.

He was able to walk away and the race was red-flagged while the broken fence and steel cables were replaced. Some fans sustained minor injuries, just like in Edwards' accident.

Allison's son, Davey, won the 1987 race and the two hugged in Victory Lane. Davey Allison died in 1993 when his helicopter crashed into a track infield.

Restrictor plates are used at Daytona and Talladega to combat the high speeds at NASCAR's two fastest tracks. The plates typically keep the field bunched tightly together, and fans usually see cars racing three- or four-wide. All it takes is one mistake to lead to massive pileups dubbed "The Big One."

Allison had no suggestions about how to make Talladega safer for fans and drivers. He said all parties understand the risks at one of the sport's most dangerous tracks.

"It's as safe as we see modern entertainment," Allison said. "If you're at a hockey game and the hockey puck comes into the grandstands and hits you in the head and kills you, it's not safe. If you're at the football game and the football hits you in the head and kills you, you're not safe. If you're at a baseball game and the baseball hits you and kills you, you're not safe."

Talladega: The Day After

First and foremost, Brad Keselowski???
Brad "F'n" Keselowski...???

A part-time team with a Hendrick package helps Carl Edwards with two laps to go act like a rocketship. They pass Ryan Newman and Dale Junior like they were sightseeing. Edwards makes a move to block and Keselowski won't have any of the re-blocking. He held his ground and Edwards went airborne.

And we get a "Ricky Bobby" moment...
Here's the end of the coverage from NASCAR and Fox...


A lot of people were comparing the Edwards moment to Bobby Allison's crash in 1987.
See for yourself, thanks NASCAR and ESPN- Bob Jenkins and Larry Haber in the booth.

Carl Edwards Is The Man

According to a NASCARmedia.com poll, Carl Edwards is the favorite to dethrone 3 time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson in 2009. Here are the results of the NASCAR media poll:

1. Carl Edwards

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Kyle Busch

4. Jeff Gordon

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

6. Greg Biffle

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Mark Martin

9. Jeff Burton

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Denny Hamlin

12. Tony Stewart

"It's just great." Carl Edwards said. "What Jimmie has done is spectacular. For the media to say they think that I might be able to stop that, is pretty neat."

By the way, Joey Logano was picked to win the Rookie of the Year.

Photo Courtesy: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images