Jun 22 2008
Carl Edwards Shoves His Way To Win In Milwaukee
Carl Edwards did not want to win the way he did, but he will take it. Edwards moved Clint Bowyer out of the way with 25 laps left to go to capture the win at Milwaukee. Edwards did not mean to do it the way he did, but I am sure Bowyer will have something to say about it in the future. Bowyer has hinted towards payback and I would be surprised if he does not.
Joey Logano continued his impressive showing as he finished second behind Edwards. It seems that the Nationwide Series is getting just like the Sprint Cup series and that is more willing to wreck people for a win. People sometimes do not understand how much a win means to a driver and a sponsor. If you want to keep your sponsor happy you must win as the bottom line is they pay the bills.
I would look for this to continue in the future as well. When so much is on the line anymore people will do whatever it takes to be in victory lane.
Why do people get confused about how much a win means to a driver and sponsor? NASCAR has made it painfully clear that it is completely and exclusively about money. Why did Edwards feel that he needed to shove Bowyer out of the way? Edwards clearly had the superior car in the last 25 laps of the race. As far as repercussions go, I think Logano shoving Keselowski out of the way will be the lightning rod for future altercations on the track. I don’t wish Logano any harm, but if he never wins another race it won’t bother me. I think the defining moment of the race, and an example of what NASCAR has come to represent, was when the crowd booed Edwards for not performing a post victory back flip. Did the crowd pay to see a race or were they more interested in seeing a race driver perform amateur acrobatics?