Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Aggression Still Part Of The Game
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers say that aggressive driving will probably continue...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted July 23, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
When Carl Edwards (60) wrecked Brad Keselowski (22) to win a Nationwide Series race at Gateway earlier this year, it was just one of several times this NASCAR season that drivers haven't shied away from roughing each other up. (Photo: Getty Images)
There was no indication Friday that Sprint Cup drivers plan to tone down their aggression levels after Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski were penalized for their roles in last-lap mayhem last week in a Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway.

In fact, the line between what is considered forceful racing and what is considered overboard seems to have been moved over to allow for more questionable activity, considering the relative blandness of the penalties.

“As far as what NASCAR does as far as taking the gloves off or penalties, honestly that hasn’t changed my outlook or how I race,” Matt Kenseth said at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I’m not going to change the way I race because of what the rules are. Now there have been times when I’ve stepped over the edge and lost my mind and ran into somebody and got penalized for it … but whether there’s a penalty for something after the race or not, it’s not going to change my code or my ethics.

“I’m still going to race the same, so that doesn’t really matter to me. Whether it’s so strict that I’m going to get in trouble for something after the race or it’s so loose that I wouldn’t, it really wouldn’t change how I race because you’ve got to race these people each and every week. It’s a long season.”

Denny Hamlin, who has a history with Keselowski, said the line between what’s OK and what might not be “has definitely been moved. I think what’s accepted out there is different now than what it was a few years ago.
VIDEO: Last Lap Gateway Nationwide - Edwards Wins Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski tangle. (Image: SPEED)

“That whole thing [the ‘Boys, have at it’ approach] was basically a gimmick to talk about superspeedway racing and how we were supposed to race on superspeedways. … That’s what they were talking about when they started this whole thing. I think we took it in our own hands and thought that we could just do anything we wanted on the race track. I don’t know if the garage is necessarily getting along with each other as good as they used to, but it doesn’t matter as long as the fans see a great race.”

There was disagreement Friday between Edwards and Keselowski about the start of the last-lap incident at Gateway. Keselowski said he did not intend to bump Edwards in the first turn to move him over so that he could take the lead. Edwards said it was obvious that the bump was intentional.

The so-called bump-and-run is likely to remain a part of this kind of racing, but that doesn’t mean everybody is going to accept the result in every situation.


Page 1 of 2
Prev
12
Next
mike.hembree's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.