Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch Tangle At Bristol
Casey Mears Will Drive For Richard Childress Racing
Aug 25, 2008
In the waning laps of the Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Carl Edwards nudged Kyle Busch en route to his sixth victory of the season. Edwards and Busch are unarguably the two top drivers in 2008, and the championship will likely become a duel between the two young drivers.
Following the race, Kyle Busch slightly rubbed against Edwards in an attempt to show his discontentment. Edwards hastily swerved into Busch, and spun him out.
“He hit me going into Turn 1. Whatever. Carl’s going to say he’s sorry, that he didn’t want to race that way, but he always does that. We’ll take it, we’ll got on and we’ll race him that way in the Chase if that’s the way he wants to race,” said Busch.
Edwards offered no apologies for the Intimidator-like bump ‘n’ run. “It was one of those deals where I couldn’t get by him, and I just had to ask myself, “Would he do that to me?’ And he has before, so that’s the way it goes.”
Edwards even hinted that a bitter rivalry could be on the horizon. He said, “They keep talking about rivalries. We might have one now.”
Edwards and Busch are two of the more assertive drivers in NASCAR, and as much as the two drivers have been running up front and battling for wins, this incident was inevitable. Edwards’ bump was intentional, but it was not dirty, and the same tactic has become legendary at Bristol.
Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth have utilized the chrome horn in order to win a race, or gain a position. Kyle Busch’s frustration was understandable, but he has frustrated other drivers throughout his career.
Clint Bowyer finished seventh at Bristol; therefore, he replaced Kasey Kahne in the top twelve in the championship standings. Kahne finished 40th after he was involved in a multi-car melee early in the race. He trails Bowyer by 56 points, as his championship hopes continue to diminish.
Speaking of Bowyer, he seemed to receive a raw deal with the addition of Casey Mears to the Richard Childress Racing stables. Mears will take over driving duties of the 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet in 2009, and the points that Bowyer earns this season will stay with the 07 team. Bowyer will begin the 2009 season outside of the top 35, and must qualify on time. It seems unfair, but Childress may have a plan in mind to guarantee both Mears and Bowyer a spot in the top 35.
Quote of the week
Clint Bowyer on Michael Waltrip following a multi-car incident
“Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in NASCAR.”
