Image by Roger Smith via Flickr
I'm not a NASCAR fan by any stretch of the imagination. But it's tough to avoid watching NASCAR highlights when you watch SportsCenter. Last weekend, near the conclusion of a Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Speedway, Carl Edwards intentionally shoved Brad Keselowski into the wall as the two battled for first place. Keselowski's car slammed into the wall, spun out, and was violently struck by several other oncoming cars. Just to put the crash into perspective, prior to the crash, earlier in the same lap, Keselowski nudged Edwards' car to take the lead. It was a slight bump and Edwards lost his lead, but was able to recover and remain close enough to pull this stunt off at the end of the race. For those of you who have not seen the crash, click here. Skip to about the 2:10 mark where the action picks up.
I've done some light reading on the culture of bumping and ramming other cars in NASCAR. Basically, NASCAR allows drivers to get a little frisky and letting "boys have at it." And I understand that the justification, in part, for aggressive racing is the need to separate yourself from the pack; cars are so similar today with everyone driving the most advanced, powerful machines available; teams and crews are so talented and skilled at what they do. From a sport perspective, I understand it.
But events like this make you consider the sport's culture. Perhaps this is too much. While cars are built to take this sort of punishment, technology inevitably fails. And when it does, a fragile life is in the driver seat. NASCAR has seen in-race deaths before, most notably, the death of racing icon Dale Earnhardt. Is it going to take another tragedy to force NASCAR to usher in some change? Certainly the Earnhardt death was a catalyst for change as it prompted new safety regulations. But you hate to see NASCAR so obstinate in its ways. Why not take a preemptive approach?
NASCAR ended up penalizing both drivers involved in the incident. Edwards was fined, placed on probation, and docked points in the standings. But I don't know if that is enough. If you listened to the interview of Edwards at the end of the race, it sounds like he's willing to push the limit to win. By any means necessary. What about vehicular manslaughter, Mr. Edwards? Will winning justify that? No chance in hell. NASCAR needs to protect its drivers (really, their employees), the families involved, and even the fans. Suspensions for actions like these need to be severe. They should have taken Edwards and made an example out of him by suspending him from all races for the remainder of the racing season. But they lost their chance and I hope nothing happens that would make them regret that.
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