CASPER
New member
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Sticking with its "boys, have at it" attitude, NASCAR placed Carl Edwards on three-race probation Tuesday for his deliberate wreck with Brad Keselowski in last weekend's race at Atlanta.
The punishment means Edwards will still be able to race in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, but will be monitored by NASCAR through the April 10 race at Phoenix.
NASCAR president Mike Helton said Edwards' action Sunday at Atlanta was "not acceptable," but did not cross the line in what the sanctioning body will allow this season. NASCAR vowed in January to give the drivers more leeway in policing themselves and settling their own scores in an effort to re-energize the sport through more emotion.
"We made it very clear to (Edwards) that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers," Helton said. "We believe (Edwards) understands our position at this point."
There had been a strong call from fans and analysts for NASCAR to suspend Edwards, who returned to the track down 153 laps from an earlier accident with Keselowski intent on wrecking his car. He tried for at least one lap before succeeding with three laps to go, giving Keselowski a nudge that sent his car airborne. It banged hood-first off a retaining wall before flipping back onto its wheels. No one was hurt.
Helton said NASCAR is standing behind its "have at it" attitude.
"The clear message, I think, we sent in January was that we were willing to put more responsibility in the hands of the driver," he said. "But there is a line you can cross and we'll step in to maintain law and order when we think that line's crossed."