Carl Edwards Not Popular At Roush
Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth Appear to Have Fard feelings
When Carl Edwards first appeared on the NASCAR Nextel Cup scene, he was this happy-go-lucky kid who just seemed ever so thrilled to live the NASCAR life.
And to this day, he attempts to portray that same demeanor. But Carl Edwards is human; therefore, he has an ugly side and we have all witnessed it.
Last year, we saw the happy-go-lucky driver lose his cool on several occasions, most notably at Pocono when he threatened to make Tony Stewart bleed following an incident caused by Stewart that took out Edwards and fellow driver Clint Bowyer. Edwards took out his frustration as he spun Stewart on pit road. A couple of weeks later, Edwards received a bump from Dale Earnhardt Jr during a Busch Series race, which clearly enraged the young driver. He sped up pit road and rammed into the side of Earnhardt Jr’s car during the caution. In victory lane, Edwards paid Earnhardt Jr a visit, and it was not to offer his congratulations.
Edwards seemed more content this season as he has won three races, and easily qualified for the Chase for the Championship. However, he could no longer suppress his frustration towards his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, as their little tiff reached a boiling point Sunday at Martinsville.
By now, most NASCAR fans have seen the video in which Edwards boorishly pulls Kenseth away from a television interview with SPEED’s Bob Dilner. Following their wrangle, Edwards drew back as if he was going to punch Kenseth, causing the 2003 champion to flinch. Since then, dissension within the Roush Fenway Racing organization has become public.
On Monday, Greg Biffle, a teammate to both Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards, pulled no punches when discussing the incident, and clearly sided with Kenseth.
"You would expect that Carl would figure if he drives like that, somebody is going to race him the same way, especially a team mate. So, in the next corner...Matt just bumped the back of him and he lost two or three spots back to where he was…I think the true colors (of Carl Edwards) are coming out there…it doesn't look good to all the people wearing the No. 99 and the Carl Edwards t-shirts.”
Based on Biffle’s comments, Matt Kenseth is not the only Roush Fenway driver that has been rubbed the wrong way by Edwards. Nevertheless, Edwards vows to become a better teammate.
“We don’t know one another well enough,” Edwards said. “And it’s my opinion that what has precipitated this stuff is that lack of communication. So if it’s, you know, irreconcilable, it won’t be because I’m not trying. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to understand Matt, and be good teammates so we can enjoy the success that the people who are doing that are enjoying right now.”
He also stated that he may not be receiving the respect that he deserves.
“I’ve won three races this year in the Nextel Cup Series. When I win, people call and congratulate and people are happy for me. It’s just the wrong people,” he said. “I’ve got Jimmie Johnson calling me every time I win to say good job. And my teammates aren’t the ones doing that. And I’m just as guilty. I haven’t been as happy for their successes as I could be. We just need to have a little bit more team spirit.”
If that is true, then Edwards is not fully to blame. It should be an unwritten rule to congratulate your teammate if they win. If not call, at least send the man a text message.
Matt Kenseth offered his opinion regarding the incident, and like Biffle, he believes that Edwards is not the nice-guy that he portrays himself to be.
"His behavior has been real erratic lately, honestly," said Kenseth. "You don't know what to expect with him. That's the thing that's a little bit troublesome. One minute, he has so much respect for you, and he's real friendly and everything's so much fun. The next minute he wants to kick your butt and he's swearing at you. It's a little scary. You never know what you're going to get…I thought it was good in a way that the cameras were there because a lot of us see that, and nobody else does because he kind of puts on a different front."
It is unfortunate that Kenseth and Edwards have such a personality conflict. Right now, they are the two drivers carrying not only the Roush Fenway Racing banner, but the entire Ford Racing banner. Together, they have the potential to become the one-two punch that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have become. But that will never happen unless they learn to like each other.
Edwards will probably hear the boo-birds at Atlanta this weekend, but remember that he is human, and everyone loses their cool at times. Sure, the criticism would not be as abundant if Edwards didn’t lay on the nice-guy role so thick, but still, as Darrell Waltrip said, “when guys get upset, and they show it on TV, that's just NASCAR”.
And hey, it has given us all something to talk about this week other than the Hendrick Motorsports dominance.
