The Big One – or Two – at Phoenix

(By Sarah Farlee Managing Editor, CupScene.com)

Posted: Sunday,February 27th, 2011

Avondale, Ariz., - The first 67 laps ate up 23 cars at Phoenix International Raceway, the first short track – and second race – on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit Sunday.

The first incident on lap 59 involved pole sitter Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Edwards made contact with Kyle Busch forcing Edwards down to the inside of the track kicking up dirt and sending parts of the racecar dropping onto the track and sent Edwards into the wall and making contact with Jeff Gordon spurring a chain reaction.

AVONDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 27: Crew members work on the car of Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Subway Ford, after crashing during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on February 27, 2011 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Edwards wasn’t exactly sure what happened and said a conversation with Busch was in order.

“I thought at first he was just frustrated and he turned left to get back in line and he didn’t know I was there, but I watched the tape and I think he really did get loose,” said Edwards. “He hit me hard and I was left with nothing. I got rammed to the infield.”

“If I would have turned right, I don’t think I could have made the corner to clear that curb, so that’s just the way it is,” added Edwards, who started on the pole. 

The chain reaction behind Gordon and Edwards caused Kevin Harvick to spin, but Harvick managed to keep from hitting anything. Gordon and Harvick both returned to the track for the restart.

It was on that restart when more carnage would ensue. The second incident involved Brian Vickers getting sideways after slight contact with Matt Kenseth as the two raced side by side heading into the corner. The spin gathered up David Reutimann, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Robby Gordon, Casey Mears, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, David Gilliland, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Andy Lally, Regan Smith and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“We were a couple rows back from it and I saw somebody get sideways way up by the wall,” said Kvapil, who had significant damage and was towed to the garage. “Everybody checked up and I thought I had it cleared and somebody came from the infield and just KO’d me in the left rear and went around for the ride and hit the walal pretty hard on the inside.”

Bowyer felt “embarrassed” to be sitting in the garage so early in the race.

“They were driving like it was the last lap,” said Bowyer. “Man, if we keep this up we’ll only about four cars to end all these races.”

“I have no idea what happened,” Bowyer added. “Everybody was checked-up all over the place and running into the back of us and we got crashed. But it’s just stupid. To be racing this hard this early in a race; we’re all smarter than this.”

Vickers, who instigated the melee, felt “door slammed” by Kenseth.

“Everyone is racing hard and everyone wants to race hard and do well,” said Vickers. “It was unnecessary this early in the race.”

Vickers may have thought it was unnecessary, but McMurray felt it was a product of racing strategy.

“You had guys on new tires, some of them two, some of them four,” McMurray said. “Normally at Phoenix we get long runs and it kind of settles in. With the way the cautions the way they fell, everybody was on different strategies.”

“There were guys at the front that weren’t quite as quick as guys at the rear,” added McMurray. “There is nothing you can do about. It is so early you didn’t even really break a sweat. It is frustrating but there is not a lot you can do about it.”

Burton was involved in both incidents, but the second forced a retreat to the garage with major damage. Burton said if people were wrecking then racing may be considered to aggressive, however, the veteran driver was quick to not place blame on any one driver.

“I am not pointing the finger at anybody,” said Burton. “We all race. It is early in the year and everybody is trying to get what they.”

“Certainly if people are wrecking then it is too aggressive,” Burton added. “There is no question about that. I can’t control other people. I can only control us.”

Ragan was able to get back on the track – as were most involved in the incidents – but the day was completely over after a blown right front tire sent Ragan hard into the wall on the frontstretch bringing out the sixth caution on lap 127.

“We got caught up in that big wreck on the back straightaway and our UPS team did a great job of getting our car back out,” said Ragan. “We stayed on the lead lap and we were going to be able to make something out of the day, and then we just cut a right-front tire.”

“We were probably within 10 or 15 laps of pitting and I don’t know if we ran over something or something was rubbing, but we were just riding around and the right-front went down,” Ragan added.

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