Brad Keselowski versus Carl Edwards: Again....and again

   'Boys, have at it,' NASCAR said. And Sunday in Atlanta they certainly did. This is what's left of Brad Keselowski's car (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
   


    By Mike Mulhern
    mikemulhern.net

    ATLANTA
    Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards got into it with each other again in Sunday's Atlanta 500...and not just once.
    The two, who had that frightening finish at Talladega a year ago, collided early in Sunday's 500....with Edwards getting the worst of it, having to go behind the wall for an hour of repairs.
   When Edwards came back on the track, he was 156 laps down, while Keselowski was running sixth, with just a few miles to go. And when the two got close Edwards made what looked like aggressive moves on Keselowski, who flipped, hit the outside wall, landed on his roof.
    NASCAR parked Edwards for the rest of the race and called him to the official trailer for a talking to afterwards.
   When Keselowski emerged from the infield hospital he said "I'm okay.
   "Just a wild ride that was uncalled for."
   On the earlier incident? "He cut down on me on a restart and I lifted but I couldn't lift fast enough," Edwards said. "I lifted for him....but I was there. I was under him. I'd apologize but there was nothing else I could do.
   "But to come back and intentionally wreck somebody, that's not  cool.
   "It could have killed somebody in the grandstands.
   "I know it may be a little ironic, me saying that (here referring to Talladega); but at least I didn't do it intentionally."
    The incident, in fact, was similar to the Keselowski-Edwards finish at Talladega last spring, when Edwards tried to block Keselowski, triggering a flipping crash.
   
   

   Don't mess with Carl Edwards (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
   

   "It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts," Keselowski said.
    "The  ball is in their court. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands.
   "It's not cool to intentionally wreck somebody at 195 mph."
     Edwards, the nine-time winner in 2008 but still winless since, had been gracious after Sunday's first run-in: "I saw Brad down there, and I thought he would give me room," Edwards said.
   "That's his call, to give room or keep his nose in there. I really thought it was his fault, but that reply doesn't show it.
    "But Brad never gives me any room.
     "We were on the restart, and I was going for the bottom.  I knew Brad was peeking inside, but I thought he'd give me just a little bit of room and he didn't, and we ended up overlapping.
     "I had it saved, and I got into Joey Logano at the very top of the race track.
      "It's so frustrating for a number of reasons, most of which is that I love racing here.
     "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."
    Edwards didn't seem quite as apologetic after the second incident as after the first: "Brad knows the deal with him and I. The scary part is his car got airborne, which was not good.
    "At the end of the day we come out here to race, and people have to have respect for each other.
   "I have a lot of respect for people's safety...and I wish that hadn't gone as it did.
   "I'm glad he's okay; we'll go on and race some more. And hopefully we won't have any more incidents together."

  Brad Keselowski: Young and aggressive (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  

   

   

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