I'm sorry, but NASCAR just went from being a fringe sport on my radar, to a complete and utter joke.
After Carl Edwards intentionally crashed Brad Keselowski in Atlanta, NASCAR came down with a "punishment" of a three-race probation.
What does that mean? It means Edwards can still race, and all he has to do is not play dirty in any of those races. Who cares? Not Edwards. He'll still make his money, still profit from merchandise sales, and he'll still feel like he did the right thing by "policing" the race himself.
The last time I saw an intentional attack on someone was Todd Bertuzzi in the NHL. Bertuzzi sucker punched Steve Moore from behind fracturing vertebrae in Moore's neck. What happened? Bertuzzi was given an indefinate suspension, which ended up costing him $500,000 in salary, the team was fined $250,000, Bertuzzi was sued, and he missed the remainder of the season and playoffs.
This is the same type of situation people. Carl Edwards meant to attack Keselowski. He might not have meant to hurt him, but face it, Bertuzzi didn't enter his incident planning to break Moore's neck, he wanted to send a message. The same thing Edwards intended to do.
NASCAR has proved again with this ridiculous ruling and the dangerous standard it has set, that it does not belong in the rhealm of major sports. NASCAR belongs in a class with the WWE, a spectacle, not a sport.
Carl Edwards deserved to be suspended for his actions. He should not be racing. He should be losing money, not making it. Instead, it is a glorified publicity stunt for all involved. NASCAR gets more promotion, Edwards gets more promotion, and everyone goes home happy.
When NASCAR promised to allow drivers to police themselves and settle scores on the track to energize their "sport," all they did was sign the death warrant for a driver to be named later, whether it be in two weeks, two months, or two years.
Wake up NASCAR, your "ruling" on Carl Edwards was a joke and your entire organization is a joke. Probation? You might as well give Carl Edwards a pat on the back and tell him he did a great job "policing" your sport. Something the brains at NASCAR obviously have no idea how to do.
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agreed 100 percent ... i think the fact that Keselowski walked away from the crash made things really easy for the Nascar brass to make this decision ... had a driver(or even worse, a spectator) been seriously hurt by this foolish act by Edwards, everyone would be busting down the boardroom door urging the higher-ups to stiffen their punishment on the driver responsible. Sadly, we're left with the 'have at it, boys' attitude set forth by the president of Nascar himself until something worse happens.
ReplyDeleteOnce again NASCAR Executives have demonstrated their inability to properly manage and provide leadership within the sport. They continue to make decisions that are inconsistent with past similar incidents. Edwards should have been parked similar to that of Kevin Harvick in past years. Very disappointing has a fan....!!
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