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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Air Apparent - Edwards Flips Brad
Brad Keselowski had a terrifying crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted March 07, 2010   Hampton, GA
Brad Keselowski lands after his flight at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Brad Keselowski learned one of life's hard lessons Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Paybacks are a bitch.

RESULTS: KOBALT TOOLS 500

Meanwhile, Carl Edwards may have to wait until Tuesday to find out just how literally NASCAR is taking the new, “Have at it, boys!” policy of self-policing disagreements among Sprint Cup drivers.

In a story that largely dwarfed the race itself, Keselowski made contact with Edwards on Lap 40 of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Edwards appeared to move down from the middle lane, where his Roush Fenway Racing Ford was struck from behind in Turn 1 by Keselowski, turning the No. 99 into the outside wall, where Edwards and Joey Logano made contact, each car receiving heavy damage.

Edwards went to the garage for about 150 laps, while his team made repairs.

“It’s so frustrating for a number of reasons, most of which is that I love racing here,” said Edwards as his team worked on his car. “I love this race track and I want to be out there driving right now. I know Brad has made his career on being super-aggressive. We both had a part in it and it’s not his fault, but it’s just a little too aggressive overall, I think, for that early in the race and caused us to wreck.”

Once back on the track, though, Edwards set after Keselowski.

On Lap 323, just two laps before the scheduled end of the race, Edwards pulled up inside Keselowski on the frontstretch. He appeared to turn the wheel to the right driving his right-front fender into Keselowski's left-rear quarterpanel, which caused the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge to first spin and then get airborne, landing hard on its roof.

PHOTOS: EDWARDS-KESELOWSKI WRECK

Interviewed afterwards, Edwards did not deny that the contact was intentional, although he insisted he wasn't attempting to flip Keselowski.

“Brad knows the deal between him and I,” said Edwards. “The scary part was his car went airborne,which was not at all what I expected. At the end of the day, we’re out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people’s safety. I wish it wouldn’t have gone like it did, but I’m glad he’s okay and we’ll just go on and race some more and maybe him and I won’t get in anymore incidents together. That would be the best thing.”

For his part, Keselowski was understandably miffed.

“To come back and just intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool,” said Keselowski. “I mean, they could have killed somebody in the grandstands. I know that it's a little ironic that you've got me saying that, but at least I didn't do it intentionally when it happened (at Talladega).”

After the incident NASCAR parked Edwards and called him into the trailer for a discussion with officials. NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said it would be Monday or Tuesday before the sanctioning body weighs in on what, if anything, it will do to either or both drivers.


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