Is Edwards Really to Blame for Last Lap Wreck?

Commentators were unsure, teams were angry, and fans were thrilled. After tonight's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway, even NASCAR is unsure of whether the last-lap incident was intentional or just hard racing.

It seems that tonight's altercation went beyond just NASCAR and its fans as Carl Edwards was the number one trending topic on twitter.com--which I personally have never seen. As I was reading tweets about Carl and the incident, I realized most people either felt that Edwards did what was within his limitations in regards to NASCAR's rules--or they felt that Edwards had inadvertant plans to kill Keselowski. Brad's father, Bob, felt that the latter was true. I believe that Brad's father and fans have no right to blame Carl. Bob Keselowski made the comment that Carl nearly put Brad into the grandstands in Atlanta--but what about Talladega when Carl literally had pieces of his car fly into the grandstands? If Bob Keselowski wants to preach about safety and "killing" other drivers, he may want to direct his comments towards his son, Brad, as well.

The fact that fans can casually make comments about a professional racecar driver wanting to kill another is preposterous. No one driver wants to kill a colleague. Do they want to win races? Of course! The point of being involved in one of the most watched racing series in the world is to win races and win championships. If Brad had been nose to bumper with Carl leading coming out of turn 4, he wouldn't have budged. He may have made an even more controversial move, if you can imagine what that would be like.


If anything, Brad came out of turn 4 hot and trying to get everything he could--so he slid up and the back of his car slid against the left front of Edward's nose, sending Keselowski sailing--and Edwards to the front. It was the end of the race, it was to be expected. But no fan, no commentator, no driver could have expected the brief race on the front-stretch to the checkered flag to be so divided and controversial.


Tonight's incident would have been minute if the incident had happened further back in the pack instead of being at the very front. I've heard people say that the hit Keselowski took was what made Carl's controversial move "bad." Was that not the exact case last fall at Talladega? Not only did Keselowski take Edwards out, Ryan Newman got the brunt of it as well. There were drivers who were innocent bystanders in tonights race which made the incident all the more "horrific," but don't forget about last fall. In my mind, last fall was more horrific, considering fans were injured in the process. Atlanta was between Edwards and Keselowski, and although that was pure pay-back for Talladega--the fact that no fans or other drivers were involved was a blessing.

The incident at Talladega left Edward fans

in shock, and others notice Keselowski.

I will admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Keselowski--and am quite the ed-head... but putting my personal feelings aside, I will say that I think Carl's last-lap move was half desperation to win, and half payback for Keselowski's nudge on the prior turn. Everyone knows of the prior Edward/Keselowski incidents--first at Talladega, and then payback at Atlanta. I believe that both drivers put their differences aside following the horrific accident at Atlanta where Edwards intentionally wrecked Keselowski and sent him into the air. Of course this was prior to the spoiler being re-introduced into NASCAR... but nonetheless both Edwards and Keselowski have been sent sailing into the air by one another.

Carl's move was a black or white move. There was no gray area in it. He abided by the rules put before him and then got scolded. If NASCAR penalizes him for the incident, they will be setting a horrible precedent for races to come. Dave Burns, Rusty Wallace, and Ricky Craven, the commentators in the booth for the Nationwide Race, were unsure of whether or not the incident would be perceived as NASCAR getting back to it's roots, or just dirty driving. Some may say that in the past, Carl has made some dirty moves--but what driver hasn't? Earnhardt was known for his "Intimidator" persona, and applauded for it. Guys like Stewart and Harvick are known for their no bull attitude on and off the track... but they all do it within NASCAR's ruling.


There is no doubt that Carl is not 100% right in every move he makes on the race track, but is it not obvious that neither is Brad? The Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway was definitely a race fans will remember, but if NASCAR were to deprive Edwards of the win or points, they would be going against everything they've been preaching since February; Pre-Daytona 500 and Pre-Budweiser Shootout. By letting the boys race, you're giving them free reigns to make last-minute decisive moves such as the one that was made tonight. NASCAR was made famous because of the 1979 Daytona 500 fight--and for all we know, tonight's drama could be the next big incident to publicize why NASCAR racing is as intense as it is. And as with all other sports--by Wednesday, Keselowski and Edwards could have buried the hatchet.

The opinions in this article are of the author and do not reflect upon Skirts & Scuffs or other contributors.
Photo Courtesy NASCAR.com, Sports Illustrated, and PitRoadScene.com

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Chris Henry Dies in Charlotte, NC at Age 26

The National Football League (NFL) is certainly not NASCAR--but they are tied in one sense. They are the two most watched sports series in the United States today. Today we are all mourning the sudden and tragic loss of Chris Henry. It is not contained to just Cincinnati Bengal's fans, or NFL fans--it is a sports community mourning that such talent would be lost at such a young age. Henry was only 26 years old, and after several run-in's with the law--had just begun to get his life in order. He was engaged and planning a wedding; had three beautiful, healthy children; and his career had begun to take off, until an arm fracture that occured early November against the Baltimore Ravens side-lined him. If it weren't for that hair-line fracture, Henry would have been in Cincinnati preparing for this Sunday's game against San Diego yesterday. He wouldn't have been in Charlotte, NC--specifically Oakdale--getting wedding plans together for the off-season. Isn't it ironic how something so small affected his short life so greatly?

NASCAR ties in with his passing more-so than most think.

I spoke with a friend last night who informed me that the medic's that picked Chris up from Peachtree Rd. in Charlotte, NC were race-fans. Something insignificant but it does show that no matter what specific type of sport is out there, they are intertwined at one point or another. Also, the simple fact that this horrific accident happened in Charlotte, NC--the hub of NASCAR--also proves that although there are boundaries between specific types of sports--You can't say that the path's will not cross.

Rest In Peace, Chris Henry.

You were such a talented individual.

The entire sports community mourns your death.

Chris Henry
1983-2009

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The opinions in this article are of the Author and do not reflect upon Skirts and Scuffs or other contributors.

Photo's courtesy of Cincinnati's WCPO Channel 9, and also Gregory Shamus with Getty Images.

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Will money give you a ride with a NASCAR Cup team?

Have you ever wondered how the young guys like Joey Logano, Landon Cassill, and Brad Coleman made it into NASCAR at such a young age? Or how they got in with teams who have great equipment? It's not rocket science to figure it out, but most fans don't see the business aspect of racing unless it's plastered on NASCAR.com or a silly-season website.

Money.

That's all it takes these days to get a Nationwide or Cup series start, it seems. Guys who are racing at their local short-tracks in their beat up late-models, making every feature and finishing top three every weekend are overlooked because of the kids with parents who are successful and willing to shell out whatever kind of money it takes to get their child into the spotlight.

Kyle Krisiloff's grandmother is Mari Hulman George--who definitely has some pull in the racing community. For those that don't know who Mari Hulman George is, she is the sole chairman and owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the home of the Indy 500 and also the Brickyard 400, two of the biggest races in motor sports.

There was speculation on how Krisiloff's poor performance in the Nationwide series got him a ride with one of NASCAR's most elite teams, Hendrick Motorsports. I'm not hinting that Krisiloff is not talented, but it takes a certain type of talent to race for one of the biggest dynasty's to ever be a part of NASCAR and Krisiloff did not show that talent. Mr. Hendrick had a driver developmental program in which he had signed three drivers to run in the Busch series(what is now the Nationwide series). Blake Feese and Boston Reid were the two other drivers signed to run a part-time schedule. After a season full of poor performance and mangled cars, Rick Hendrick decided to close down the program.

Yet another Hendrick Motorsport prodigy was brought into the stable at an early age and what seemed to be a bright career. Landon Cassill proved himself to be successful in series' below NASCAR, but to what degree? You flip on SPEED and see young men such as Parker Kligerman running without a sponsorship in the ARCA series but finishing second in the championship standings by five points, yes FIVE points! How do guys like Cassill get great equipment, sponsorship, and the support of a solid team and not capitalize--but guys such as Kligerman come into ARCA only planning to run a part-time schedule with limited sponsorship and end up contending for a championship? Yet again, the key word: money.

Earlier this season, Cassill and a few of his crew members went testing & during testing, Cassill apparently thought texting was more important than evaluating his runs and times. A friend of mine was at this test and said that it was a distraction for the team. Why would someone so young with such a fortunate opportunity ruin it with something so petty as texting? Probably because he was handed the opportunity.

Most race fans don't realize that these select drivers have parents putting in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just to keep up with their sons racing "needs." Whether it's paying a certain percentage of money to a team just to be able to test--or paying a fee to the owner to keep the cars in the shop & the mechanics tinkering on them each and every day. These things are kept on the down-low so that the owners and drivers are not being seen under a negative light.

Denny Hamlin is also a noteable mention. No, he did not grow up with a family who had the $750,000 home on a lake with a farm in Virginia. His lucky break came from racing in Dale Earnhardt Jr's infamous DMP. He raced alongside Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in this weekly exclusive invite-only online based series. He succeeded in this series and formed a bond with the two former Busch Series champions. Earnhardt Jr. saw potential in Hamlin and immediately mentioned his name to a few owners. Having the respect and recommendation of Earnhardt Jr, owners immediately took notice of the Virginia native. Hamlin had no money to earn his ride, but he had NASCAR's most popular driver's vote of confidence, which to owners is more than money itself considering Earnhardt Jr. is a brand of his own.

You can argue that good ol' racing talent will get you anywhere as long as you keep working hard--but without the support of Earnhardt Jr, Hamlin would still be running locally with maybe a few peeks at the ARCA Re/Max series.

I recently approached a friend of mine who runs in the ARCA Re/Max series full-time and subtly mentioned the fact that a lot of young drivers are getting their breaks because of wealthy parents or relatives. He agreed but also defended this "group" of people saying that they were only taking advantage of the opportunities they were given. Of course someone who belongs to this "group" would say that. I won't bad-mouth him, seeing as he is a friend, but it is common knowledge that not everyone in this world has the priviledge of having banks in their pockets. But there are plenty of young men and women around the United States who have more talent than some of the winningest drivers in the Cup series.

It's guys that came up through the dirt tracks and asphalt short-tracks on Saturday nights in the '90's and early 2000's that make NASCAR so grass-roots today. Drivers that are money-based usually fizzle out once the money well runs out, or their lack of talent is finally discovered and the team itself is coming up with a loss because of the numerous mangled cars in the shops each week. At the same time, drivers getting their "breaks" doesn't seem to be as common as it was for the Waltrip's, Wallaces', etc. The money-based drivers are swiftly replaced by another money-based driver--a never-ending cycle.

These days it's all about the family you were born into and how devoted to your passion they are. For the guys still busting their chops each and every day in the thousands of garage-turned-race-shop's across America, it's a one in a million chance you'll get your break. I applaud you and support you every Saturday night--but it's more than just your local short track followers that you have to prove your worth to. If this is to change, it's up to the fans to create awareness so that NASCAR will take notice and take action.

The opinions in this article are of the Author and do not reflect upon Skirts and Scuffs or other contributors.

Image courtesy of http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/

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RPM/Yates Engine Department & Merger

For my first post & "official" induction into S&S as a contributor, I'll keep it short.

It's been out there for awhile now, the merger that would happen as soon as the last hauler left Homestead in November. Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates--making RPM a Ford team instead of Dodge being the primary manufacturer. Not only will this pair up the boys of RPM with Yates sole-driver, Menard, it will also team up in the engine department. If you're a fan of the sport you've heard on several occasions about the Roush-Yates engines and how fantastic they are, but what about Richard Petty's engine department? They have had their fair-share of failures in 2009--most notably from Kahne who was usually running up front at the time. Impeccable timing, right?

I suppose what I'm getting at is simply whether or not this will affect Roush's performance? I do realize Ford motors are certainly not Dodge engines and vice-versa, but it is something to think about. Every team, no matter how stout the engine department, will have their woes mechanically. It's not always on the engine department itself, but on the company that manufactures the parts put into the engine. But it seems as though some engine departments have it together above others. Hendrick Motorsports is known for having the best of the best in their engine dept. RCR & Roush don't have too many engine failures, although there are the few that creep up on them that are inevitable, and then of course RPM motors that haven't been quite up to par with the other big teams in the sport.

To keep this short:
I believe that the engine department as a whole will benefit from the merger of these dynasty teams. RPM/Roush-Yates Engines will be on-par with Hendrick, or so I believe--meaning closer competition and (hopefully!) an exciting Chase in 2010. I'm personally not a fan of Jimmie Johnson, so I am hoping for Roush and RPM drivers to stick their nose into it come November '10. I would love to see under-dogs such as Menard, Allmendinger, and Sadler benefit tremendously and run up front next season. RPM/Roush-Yates Engine Dept will hopefully figure out what Toyota is doing specifically to create more horsepower & match that in the Ford motors. Chevy has obviously been able to pull out overall seasonally against Toyota the past few years (Johnson's back-to-back-to-back-to-back championships cover that span), and I'm hoping for an upset from Ford. It's been 5 years since Ford has won a championship & that was with former Roush driver Kurt Busch in the inaugural year of the Chase when only 10 drivers were permitted. I'm not a fan of Toyota so I'm thankful that they have yet to win a championship in the Cup series and that we can keep American Manufacturers on top, especially in this economy. Looking forward to 2010!

Only 2.5 more months until Daytona! I'm hoping we'll all be in for a surprise.





The opinions expressed in this post are those of the individual writer and may not reflect those of other contributors.

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