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SPENCER: Way To Go, Carl
Carl Edwards is getting beat up in the media right now but I think he was in the right...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted July 20, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Brad Keselowski started it Saturday night at Gateway and Carl Edwards finished it. And boy did he ever.

Edwards is getting beat up in the media right now but I think he was in the right, regardless of what penalties NASCAR may or may not hand down Wednesday.

This feud dates back to when Keselowski publicly stated he isn’t in NASCAR to make friends but to win races. To paraphrase, he said he didn’t care how many toes he steps on in the process. The problem with that statement is that it automatically labels you as the “bully” on the block. Well, sometimes a bigger bully comes along and kicks your ass. The bigger bully right now is Edwards and I admire him for it.

I respect anyone who tells his competition that “if you step on my toes, I’ll step back twice as hard.” That’s just good old Saturday night racing. It’s not something that warrants any penalties or punishment. Racing involves risks and sometimes you’re going to get wrecked. Competitors also run the chance of blowing a tire or running over someone’s oil – it’s all part of the sport. I was a car owner, so I understand the anger and frustration some of the owners of the eight other cars may be feeling, but sometimes the shoe is on the other foot and you benefit from deals like that. It usually balances itself out.

What happened at Gateway was just racing. Keselowski moved up a little bit going into the corner and bumped Edwards. Well, Edwards bumped back but three times as hard – that’s racing.
What I think is missing here is respect for the other drivers and the sport on Keselowski’s part. Most of the veteran drivers have the utmost respect for one another, but Keselowski entered the sport and immediately started ruffling feathers and portraying himself as a cocky kid. He needs to learn that when you say things like that, people remember how you want to be raced in return.
VIDEO: Last Lap Gateway Nationwide - Edwards Wins Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski tangle. (Image: SPEED)

I’m not discounting Keselowski’s talent because I think he is a hell of a driver who has done a great job in a short amount of time. But he set the example of how he wanted to be raced when he came in swaggering and saying he wasn’t here to make friends. Neither is Edwards, who races the way you’re supposed to – kick back when kicked. However, Keseowski thinks it’s a one-way street and complains when payback rolls around. He’s an overly confident kid who is learning his lesson the hard way – and I am enjoying every minute of it. It’s this type of rivalry and racing that built this sport.

Reggie White, one of greatest football players of all time and a friend of mine, once gave me some insight into life in the NFL. He told me, “When you get a cheap shot, you remember who did it. When you give it back, it’s twice as hard.” A new kid juked him and came back with a cocky little strut. Later in that same game, Reggie got him good, and the kid said, “You’re trying to kill me!” Reggie replied, “Welcome to the NFL.” I thought that was priceless.

Reggie played other players the way they played him. By the same token, when a driver races another guy the way he wants to be raced, he shouldn’t get spun out. Outright spinning other cars out for no reason is wrong, but Carl’s actions were payback for the earlier bump, as well as the past couple of seasons. Keselowski set the precedent long ago.

It’s up to NASCAR to recognize that while they’re mulling over what, if anything, to do to these two. NASCAR is doing a fantastic job of allowing the drivers to police themselves and it needs to continue that way. We don’t need any penalties or suspensions handed down this week. I think it was that type of action that hurt the sport a few years ago. NASCAR’s heavy-handedness took the wind out of the sails of guys like Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart and the fans started to lose interest.

But NASCAR now is allowing the competitors to race and it’s the best thing that has happened to this sport in quite some time. Finally, NASCAR is beginning to be the talk of the water cooler again. If we start penalizing and handcuffing these guys again, that talk will become just a whisper, and then eventually fade to nothing.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it in his weekly What’s the Deal? segment on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.

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