Edwards-Keselowski flap is what NASCAR must contain

HAMPTON, Ga. -- The "Have at it Boys" era was officially born Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski is a bit shaken up after going on a wild ride. (AP)

When NASCAR decided to let drivers decide things among themselves the sanctioning body had to know there would be races like the Kobalt Tools 500.

The dust-up between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski certainly proved that and now the question becomes how far will NASCAR let drivers actually go.

Edwards' blatant retaliation against Keselowski, whether for incidents from the duo's past or an earlier race tangle that thwarted any chance for the No. 99 car to be competitive, nearly ended in disaster. Keselowski's car sailed into the air and hit the wall upside down after Edwards clipped the rear end of the No. 12 Penske Dodge.

"Just a wild ride that was uncalled for," said Keselowski, who thankfully was uninjured. "That's not cool. He could have killed someone in the grandstands. ... It's not cool to intentionally wreck someone at 195 mph."

Edwards, who was summoned to the NASCAR hauler after the accident, said he didn't intend for his move to have such a frightening outcome.

"That was not what I was expecting," Edwards said. "Everybody knows the history between me and Brad. People have to respect each other. I wish that didn't happen the way it did."

Having rivalries is a good thing for NASCAR and such bad blood will definitely raise the intensity level both on the track and in the stands.

But there has to be a line and when NASCAR announced it would use more of a hands-off policy this year, many wondered where it would be drawn.

Sunday's spectacular crash may be the answer to that question.

The fast five

After a bit of a stormy beginning, there were some who questioned whether the pairing of Kurt Busch and new crew chief Steve Addington was the right move by team owner Roger Penske. Busch's win Sunday should prove that bringing in the veteran head wrench was indeed a solid decision and the Penske team overall appears to have benefitted from Addington's arrival. Keselowski's strong run before it ended in the outside wall and Sam Hornish Jr.'s early race flashes were encouraging signs that the only Dodge team in the Sprint Cup garage has the potential to be a force in 2010.

Goodyear has been pretty solid in providing teams with competent and competitive tires in the last several months, but that might not have been the case Sunday in Atlanta. Multiple tire issues plagued several good teams, and it didn't appear any one reason was the cause. The problems struck left fronts as well as right rears and despite a recent Goodyear test at Atlanta the rubber didn't seem to be right for Sunday's race, which turned into a fight for survival by many.

Speaking of new crew chief combinations, Jack Roush's move to replace Drew Blickensderfer with Todd Parrott paid off again Sunday with Matt Kenseth notching a runner-up finish behind Busch. In typical Kenseth fashion, the 17 car wasn't the best machine on the track until it mattered most. Kenseth's performance was the latest in a string of recent solid outings for the entire RFR organization.

However the buzzards are circling around some drivers who are struggling in the early going. That disappointing group includes David Ragan, David Reutimann, Edwards and even Kyle Busch, who saw his car fall off big time as Sunday's race wore on. As each week passes, the noose tightens just a bit more around drivers who know it's all about making the Chase and that opportunities lost to score points now could easily come back to haunt them come September.

Attendance was estimated in the 75K area and whether that's enough to keep Atlanta as a two-race Sprint Cup track remains to be seen. Kentucky Speedway's date in 2011 has to come from somewhere and AMS is again squarely in the sights, although even a sell-out Sunday may not have been enough to prevent a weekend being harvested from the Georgia track.

Speed sounds

"We weren't very good." -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Goodyear's got some work to do. It's a safety situation." -- Ryan Newman

"I was cutting him some slack because I knew he was angry, but I guess it wasn't enough slack, and he about killed me." -- Brad Keselowski

"Brad knows the deal between him and I." -- Carl Edwards

Downshifting

Jimmie Johnson -- Uncharacteristic pit-road problems and contact with Ryan Newman late in the race derailed the 48 team's chance at a third straight win.

Mark Martin -- Was never in contention as he sunk to the back of the field in the early going and was another of the Hendrick-related brigade who suffered from mysterious tire issues all day. Then to add insult to injury, Martin was swept up in the second overtime start's big pile-up.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Started from the pole for the first time in nearly two years with the fastest lap in the history of the COT. Then fell out of contention just as quickly with loose wheel problems, tire issues and bad pit work, handing Junior a 15th-place finish.

Charging ahead

Kevin Harvick -- Kept the Sprint Cup Series point lead with fantastic work by crew chief Gil Martin and his team to adjust his ill-handling car and drove the No. 29 Chevy home to a ninth-place finish.

Paul Menard -- Keeps improving every week and notched a career-best Sprint Cup finish of fifth with veteran crew chief Slugger Labbe providing some much-needed stability and guidance.

Scott Speed -- Continued his early season prowess with another impressive day, coming in 10th.

Sneak peek

The first of the season's four off weekends is on tap as we all Spring ahead before the Sprint Cup Series returns to action at Bristol Motor Speedway on Match 21st.