Edwards called to principal’s office: ‘Have at it’ policy quickly put to test

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The boys sure backed NASCAR into a corner on this one.

Determined to give drivers more leeway this season when it came to policing each other on the track, NASCAR opened the year with a relaxed “boys, have at it” attitude. It was interpreted to mean NASCAR would look the other way at a nudge here, a spin there, and all the retaliatory bumping and banging that goes on over a long season.

No one could have predicted, though, that NASCAR’s first true test would come a mere four races into the season following a frightening accident at Atlanta.

NASCAR on Monday found itself smack in the center of a dilemma over what to do with Carl Edwards, whose intentional wrecking of Brad Keselowski late in Sunday’s race ignited a heated debate about just what’s permitted under this new policy.

Emotions are high in every corner, and no decision NASCAR makes will satisfy everyone.

What first must be figured out, though, is what is everyone is so upset about?

Is it that Edwards returned to the track down 153 laps, intent on retaliating against Keselowski, and after trying for at least one full lap, finally succeeded with a deliberate nudge?

Is it that the high-speed contact sent Keselowski airborne in a spectacular flip that could have caused serious harm to Keselowski or any number of fans in the grandstands?

Or, maybe, the issue is that NASCAR wasn’t properly prepared to deal with the ramifications of allowing drivers free rein on the race track.

All three are valid arguments.

First up is Edwards, who is on a long list of drivers who have been on the losing end of Keselowski’s aggressive charge into NASCAR’s top level.

Edwards’ most obvious run-in with Keselowski was on the final lap of last April’s race at Talladega, where Keselowski’s nudge sent Edwards flying into the fence in a wreck that some may argue was more frightening than Atlanta. But the two race against each other weekly in two series, and Edwards has hinted at a far deeper history with the unapologetic Keselowski.

So when early contact between the two knocked Edwards out Sunday, at a track where he’s won four times, he was ready for revenge. He 100 percent deliberately wrecked Keselowski and has so far been rather unrepentant about his action.