FLASHBACK TO 2009: Nas"karma": A History Of Racing Rivalries And Vigilante Justice

"What goes around comes back around, and sometimes smacks the wall."

These words were penned several years back by a very dear friend of mine who passed away soon afterward, well before his time to go. And I can only imagine what our post-race conversation would have been like had he lived to see his humorously-intentioned quote come to a frightening full-circle fruition during the final laps of the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 when driver Carl Edwards executed a near-deadly form of vigilante justice against longtime nemesis Brad Keselowski in response to an early-race crash that sent him to the garage for just shy of 200 laps.

By now just about everyone--whether or not they are fans of Nascar--has either seen exhaustive news coverage or online video of the accident in question, or otherwise been subjected to major speculation on the part of both the sport's loyal fan following and the mass media, in regards to who should ultimately receive blame for what happened, to what degree at all that Nascar shoudl have dealt with the situation, and even to the question of whether or not Nascar, relative to their recent "Have at it!" philosophy, is in part to blame for the extreme to which an angry and frustrated Edwards chose to issue a near-deadly dose of "get even."

Your writer stops here to state for the record that yes, I am an Edwards fan and have been so since his phenomenal 2005 rookie season, which coincided simultaneously with my longtime favorite, Rusty Wallace, racing his "Rusty's Last Call" farewell tour--and alongside of that, my subsequent search for a new driver unto whom I would pledge my support as a fan. Allow me also to state for the record that my "shared" Nascar loyalties (thanks to 16 years of supporting Rusty) also include Roger Penske's organization for which Brad Keselowski is presently under contract. From the sole perspective of a "Nascar fan," I admit to having a somewhat skewed opinion on the issue, naturally jumping to the defense of Mr. Edwards, but as a writer with many years of journalism training under my belt, I fully and completely understand the importance of examining the history of the "paybacks" with the utmost of journalistic objectivity.

That point having been duly clarified, I move on.

RACING AND RIVALRIES: THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY
In order to fully understand the events that took place between Edwards and Keselowski in Atlanta, it is important to examine them relative to the history of racing rivalries in general. And in doing so, it must be clearly understood that such rivalries, pure and simple, have been part and parcel to the sport of auto racing ever since its inception. And furthermore, it is in large portion the "rivalry"--the "bad blood," if you will--between Driver X and Driver Y, that drives (pun intended here) fans of all ages and organizational loyalties to glue themselves to their television sets or to their paid seats at the respective tracks for the duration of three-to-four hours' time, watching with unmatched excitement as their favorites "go at it" for four-, five-, or in one instance, six-hundred miles of hard-charging, heart-stopping quest for that coveted checkered flag and ultimately, a series championship title.

In all reality, what would the sport of auto racing be without its share of "bad boys?" And who "hasn't" seen the classic video of the post-Daytona 500 fistfight incident between Cale Yarborough, brothers Donnie and Bobby Allison and their respective team members? For that matter, can anyone even recall which driver actually "won" the race in question? (Just an "aside" for any new, "modern era" Nascar fans--it was Richard Petty.)

Let's face it--fussin', fightin' and feudin', while not exactly a "gentleman's" means of settling a score with a fellow driver, are nonetheless always present and accounted for in greatness of degree, whether in the form of public displays on the race track, behind the scenes in the garage area or in the most extreme cases, "the hauler," or Nascar's version of "the principal's office." And while we the loyal fans of the sport have a natural tendency to elevate the drivers to the highest of pedestals while picturing all of Nascar as "one big happy family," the reality is that in more instances than we would care to openly acknowledge, nothing could be farther from the truth--and in a few select cases, the "teammate camaraderie" that is so readily played out in front of the cameras, is practically non-existent behind the scenes.

Consider the following examples:

KURT BUSCH vs JIMMY SPENCER
Flashing back to the late summer of 2003, a case of "pit road retaliation" between Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch culminated with Jimmy jumping out of his car and punching Kurt in the face, resulting in a one-race suspension for Spencer, in addition to his doing "jail time" on an assault charge. Ironically, it was Busch, the victim, who was subsequently subjected to jeers and boos form Spencer's supporters during the night race at Bristol on the Saturday immediately following the incident in question. As a personal aside, your writer was present at said race and vividly recalls the number of fans bearing "Free Jimmy!" protest signs, in addition to the loud choruses of further protest when Kurt ended up winning the race, which ultimately led me to wonder--"Excuse me, but just which driver was the assault victim in the first place???"

GREG BIFFLE vs KEVIN HARVICK
This one is a modern-era classic which saw its inception several years ago within the ranks of what was then the Nascar Busch Series. A bump here, a tap there, a few spinouts and a couple of very visible "in your face" confrontations--and suffice it to say that these two boys are not the most likely candidates to sit together peacefully at a Thanksgiving dinner. And while Harvick has become known for his aggressiveness with a number of other drivers--among them the late Bobby Hamilton Sr., truck series driver Coy Gibbs (a confrontation subsequently netting him a one-race suspension), and most recently a name-calling incident involving Carl Edwards (which resulted in the much-publicized "choke-hold" leveled by an angry Edwards in the garage area of Charlotte Motor Speedway), it is by far his repeated scuffles with Biffle which have earned the most notoriety.

TODD BODINE vs--WELL, YOU NAME THE DRIVER
To put a new twist on an old phrase, for an extended time period in modern-day Nascar racing, it frequently appeared that "where there was a wreck, there was a Bodine"--more specifically, "Baby Brother" Todd, Instead of attempting to name all the drivers who have suffered disappointing finishes at his hand, it would be much simpler to compile a list of those who were fortunate enough "not" to be included on his weekly "hit list." Perhaps most notable among those with a score to settle with Todd woudl be his former teammate, Jimmy Spencer, who managed during their joint tenure to endure more than his share of on-track scuffs and scrapes courtesy of the youngest Bodine.

BODINE vs BODINE--OR, "FAMILY FEUD: NASCAR STYLE"And now, for Bodine brothers Geoffrey and Brett, and the much over-publicized revelations which surfaced during the running of the inaugural Brickyard 400. In this particular instance, middle brother Brett unintentionally sent older brother Geoffrey into a spin, then went on to score his best-ever Cup series finish: a second-place. In the post-crash interview that followed, the elder brother would then openly reveal a history of family issues between the two of them, followed by the not-to-be-forgotten quote:"He's my brother and I love him, but he spun me out." In the end, it would appear that these shocking revelations, not the fact that Indiana's own Jeffrey Michael Gordon earned the distinction of "victor" in the historic inaugural, would become the single outstanding focus of what should have rightfully been Gordon's moment of glory.

RUSTY WALLACE vs JEFF GORDON
Die-hard Nascar fans can tag this one a true Bristol Motor Speedway tradition, as more than a few times these two gentlemen tangled in a last-lap dance to the finish. each time with Mr. Gordon edging out Roger Penske's well-seasoned veteran to take the checkered flag, leaving the Gordon camp celebrating and the Wallace entourage fuming in disgust and displeasure. And while Rusty continued to maintain a more-than-professional public demeanor regarding each "incident" ("Rubbin' is racin'", one could only be left to speculate regarding the 1989 Cup champion's honest thoughts on the issue.

RUSTY WALLACE vs RYAN NEWMAN
A classic example of "trouble in Nascar paradise," personal issues between Rusty Wallace and former teammate Ryan Newman surfaced following the running of the October 2004 event at Martinsville Speedway, a track where Wallace had earned himself quite a reputation for emerging as "the victor." And the issues which emerged front-and-center following their very visible on-track altercation were not exactly to be settled in a gentlemanly manner. In Rusty's final stage appearance at the 2005 awards banquet, his farewell speech attempt to praise Ryan as a teammate included the admission that he may have "roughed him up a little bit," and was met by a bored, almost sleepy look from Newman when the camera panned its way to his seat in the audience. Proof in the pudding that the mere act of "working together" does not necessarily make the best of friends out of two drivers with opposing personalities.

And as a further example of the same, consider--

CARL EDWARDS vs MATT KENSETH
What fan of modern-day Nascar has "not" seen the footage of a poised-for-a-fight Carl Edwards approaching his Roush-Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth while the latter was being interviewed live, following the October 2007 Martinsville event? Thus surfaced revelations similar to the aforementioned from the Penske camp, that "all was not well" in the Jack Roush garage. And while for all intents and purposes the two rivers are presently projecting the image of "civil teammates," the serious Nascar fan still tends to wonder if indeed all is now well behind the scenes.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
So what is the point, you might ask, in consideration of the relevance of these past and present feuds and altercations with consideration to Nascar's newest philosophy of allowing the drivers to "police themselves?" And furthermore, does "past history" justify incidents such as the Edwards-Keselowski confrontations and the potentially life-threatening consequences of the same?

In essence, while "responsibility and sensibility" should, in your writer's humble opinion, ultimately rule the game when all is said and done, the sport's loyal fans have long been "crying out" for more excitement during the races. Both track attendance and broadcast viewership have suffered due to the "boredom factor," and when Nascar subsequently responded by announcing the freedom for drivers to "police themselves," incidents such as the Edwards-Keselowski tangles, while not "acceptable" in some fan circles, were nonetheless to be expected. Stated bluntly: the fans wanted more excitement, Nascar responded, and in the first instance of a driver saying "enough is enough," a great majority of the very same fans were crying foul and crucifying Mr. Edwards. Which leads one to ask, what is it that the fans "really" want to see? And from whence should come the dividing point where Nascar must ultimately step in and put an end to the very confrontations which the fans find "thrilling?" And at what point is a driver such as Edwards finally allowed to say, "It's time to take care of this issue!"? And had Keselowski's car not gone airborne, would there even be a discussion of the event in question?

The answers to the above questions are likely to be the subject of debate within the sport's various and sundry fan circles for some time to come, but one thing is certain: whatever one's personal definition of "excitement" in racing--whether it be the thrill of the speed, the risks and the rewards, or simply the personal satisfaction of supporting a certain driver or organization of choice come what may--the sport is here to stay.

So jump in, sit down, shut up, start your engines, and enjoy one hell of a ride.

DEDICATED TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY SCHOOLMATE, FRIEND AND NASCAR BUDDY, KEVIN RICHARD ROWLEY, WHO COINED THE OPENING SAYING. I MISS YOU KEV!