One day after NASCAR announced that Carl Edwards would be placed on probation for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, Keselowski appeared on the CBS Early show to talk about the incident.

Keselowski said:

At the end of the day [this incident] is not going to change the way I race one bit because when a driver does…what Carl did, it’s somewhat of an admission that things are not going his way and that he’s not happy. As a driver, that’s a part of your role, to make the other drivers frustrated and upset.

Now, I respect Keselowski for sticking to his guns. It’s refreshing to see a driver say what he’s feeling and what he thinks, instead of the programmed PC responses that will not anger his team owner or his sponsors. I for one enjoy a driver who isn’t afraid to show a little personality… a little moxie.

But, Keselowski’s tough guy stance could mean trouble for him in the future. He should know that his comments may rub some – particularly those he has already had incidents with – the wrong way. He’s already got a reputation as an aggressive driver who isn’t intimidated by anyone. And, when you factor in this latest incident, and his subsequent tough guy stance, you’ve got to believe that he’s making himself a bigger target for retaliation.

From his Twitter account, Denny Hamlin (arguably Keselowski’s archnemesis) tweeted:

What [Keselowski] doesn’t realize is that in order to do the best job that he can on the racetrack, he HAS to have the respect of the other drivers. Just say… Sorry… I f’d up… Just once. It goes a long way. Don’t counter with [tough] luck bud, that’s just the way I race.

Some drivers will agree with Hamlin’s sentiments, while others will not; just as some fans will agree with Hamlin and others will not. And, none of them are wrong because they are entitled to their own opinions.

But, if Keselowski keeps up with the tough guy approach, he’ll get less of the give that everyone talks about when they say “give and take.” Guys will race him a little harder than they would others, and that might make for some pretty long days in his future.

I believe Keselowski knows and realizes this. So, he shouldn’t be surprised if he gets wrecked in the future. As a lot of drivers say, “I race him the way he races me.” And, if you put aggression into that relationship, you’ll get aggression out of it, too. 

And that, my friends, is the last time I write anything about this incident. (I hope.)

NASCAR has suspended two crew members for violating the substance abuse policy. Matthew Huffstetler, a crew member with the No. 01 Camping World Truck Series team, and William Keith, a spotter for the No. 38 Sprint Cup Series team, have been suspended indefinitely for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book.

NASCAR has decided not to suspend Carl Edwards for the incident with Brad Keselowski in which Edwards made contact with Keselowski, sending his car airborne. NASCAR did, however, put Edwards on probation for the next three Sprint Cup races.
 
The penalty is less than I expected, but probably on point given the circumstances. Had NASCAR decided to suspend Edwards for Keselowski’s car flipping; that would have been unfair. Yes, Edwards made the decision to retaliate against Keselowski. Yes, he knew or should know that there’s a chance that the car would flip. But, the fact that it did was beyond his control so he should not be penalized for it.
 
If NASCAR always suspended drivers for retaliation, then I would agree that would be a fair penalty for Edwards. But, because they do not, I don’t think they could suspend him for intentionally wrecking Keselowski.

That said, penalizing him for driving the wrong way on pit road would have been fair because he could control whether or not he did that. Granted, he could have controlled himself and not hit Keselowski. But, that’s not the point. The point is that NASCAR needed to penalize on the basis of the retaliation, not the car flip.

If Keselowski spins, but never flips, we’re not still talking about this. So, I believe NASCAR had to look at the incident as it would have if Keselowski never flipped.  NASCAR President Mike Helton indicated in as much in the press conference. NASCAR chose to separate the retaliation from the car flip and penalize accordingly. So, in that case, I believe NASCAR got it right.

Helton also said that NASCAR would meet with the drivers and their owners to discuss the matter further, in hopes of getting it resolved.

I still think Keselowski’s driving style caught up with him. In the Sprint Cup, the drivers expect a level of respect. And, if they feel like you’re not giving respect — especially if you’re a rookie — they’re going to take action.

That doesn’t mean drivers are hunting for Keselowski. But, it does mean that when racing incidents occur, Keselowski will not get the benefit of the doubt that he tried to race clean.

Maybe seeing Keselowski’s car flip on the front stretch will be an eye opener to all drivers of what can go wrong when you don’t respect each other and retaliate.

Update:

Following the announcement, Brad Keselowski issued a statement:

I support NASCAR in the decision they communicated today. They are not in an enviable position when it comes to these matters, but they do an outstanding job. The unfortunate part about what happened on Sunday is that it has overshadowed a win by the #2 Miller Lite Dodge and an overall solid performance by Penske Racing at Atlanta.

Carl Edwards responded via a Facebook posting, saying:

I respect NASCAR’s penalty and look forward to our meeting in Bristol. I’m ready to put this behind us and get on with some good racing.

Sunday’s incident between Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards during the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was not a product of bad blood from Talladega last year. It also didn’t have much to do with the contact between Edwards and Keselowski on lap 40 during the race that ended Edwards’s chance of winning. What caused this incident was Keselowski’s driving style.

After today’s incident, some media members wanted to compare it to the wreck between these two drivers at Talladega last year, indicating that the Talladega wreck might have led to some bad blood between these two. But, that was not the case.
 
At Talladega, Edwards tried to block Keselowski and Keselowski held his line. After the wreck, Edwards said that Keselowski did what he had to do to win. He didn’t seem upset or angry. He (and Keselowski) knew it was a racing deal. I believe that they moved on.
 
On lap 40 during Sunday’s race, Edwards was battling three-wide with Keselowski and Joey Logano on a restart. He tried to get to the bottom of the track in front of Keselowski, and the two made contact. Edwards hit Logano and the wall.

After the wreck, Edwards watched the replay. He said that he felt that Keselowski didn’t give him room, but Edwards also seemed to take a lot of the blame after seeing the replay. He mentioned that Keselowski’s actions didn’t look as bad on the replay as he thought they were.

If this had been a driver like Jeff Burton or Mark Martin, Edwards would have shrugged it off and moved on. Drivers like Burton and Martin are respected because they race clean. It’s very out of character for them to punt someone or race hard early on. So, if something like the contact on lap 40 were to happen, drivers believe them when they say they tried to lift. They’ve earned the respect to be taken at their word and given the benefit of the doubt.

Keselowski has not earned that. Since taking over the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy in the Nationwide Series, he has enjoyed success thanks in large part to his aggressive driving style. But, in obtaining that success he has also developed a reputation for racing drivers especially hard early. Just ask Denny Hamlin.

In Nationwide, this is understandable because the races are shorter and usually feature less-experienced drivers. Drivers want to stay up front to be there in the end and to avoid wrecks. But, in Sprint Cup, things are different. The races are much longer, and the drivers expect respect. They expect give and take, at least early in the race.

I understand that Keselowski wants to prove he belongs in Sprint Cup. He wants to make a name for himself by showing that he’s not intimidated by anyone because he can run with anyone. But, eventually your driving style catches up with you. And Sunday, his did.
Like I said, had it been Martin or Burton, this wreck wouldn’t have happened. But because it was Keselowski, a driver known for being aggressive early, Edwards didn’t believe he tried to lift (as Keselowski said after the race). Edwards wanted to send him a message. Edwards wanted to teach him some respect.

When a driver has earned the respect of others drivers, he tends to get the benefit of the doubt. And, the drivers take him at his word. Keselowski hasn’t earned that in part because of his actions and in part due to his lack of time in Sprint Cup. So, drivers don’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Instead, they look at his actions on the track. And in Keselowski’s case, they see an overly aggressive, rookie driver.

So, when the opportunity presented itself to wreck Keselowski, Edwards took it. With two laps to go, Edwards bumped Keselowski, who was running sixth at the time, at the start/finish line. Keselowski’s car flipped into the outside wall before coming to rest on its wheels.

 
Don’t get me wrong, Edwards was not justified in what he did. He put Keselowski and fans in danger by choosing to retaliate. But, he had no idea Keselowski’s car would lift off the ground. Still, he should know better than anyone that the car is capable of flipping, and he should have known it was possible for Keselowski to flip.

After the incident, NASCAR parked Edwards for the remainder of the race. Keselowski, however, didn’t think that was enough. He called for Edwards to be suspended for one race. I think a suspension would be inappropriate.

If NASCAR suspends Edwards it would be because Keselowski flipped, not because Edwards retaliated. If NASCAR suspended every driver who retaliated, regardless of what happened, then I would agree with a suspension. But, because they don’t, I don’t think they should just because Keselowski flipped. It would be absurd to suspend someone for the one part of the incident they couldn’t control.

Kurt Busch pulled away from the rest of the field on the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, and drove his Dodge to victory in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

On the restart, Busch and Juan Montoya led the field to the green. Busch got a great restart while Montoya spun his tires. Kasey Kahne had to check up to avoid making contact with Montoya. That allowed Busch to pull away by Turn 1.

Top 5: Busch, Matt Kenseth, Montoya, Kahne, and Paul Menard.

AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, and Scott Speed finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Notables: Jimmie Johnson (12th), Tony Stewart (13th), Dale Earnhardt Jr (15th), Bill Elliott (16th), Ryan Newman (17th), Jeff Gordon (18th), Jeff Burton (20th), Denny Hamlin (21st), Clint Bowyer (23rd), Kyle Busch (25th), Martin Truex Jr (27th), Jamie McMurray (29th), Mark Martin (33rd), Joey Logano (35th), Brad Keselowski (36th), and Carl Edwards (39th).

Early in the race, Carl Edwards tried to get in front of Brad Keselowski on the bottom of the race track. He wasn’t clear of Keselowski and the two made contact, sending Edwards up the track. He then made contact with Joey Logano and the two hit the wall. Edwards went to the garage.

Later, he returned to the track and with about two laps to go, he got into Keselowski, spinning him. Keselowski’s car flipped and hit the outside wall with its roof before coming to rest on the track. Keselowski was running sixth at the time. He finished 36th. Edwards was ordered to park his car for the rest of the day. This also set up the first attempt at a green white checkered finish 

Afterwards, Keselowski said:

To come back and just intentionally wreck someone, that’s not cool. He could have killed someone in the grandstands.

On the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray led the field to green. Kurt Busch quickly passed them. McMurray and Bowyer then got together, triggering a seven car pileup. Bowyer, McMurray, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, and David Gilliland were involved.

Kevin Harvick stayed out of trouble and held off Kyle Busch to win the E-Z-GO 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick took four tires under caution late in the race, and maintained his lead over Busch.

Top 5: Harvick, Busch, Aric Almirola, Steve Wallace, and Todd Bodine.

Ricky Carmichael, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Rick Crawford, and Austin Dillion rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Tayler Malsam (13th), Mike Skinner (14th), David Starr (15th), Stacy Compton (19th), Geoff Bodine (26th), Matt Crafton (27th), Dennis Setzer (29th), and Ron Hornaday (34th).

Ron Hornaday started from the pole and was battling for the lead early, made slight contact with Kyle Busch. The contact damaged his quarter panel, leading to a tire rub. But, Harvick told Hornaday’s crew the smoke from the rub dissapated quickly. So, Hornaday continued on.

A few laps later, his tire blew, sending him hard into the outside wall. The damage ended his day. He finished 34th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr captured the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a lap of 28.761 seconds at 192.716 mph, the fastest lap in a COT since its inception. Kyle Busch will start on the outside front row. See the complete lineup here.

US Fidelis has filed for Chapter 11 backruptcy, according to SceneDaily. Among creditors listed in the filing is Rusty Wallace Inc, which is owed $535,439 in sponsorship fees for sponsoring the team’s No. 66 last year in the Nationwide Series.

Seaport Group LLC is suing Dale Earnhardt Inc because, Seaport claims, DEI reneged on a deal to sell it a $3.25 million claim in General Motors’s bankruptcy to Seaport for $783,604, according to Bloomberg. Seaport is accusing DEI of reneging the deal because the value of the claim increased dramatically after the agreement was made.

At first glance, very few people would mistake German actor Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 300) for four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson. Considering the look Fassbender sported in Inglorious Basterds, it’s hard to see the resemblance.

But if you watch Fassbender in 300 or see him out of character, the resemblance is more striking.