Edwards~Keselowski Controversy at Gateway NASCAR NW 7.17.10

At the expense of Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards won Saturday night's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway, as Keselowski wrecked and took several hard hits just short of the finish line while battling Edwards for the lead.

As Edwards and Keselowski raced side-by-side off the final corner, contact between their two cars sent Keselowski hard into the outside wall, then across the track into the inside barrier, where Shelby Howard smashed into Keselowski's Dodge.

Edwards continued across the stripe, followed closely by Reed Sorenson. Pole-sitter Trevor Bayne ran third, Paul Menard fourth and Steve Wallace fifth. Keselowski was credited with a 14th-place finish after Howard knocked him across the finish line. NASCAR continued to review the finishing order at race's end.

The victory was Edwards' second of the season and the 27th of his career. The last-lap contact between Edwards and Keselowski appeared to be Edwards' payback for getting moved out of the lead by Keselowski a handful of laps from the finish.

Keselowski came to the pits on Lap 180 of 200 after Ryan Truex's spin in Turn 4 brought out the fourth caution of the race. Keselowski restarted sixth on Lap 184, as the five drivers ahead of him -- Bayne, Sorenson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Howard and Brian Scott -- elected to stay on the track.

By the time Kevin Harvick smacked the Turn 2 wall on Lap 188, Keselowski was running second behind Bayne.

Keselowski had his way with the race until a mistake during a green-flag cycle of pit stops cost him nearly four seconds.

Keselowski spun on the way to pit road on Lap 121 and came out third behind Harvick and Edwards, 3.9 seconds behind the leader. Edwards overtook Harvick on Lap 128, and Keselowski moved past Harvick for second five laps later.

On Lap 142, Keselowski slipped past Edwards for the lead, moments before NASCAR called the second caution of the race for debris in Turn 3. Edwards regained the lead on the subsequent restart and held it until Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Brad Coleman and Matt DiBenedetto collided in Turn 2 on Lap 151.

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[JohnElightening]

All you Carl Edwards' haters, let me refresh your memory. Remember Memphis in 2009, when Brad Keselowski wrecked Carl Edwards to win, and took out half the field too? Same thing happened here. How come it's OK when Brad does the same damn thing, but it's not OK when Carl does it? Think about it you little idiot fags.

[jgsk8er]

if it was a chevy boy tht did tht it would jst be ... well thts racing... but when someone tht drives a ford does hes a crybaby or hes a sissy... i call BULLSHIT

[williambyron345]

@JohnElightening hey dude it wasnt Memphis, it was Talladega but that wasnt intentional. Carl did an intentional move there and was totally wrong. He also put him in the fence at Atlanta

[Slotten68]

I really try to like Carl Edwards but he is by far the most two-faced guy in the garage. He obviously has a great publicist and some sort of public relations coach becuase he is a stand up gentleman in front the of the camera...but his established history of personal conduct on and off the track have proven him to be a thug.

I'm glad the 14 won the title this season. Stewart may be an asshole, but everyone knows he's an asshole and he is all the more awesome for his cavalier attitude

[DJB24966]

@Riceslayer I don't care where Carl finished. He can dish it out but he can't take it. He's the most two faced guy in the garage.

[Riceslayer]

@DJB24966

Whatever buddy, Carl TIED for the championship this year, where did brad finish? And Keselowski started this incident, bumped carl, carl will bump him back!

[DJB24966]

@Riceslayer You mean when Carl turned down into Brad and wrecked himself?

[Riceslayer]

Kesoloski's dad is an asshat, And what Brad did at dega sending carl into a FENCE at 200mph which actually INJURED fans of the sport couldn't kill somone? Double standards...

[razer3211]

Edwards said " I couldn't let him win."

[razer3211]

Carl Edwards said "I couldn't let him win." and was fine about it. I agree with kieslowski's dad.

[motorheadtr3]

@JohnElightening totally different. Carl has to check up for slow cars in front of him, accordion effect. A mistake is way different than hooking somebody intentionally for the win. I thought Memphis was one of the crappier races Brad Keselowski has ever driven, but don't compare apples to oranges. They also weren't racing for the win, so that'd be impossible to say Brad wrecked Carl to win at Memphis. Don't let facts get in the way if your blind hate, though.

[gobrownstd54]

2:48 is why I LOVE Carl Edwards! He tells it like it is...no Bullshit. He said, yeay, I wrecked him. Notice little Brad hasn't sniffed Carl's tale pipe since!!