Edwards Has Stong Words for NASCAR

Another big crash occurred at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday afternoon, and Carl Edwards was at the center of the event.

Edwards was just seconds away from the victory before he attempted to block Brad Keselowski. Resultant contact caused his car to flip into the fencing used to separate the fans from the track, and seven fans were hurt.

Fortunately, none of the injuries were severe.

It might have been one of the best finishes NASCAR has seen, but at what price do some of these great finishes come by? Fans' or drivers' health?

Edwards definitely had a strong statement after the race:

"NASCAR puts us in this box [restrictor-plate racing], and [we'll] race this way until they kill somebody," Edwards said.

It was a powerful assertion that was undoubtedly directly aimed at NASCAR officials.

Later, former NASCAR driver Bobby Allison refuted the statement, saying that the potential for danger is part of the excitement of the sport and that there's nothing wrong with that.

I wonder if Allison would be singing a different tune if someone had been killed or seriously injured Sunday. The satisfaction of the fans is very important, but not as important as someone's life.

In no way am I saying that restrictor-plate racing should be abolished, but there is nothing wrong with examining the procedures and equipment we have in place now to make sure there is a middle-ground between excitement and safety.

Seven injuries is seven too many, and obviously, something needs to be tweaked. I'm sick and tired of officials (of sporting organizations or not) waiting to change things until someone is killed.

A life shouldn't have to be lost to make things right. Simple as that.