NASCAR Got It Right...Sorta

(Carl Edwards waves to the crowd during driver introductions at Nashville Superspeedway in 2009. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

"Have at it, boys."

That was NASCAR's directive to its racers prior to the season in response to fans and critics saying the racing had become boring and its drivers too "vanilla." Instead of NASCAR stepping in to constantly fine and punish the drivers for every on-track incident, the racers were asked to police themselves, harkening back to the old days when the drivers either took care of slights, real or imagined, either on the track or behind the garage.

One of the drivers responsible for this new way of thinking was involved in the first real example of NASCAR's new unofficial policy. Brad Keselowski is one of the more exciting drivers in the sport right now and is providing double the thrills, racing in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series fulltime. His rivalry with Denny Hamlin last season brought back the days of Richard Petty vs. Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt vs. Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip vs. well, everyone.

Last year at Phoenix International Raceway, Keselowski was involved with an on-track incident with Hamlin during the NNS race there. Following the race, Hamlin called his shot, saying he would get even the next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And he did. And NASCAR stood by and let it happen, much to the satisfaction of fans, media, and the other drivers.

This past weekend in the Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards felt he was taken out by Keselowski and near the end of the race, more than 150 laps down, "Cousin" Carl exacted his revenge. Keselowski was looking at a top-five; instead, he ended up looking at the track upside down as his No. 12 Dodge flipped as a result of Edwards tapping him.

Speculation was immediate that Edwards would be suspended for this weekend's race in Bristol. At the very least, he would be fined and docked points. None of those things happened. NASCAR put Edwards on a three-race probation. This was the right move for a couple reasons. The sanction would have a hard time telling them "have at it" and then the first time the drivers did what was suggested, levying a heavy fine. Fans and media still remember when NASCAR CEO Brian France said a few years ago that he wanted drivers to be more vocal. Within a few months, two-time champion Tony Stewart was called on the carpet for comparing NASCAR to WWE, suggesting some aspects of the races were scripted.

Another implied message may have been to Keselowski directly, basically saying when you make your bed, you have to lie in it. When a driver, regardless of how good he may be, continues to race aggressively and wreck other drivers, he pretty much has it coming if another driver decides he's had enough.

NASCAR has, however, put themselves in a unenviable position as many knew they would with this new attitude. Whoever got the first free pass, as Edwards seemingly has, would be the target of drivers, fans, and media. Twitter has become the voice of several drivers and teams and it was alive with support and condemnation of NASCAR's decision today. For example:

DeLana Harvick (Wife of Kevin Harvick and co-owner of Kevin Harvick Inc.) "my head is spinning. i can't understand what a 3-race probation actually does. maybe @kevinharvick should aw shucks more"

Scott Speed: "Yo go #nascar!!! 3 race probation for Edwards! Awsome I love it!!! I bet Keslowski is scared now lol"

Michael Waltrip: "Good call #nascar. You can't ask the driver to take their gloves off one week and then tell em to put em back on the next."

Kasey Kahne (responding to ESPN's Marty Smith): "doesn't sound like favorites to me. Airborne is biggest and only issue. I like Helton's call."

At the end of the day, the thing to remember in all this is that the fans have been asking for NASCAR to be less strict for years. Much of the fan reaction (seemingly split down the middle) would be much different if the drivers in this drama were different. If it were Dale Earnhardt Jr. being flipped by Kyle Busch, the attitude would be markedly to the contrary by most of the fans. NASCAR did walk a fine line, however, because of Keselowski's car going airborne. Had Carl simply spun Brad, there would be much discussion, but since there were safety issues involved, there was more thought and investigation put into the situation and rightly so.

I don't think for a second Edwards meant for the 12 to take to the air and Carl's most hardcore detractors would have to admit the same. However, when looking into these types of situations, it's not always intent that needs to be looked at, but the result. Regardless of how popular a decision may or may not be, safety has to be the priority. In this instance, I think NASCAR made the right call, but it has set a precedent that may come back to haunt them later this season.

By the way, anyone need to be reminded that Bristol is the next venue? And that both Keselowski and Edwards are racing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series race there? I'm sure the folks at BMS are enjoying the boost in ticket sales right about now.