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Fabrizio column: Edwards-Kenseth Rift Spices Up Chase

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2007

HAMPTON, Ga. Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth to the rescue.

A Chase that has lacked sizzle since Clint Bowyer's upset victory at New Hampshire five weeks ago finally has served up something more interesting than how much Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson love each other.

The Edwards-Kenseth spat last week at Martinsville - as well as whether Edwards is really the good guy he comes across as on TV - was the dominant topic Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fifteen minutes after Sunday's Subway 500, Speed's Bob Dilner was getting ready to interview Kenseth when Edwards approached, backed Kenseth away from the camera, jawed at him face-to-face and faked a punch.

Speed's camera captured the engagement, and a video has been playing on YouTube. Under the boxing-like caption, "Carl Edwards vs. Matt Kenseth."

"I did read in the paper there were 425,000 people that went to YouTube to check it out," Kurt Busch said Friday. "I was one who wasn't."

It Started At Kansas
Once friendly, Edwards and Kenseth aren't talking. Their rift stems from the Busch race at Kansas a few weeks ago in which Edwards thought Kenseth wrecked him and sarcastically applauded his car as it came back around the track.
Kenseth fired back by saying Edwards was mad about getting beat in the Busch owners standings "by a couple of guys running part-time."

That carried over to Martinsville, where the two collided twice on the track before their meeting afterward.
Kenseth complained during the week about Edwards' "erratic" behavior but joked Friday that he "isn't the biggest guy" and feels fortunate he didn't get his rear kicked.

"I saw exactly what you guys saw on that clip that everybody has been watching on YouTube," he said Friday. "I don't really know what provoked all that, so, hopefully, in the end, it'll be a positive. I think that he's probably got more stuff to work through than maybe I do.

"I don't feel like I've been really a big cause of his problems."

Edwards, who can clinch the Busch Series championship today in Memphis, spent Friday saying his competitive nature got the best of him at Martinsville and he was out of line.

In a conference call during the week, he complained about the lack of unity at Roush-Fenway.

"When I win, people call and congratulate. It's just the wrong people," he said. "I've got Jimmie Johnson calling me every time I win to say good job.

"And my teammates aren't the ones doing that. And I'm just as guilty. I haven't been as happy for their successes as I could be."

Dump On Carl Week
Among drivers, the court of opinion weighed decidedly against Edwards, the personable and seemingly always smiling architect of the post-win backward flip.

Kevin Harvick accused him of road rage. Jeff Burton suggested that Edwards is the one driver at Roush-Fenway who doesn't try to get along with his teammates. Elliott Sadler said Edwards came at him a couple of years after an incident at Richmond.

"Racing with Carl, he seems to have a lot of problems with a lot of different people," Sadler said. "Hitting Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. after the race in Michigan, attacking him in Victory Lane and then attacking Matt. I think he is one of the best race drivers in our sport. … I just think sometimes he can't control his attitude."

Busch sarcastically referred to his former Roush-Fenway teammate as "The Carl."

"With the way 'The Carl' is referred to in the Roush organization - because there is only one of him, he is 'The Carl' - he seems to not be getting along with some of the other drivers that are over there," he said. "I've seen it all along with him. He'll give you that flashy smile, but at the same time, he's got something underneath his breath for you."

Johnson, without taking sides, said he could fully understand being mad enough at a teammate to take a swing.

"I think at Talladega last year with [Brian] Vickers, I wanted to kill him," he said.

It was bound to happen in this Chase. Finally, a little sizzle.

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