Crash may prompt harsher penalties for aggression

NASCAR may implement harsher penalties for blocking and aggressive driving in the wake of Sunday's final-lap accident at Talladega Superspeedway, but stopped short of blaming the drivers for the crash that sent Carl Edwards flying into the track's restraining fence.

Seven fans in the grandstand were injured by flying debris when Edwards' car went airborne following contact with the vehicle of eventual race winner Brad Keselowski. Edwards walked away uninjured. The accident occurred as Keselowski was trying to pass while remaining above the yellow line at the bottom of the race track -- dipping below it would have resulted in a penalty -- and Edwards attempted to protect his position by blocking.

"We tried letting the competitors police themselves when it comes to blocking and bump drafting," Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for corporate communications, said on a conference call with reporters Monday. "We might have to start making some judgment calls of our own and issue penalties for drivers who blatantly block and abuse the bump drafting. We're going to take whatever measures we need to in order to ensure the races are as safe as possible for everyone."

Yet NASCAR steered clear of specifically blaming Keselowski and Edwards for the accident and the injuries to those in the grandstand. "I don't recall trying to blame anything on anyone," Hunter said.

NASCAR has taken a more stringent stance on aggressive driving on restrictor-plate venues in recent years, going as far as to install "no zones" around Talladega and Daytona where excessive bump-drafting and other aggressive moves are off limits. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition, said that any further restrictions that result from Sunday's incident will likely be procedural, meaning that drivers will serve penalties during a race rather than have points docked or fines levied afterward.

"A greater emphasis may come at Daytona and Talladega, because we have tried to let the racers take care of themselves," Pemberton said. "When certain situations develop a pattern on a more regular basis, that's where we may have to step in and make some calls. We really don't want them to put us in that position to make those calls. We'd rather let the competitors take care of it on the track." (Continued)