LONG POND, Pa. — Carl Edwards chose not to make a substantive comment on the suspension levied against Kurt Busch on Monday, but he had something to say about race car drivers in general.
In an oblique reference to Busch, who was punished for a contentious verbal exchange with a reporter after Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Dover, Edwards was asked if he ever worried about possible harm from a driver who took his anger issues to the racetrack.
“Have you ever seen me race when I’m pissed off?” Edwards quipped. “We’re race car drivers, guys. We’re not manners teachers. We’re race car drivers. We don’t get through a race, much less a career, with any success by always being kind and always saying and doing the right things.
“We’re competitors. I can only speak for myself, but sometimes it’s difficult to remember that you’re on television, and they’re a lot of different people watching, and you have to control yourself. I can’t think of a guy who hasn’t had an incident where they’ve kind of forgotten that.”
From NASCAR’s point of view, Busch has forgotten it too often. He was on probation for a May 12 incident at Darlington, where Busch accelerated through Ryan Newman’s pit box while crewmen were still working there.
In addition to a 10-day suspension under which Busch will miss Sunday’s race at Pocono, NASCAR also extended his probation through the end of the year.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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