Edwards gets probation for Atlanta incident

Carl Edwards was placed on probation for the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup races after an incident at the Kobalt 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials declined to suspend Edwards and he will not be fined or lose points for intentionally colliding with the Penske Racing Dodge driven by Brad Keselowski.

The light punishment came as a surprise to many that had expected at least a hefty fine and loss of points after Edwards admitted responsibility for the collision that destroyed the No. 12 Mopar/FLO TV Charger on lap 324 of the race. Keseklowski, who had been running well and had a shot at a top-five finish, was not injured but was dazed after his car caught air and lifted, then rolled over and slammed roof-first into the outside wall before coming back down on its wheels.

Edwards said the collision was payback for an earlier incident that had sent the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford into the pits for repairs early in the race.

“We made it clear to Carl that this wasn’t acceptable, that it went beyond what we said in January about letting drivers police themselves,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “We’ve talked with Roger Penske and Jack Roush, and we’ll meet with the drivers to clean the slate before they race again. Yes, there’s a line, and we’ll step in when it’s crossed. We want to let them race hard and we want to maintain law and order. We parked Carl and gave him the three-race probation for what he did.”