There might be a lot of mutual respect between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski today but the two were not friends back in 2010. Edwards was responsible for one of Keselowski’s worst crashes ever and vice versa. Speaking about the incident in Atlanta in 2010, the former Cup Series driver expressed his regret for his role in endangering the life of a fellow competitor.
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It all started at Talladega in 2009 when Keselowski’s Dodge made contact with Edwards’s Mustang. The latter was sent flying and crashing through the huge steel barriers that separated fans from the track. Several fans suffered injuries including a 17-year-old girl who was knocked out by a flying piece of debris. NASCAR swiftly took action and banned bump-drafting but changed it shortly afterward.
It did not take Edwards long to exact revenge. In the following season’s race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Keselowski once again made contact with the #99 and sent him into the wall. The then-Roush Fenway Racing driver was furious and he deliberately made contact with the #12, sending him flying in a similar way that he did. However, he was not happy about it in hindsight.
“This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my career. Pulled back in my garage, go back out, and think, “Oh, I’m gonna wreck him.” When I looked in my mirror and saw this, it was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen,” the 45-year-old said.
Edwards was apologetic right after the Atlanta wreck
There was a lot of venom between the two drivers but Edwards had realized the gravity of his mistake soon after he committed it. There is a difference between hard racing and wrecking someone that way intentionally. NASCAR suspended him for three races and no one argued the sanctioning body’s decision. The then-Roush racer learned an important lesson in patience that day.
“At the end of the day, we’re out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people’s safety. I wish it wouldn’t have gone like it did, but I’m glad he’s OK and we’ll just go on and race some more and maybe him and I won’t get in any more incidents together,” he had said at the time.
It is no secret that safety is the most important thing in motorsports. NASCAR is known for its aggressive racing style but if a driver intentionally wrecks someone in a way that could compromise their well-being, then that is a problem. It’s one of the few things a young race car driver should not pick up from Edwards’s racing career.
