NASCAR needs to control on-going Edwards-Keselowski feud

Autoracing Betting Lines

03/08/2010 - Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prior to the start of the 2010 season, NASCAR essentially told Sprint Cup Series drivers, "Boys, have at it and have a good time." Perhaps NASCAR should redefine its new rules on allowing more on-track freedom for drivers, following Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski's frightful incident in the closing laps of Sunday's race at Atlanta.

Keselowski got his bell rung when Edwards intentionally bumped him from behind and sent his No.12 Penske Dodge flying upside down into the wall along the frontstretch at the fast 1.54-mile track.

Edwards was more than 150 laps behind at the time of the crash, due to a previous encounter with Keselowski earlier in the race. Keselowski clipped Edwards and shot him up to the track before he made contact with Joey Logano and then slammed into the wall.

Obviously, it was payback time for Edwards, after he spent most of the race in the garage for repairs on his Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Keselowski was not injured during his spectacular crash, but appeared to be a bit dazed and confused when he exited his battered car under his own power.

"It's one thing to race somebody hard and to get into an accident," Keselowski said. "When you're going for position, it's another to intentionally wreck somebody doing 195 m.p.h. at a track like this."

NASCAR immediately took action when they parked Edwards for the remainder of the event and ordered him to the hauler for a not-so-pleasant discussion with race officials.

"I think we probably won't have as many run-ins now as we had in the past, and that's a good thing," Edwards said. "Both of us probably will be better off."

Right now, NASCAR faces a dilemma on how to handle the latest in the on-going feud between Edwards and Keselowski. The sanctioning body currently is reviewing the episode between the two drivers, and could hand down hefty penalties if warranted.

"I would say that there seems to be a history between the two drivers, and I'm not going any further on it right now," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said after the race.

The feud between the two began last April when Keselowski hit Edwards from behind on the final lap at Talladega. While Keselowski drove on to his first Sprint Cup victory, Edwards' car spun and then sailed into the safety fence along the frontstretch. Eight race fans sustained minor injuries after being struck by debris from his car.

Later in the season, both drivers tangled in a Nationwide Series race at Memphis, with Keselowski turning Edwards around in the closing laps.

Keselowski has a reputation among fellow competitors as being an overly aggressive driver. Denny Hamlin certainly would agree with that assertion, after the two engaged in a heated rivalry during the final Nationwide races last season. Keselowski spun Hamlin at Phoenix, and Hamlin retaliated with a bump from behind the following week in the season-finale at Homestead.

While the Hamlin-Keselowski rivalry has simmered for the time being, the feud between Edwards and Keselowski has reached a boiling point. Edwards counter- attack at Atlanta could have produced devastating consequences.

So, should NASCAR suspend Edwards at least one race for his premeditated action against Keselowski? Probably so. Will they? Probably not. If Edwards is suspended, it would be a huge blow towards his chances of making the championship Chase in the fall.

Suspensions are not common in NASCAR's top circuit. Only two Cup drivers have been suspended for a race in the past decade. Kevin Harvick sat out the spring race at Martinsville one day after he was parked for rough driving in the truck race there. NASCAR grounded Robby Gordon for the August 2007 race at Pocono following his on-track altercation with Marcos Ambrose in the inaugural Nationwide event at Montreal.

Even though NASCAR adopted a more hands-off policy this year, Edwards crossed the line at Atlanta, and he should be punished.

It's time for NASCAR to take the appropriate action.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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