Brad Keselowski Wins Wild Talladega Race -- NASCAR and Racing FanHouse

Keselowski Wins Crazy Race at Talladega

Posted Apr 26, 2009 6:04 PM

By JENNA FRYER

(AP)

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TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 26) -- Carl Edwards began his charge to the front with nine laps to go at Talladega Superspeedway. He never expected to end up airborne, upside down, sheet metal spewing behind him as his car sailed into the safety fence.

Terrifying Finish at Talladega

A push for victory takes a disastrous turn for Carl Edwards at Talladega Superspeedway. Contact from race winner Brad Keselowski on the final lap sends Edwards into a tailspin before he's lifted into the air by Ryan Newman (39). Click through to see more photos from Sunday's incredible race.

Rainier Ehrhardt, AP

Edwards' car went airborne and into the safety fence, scattering debris into the crowd and injuring multiple fans. "I'm glad the car didn't go up in the grandstands," he said. "I don't know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands."

Glenn Smith, AP

After landing back down on the track, Edwards had to climb out of his car as it sparked flames. "I just want to tell my mom, I'm OK," Edwards told the television audience. "I'm very fortunate."

Christian Petersen, Getty Image

Edwards was quick to put some blame on NASCAR's use of restrictor plates to combat the high speed of the two fastest tracks -- Talladega and Daytona. The plates keep cars packed together, and all it takes is one wrong move to trigger "The Big One," a nickname for the recurring pileups.

Jerry Markland, Getty Images

As Edwards was derailed on the final lap, Keselowski surged into the lead to win a Sprint Cup Series race for the very first time. Keselowski felt sorry for the fans who were hurt, but wasn't about to make excuses for his maneuver. "Holding your line was the way to do it," said Keselowski.

Christian Petersen, Getty Images

"Either way, it was a great show, and I hope the fans had fun with it," said Keselowski, seen here celebrating in Victory Lane. Restrictor-plate races are both loved by fans for the thrills they provide and dreaded by drivers who fear for their safety.

Rusty Jarrett,, Getty Images

Edwards' stunning flight wasn't the only major crash during the Aaron's 499. On the seventh lap, a 13-car accident caused havoc for top drivers like Mark Martin, far left, Kevin Harvick (29) and points leader Jeff Gordon (24).

Dale Davis, AP

NASCAR issued a strong warning before the race, telling the drivers to avoid aggressive driving. But that didn't prevent the mayhem from taking over Talladega again. "You expect it," said Gordon. "You just hope to survive it."

Russell Norris, AP

Like Edwards, Jeremy Mayfield also had to leave his burning vehicle after a wreck Sunday. There were four major accidents between the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide race over the weekend.

Dale Davis, AP

Edwards, who crossed the finish line on foot, said that drivers fear these type of races. "NASCAR has put us in this box and we'll race like this until we kill someone and then they'll change it."

Christian Petersen, Getty Image

More: Blame NASCAR for Mayhem | Keselowski Takes Advantage | Results

The fence bowed, but held, and Edwards returned safely to the racing surface - another "Big One" to thrill the fans.

Only this time, seven people were hurt and one of the lasting images of Sunday's race will be the pink-clad woman strapped to a stretcher, her head in a brace as she was airlifted to a hospital after debris from Edwards' last-lap crash with winner Brad Keselowski sailed into the grandstands.

Edwards, who climbed from the fiery wreckage and crossed the finish line on foot, was thankful it wasn't worse.

"I'm glad the car didn't go up in the grandstands," he said. "I saw some fencing at one point and that made me a little bit nervous. I don't know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands."

Officials said seven fans sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and an eighth fan seated in the same section of the grandstand had an undisclosed medical issue.

Dr. Bobby Lewis, Talladega's onsite physician, said two people in the crowd were airlifted from the track to avoid the heavy traffic. One woman had a possible broken jaw.

"We'll race like this until we kill somebody," Edwards said, "then (NASCAR) will change it."

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Darryl Graham, AP

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The dangerous but dramatic restrictor-plate racing came under fire after Edwards' attempt to block Keselowski's winning pass triggered the last of several frightening accidents at one of the sport's most exciting tracks.

Keselowski pushed Edwards past Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the lead on the final lap, and the 25-year-old Earnhardt protege peeked around Edwards as they closed on the finish line. Edwards ducked low to block the pass, but Keselowski was too close and couldn't avoid contact that sent Edwards into a spin up the track and into Newman's path.

Edwards' car flew over the top of Newman's hood, then shot into the frontstretch fence.

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said the sanctioning body will analyze the accident, as well as the safety fence, to determine if anything can be improved.

"If there were something that we felt we could do today to make it safer, it would be done," Hunter said. "This is a fast race track. It's wide. I saw guys racing five-abreast today, which I have never seen. We know the cars are safer than they've ever been."

Restrictor plates are used at Daytona and Talladega to combat the high speeds at NASCAR's two fastest tracks. The plates typically keep the field bunched tightly together, and one wrong move by a driver can cause a massive accident.

There were three bad ones Sunday: a 13-car accident on Lap 7, a 10-car accident with nine laps to go, and Edwards' flight to the finish. A day earlier, Matt Kenseth was uninjured in a fiery roll during the Nationwide Series race.

"Talladega is short for 'We're going to crash, we just don't know when,"' said Newman, the third-place finisher. "We saw (an airborne car) two times this weekend, so maybe we need to look at things that keep the car down on the ground."

Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner and seven-time winner of restrictor-plate races, finished second but echoed concerns about the racing style. Drivers dread it because so much is out of their control, but Earnhardt said it's loved by fans because of the danger.

"For years, we've had wrecks like this every time we've come to Talladega. Ever since the plate got here. And for years it was celebrated," he said. "The media celebrated it, the networks celebrated it, calling it 'The Big One,' just trying to attract attention.

"So there's a responsibility with the media and the networks and the sanctioning body itself to come to their senses a little bit."

None of the drivers involved in any of the accidents was injured.

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2009-04-26 18:13:20