About 10 yards from where Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed a half-dozen reporters in an Indianapolis Motor Speedway hospitality chalet, Carl Edwards waded into a scrum of about three dozen.
Carl Edwards, right, talks with Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, center, and Jeff Burton during Friday practice for the Brickyard 400.
The Roush Fenway Racing driver ducked under a few cameras, slid into a chair and smiled broadly.
"Did you guys see the race last week?" Edwards asked, bringing down the house with laughter.
As NASCAR began the weekend for a race many consider the second-biggest and at a track that is the world's most famous, the focus wasn't on all the rich history of the Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Edwards' feud with Brad Keselowski remained center stage Friday as a bevy of Sprint Cup drivers tried to hash out where NASCAR's "Boys, have at it" policy stands after the punishment meted out following the slam-bang ending to Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway.
Edwards was docked 60 points and put on probation through the end of the season for spinning Keselowski into the wall for a victory. Keselowski received probation for initiating the contact with Edwards through a last-lap bump.
It's become a lightning-rod issue on an ESPN highlight loop that has fans vehemently choosing up sides while flocking to talk radio and Internet message boards, but one of the principals apparently found a way to remain isolated.
"I don't hear the public outcry," Edwards said in his first interview since the penalties. "I went home and had a really good week. I rode my bike and hung out with my daughter and my family, and, to a person, every single person that talked to me personally thought it was the right outcome for the race."
Click here to continue reading.
SOURCE: USA Today
Nate Ryan
Comments |  RSS |
|
