Racing News Digest

Oh boy. Carl Edwards won the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway but he didn’t do it gracefully. On the final lap in drag race to the finish line Carl Edwards but his front bumper into the Brad Keselowski’s rear quarter panel intentionally sending him into the outside wall, then he came back across the track slamming into the the inside wall. Just when it looked like it was over and another car slammed into Brad demolishing his car.

As Carl Edwards skated over the finish line.

And Carl was honest. He said there was no way that he could let Brad Keselowski take the win.

“I just couldn’t let him take the win from me,” said Edwards, who drew a three-race probation in March for unabashedly turning Keselowski in a Sprint Cup race at Atlanta, with the unintended consequence of sending the No. 12 Dodge upside-down into the frontstretch wall. “My guys work way too hard for that.

“We had a great restart. My guys built me a great car. We came to the checkered flag, and I hate to see stuff tore up, but we came here to win and he took it from us there in Turn 1. Just an awesome race. … I’m sure some of them don’t like that win — Brad Keselowski fans and stuff — but, man, I just couldn’t let him take it from me. I had to do what I had to do.”

And what did Keselowski think?

“He turned left into me and wrecked me on purpose,” Keselowski said. “I gave him the lane, and he still wrecked me. … I figured out a way to beat him. He wasn’t happy with me, so he wrecked me. Wrecking down the straightaway is never cool, whether it’s at 200 mph or 120. I’m sorry that’s the way it had to end.”

And Brad’s father says Carl tried to kill him.

“Brad got into Carl getting out of Turn 1 — racing — they bumped, they rubbed, typical rubbing-racing deal,” Bob Keselowski said. “Carl flipped out like he did at Atlanta and tried to kill the kid. I’m sick and tired of this. I’ll get my own damn uniform back on and take care of this. He ain’t going to kill my boy.”

“He just overreacted so bad. If he wanted to bump Brad, it’s one thing. But don’t drive him through the inside guardrail. Don’t put him in the grandstands at Atlanta. That’s asinine.”

I am the one who is all for NASCAR’s letting they drivers race and trying to stay out of that. But this, well, I think it was over the line. I am kind of torn because I really like NASCAR’s attempt at trying to stay out these drivers business, but on the other hand a lot of cars got damaged and Brad could have been seriously hurt due to Carl’s temper tantrum.

Now what led up to this? Well for a great number of laps Carl and Brad were racing side by side. I kept telling my wife “watch out, this could get ugly” but it didn’t. They raced each other good. Then with just a couple laps left, Brad Keselowski missed his marks or maybe he intentionally went a little high with Carl on the outside. Brad couldn’t hold onto it and got into the back of a Carl Edwards….a little. I didn’t see that as intentional when I was watching it.

But this caused Carl to have to drop back as Brad Keselowski too the lead. Guess this ticked Carl Edwards off a little as he decided to purposely wreck Brad Keselowski.

I have the video’s posted in here. What do you think? Should NASCAR get involved with this one? Or should they just keep back and let the drivers race and police themselves.?

Here is my opinion. It won’t matter if NASCAR does something. Brad will retaliate the first chance he gets. And maybe he should. Then Carl will be all mad again and he will do something.

The Carl and Brad show continues.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

UNOFFICIAL STANDINGS

VISIT OUR Gateway International Raceway Page – Full Details And Stats
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
The Place: Gateway International Raceway (1.25-mile oval)
The Date: Saturday, July 17
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
The Distance: 250 miles / 200 laps
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio(Local-KFNS-FM 100.7)
2009 Winner: Kyle Busch
2009 Pole Winner: Brad Keselowski

Qualifying Fast Facts

Coors Light Pole Winner: Trevor Bayne
Age: 19
Team : No. 99 – Out! Pet Care Toyota
Owner: Michael Waltrip
Crew Chief: Jerry Baxter
Trevor Bayne won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 with a lap of 33.691 seconds, 133.567 mph.
This is his second pole in 34 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and eighth top-10 start in 2010.
This is his first pole in two races at Gateway International Raceway.
Colin Braun (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2010 and his first in one races at Gateway International Raceway.
Brad Keselowski (third) posted his second top-10 start at Gateway International Raceway. It is his 12th in 19 races this season.
Colin Braun (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Gateway International Raceway (1.25-mile oval)
Races: 13
Pole Winners: 11
Youngest Pole Winner: Casey Atwood (07/31/1999 – 18 years, 11 months, 6 days)
Oldest Pole Winner: Randy LaJoie (07/20/2002 – 40 years, 10 months, 22 days)
Race Winners: 9
Youngest Winner: Reed Sorenson (07/30/2005 – 19 years, 5 months, 25 days)
Oldest Winner: Greg Biffle (07/20/2002 – 32 years, 6 months, 27 days)
Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 1
Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Martin Truex Jr (05/08/2004)
Race Record: Carl Edwards 119.142mph (07/29/2006)
Qualifying Record: Brad Keselowski 135.714mph (07/18/2009)

WEATHER
Should be about 90 and rain free.

QUALIFYING ORDER FOR THIS WEEKENDS RACE AT Gateway International Raceway

David Reutimann led 52 laps of the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway to grab his second career Sprint Cup victory. It was emotional for Reutimann and his Crew Chief Rodney Childers. They felt this was the first true win they had after Reutimann’s first victory came in last years rain shortened Coca-Cola 600.

“There was no rain [Saturday night],” Reutimann said in Victory Lane. “We earned this one. Nobody gave it to us, and that feels really good.”

“[Saturday night] we earned it, and it’s a total team effort,” Reutimann said. “Everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing did a phenomenal job. I don’t even know what to say. You think about these moments all your life, and you think about all the right things to say.

“I’m about to cry — this is awesome.”

Reutimann recently just reached an agreement to race 3 more years for Michael Waltrip Racing.

POINTS WINNERS AND LOSERS

Well David Ruetimann had a good points day. He climbed +2 positions in the points to 15th. This has him -96 points out of the top 12.

Clint Bowyer had a good night finishing 4th and climbing up +2 positions in the points to 12th position.

Points leader Kevin Harvick had a rough night finishing 34th when his car had to temporarily go to the garage to a fuel pump changed out. Jeff Gordon, second in points, finished 3rd and was able take away over half of Harvick’s points lead over him. Harvick is now just 103 points ahead of Gordon.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 23rd causing him to drop -2 positions in the points to 13th, now sitting outside the top 12 by 15 points.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

UNOFFICIAL STANDINGS