NASCAR Faults Edwards for Keselowski Smashup

There's nothing like a violent feud between two top-tier NASCAR drivers to get you out of vacation mode and back into the blogging routine.

And  I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity to dish about the latest round in the Edwards/Keselowski slugfest.

First, a recap:

Remember, if you will, the spring Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Paying Kes back for some hard-nosed racing, Edwards hit the No. 12 car with enough force to send the car and its driver flying into the fence at speeds of nearly 200 miles an hour.  Edwards was summoned to the hauler and later placed on probation.  The smack flew, and a week later, both drivers had a come-to-Jesus meeting with NASCAR officials.  They emerged from the meeting with Cheshire grins, and they vowed to race each other clean.

And I almost believed them 'til Saturday night.

During the last lap of the Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Speedway, Keselowski (who had led most of the night) nosed Edwards out of the way for the lead. That one move re-instated the feud. 

It didn't take too long until Edwards hit Kes back, sending him spinning into the safer barrier and back across the track and into traffic.  Edwards won the race.  Keselowski suffered a pretty nasty hit.  And Keselowski's father, Bob, while waiting outside the infield care center, accused Edwards of trying to kill his son - again.

God, I love NASCAR.

Today, NASCAR handed down its verdict. Both drivers will be placed on probation until Dec. 31.  But this time, instead of the love tap he received post-Atlanta, Edwards got more of a smack on the head.  Edwards will be docked 60 points, team owner Jack Roush will be docked 60 owner points and Edwards will be fined $25,000.

Too add salt to the wound, NASCAR's penalty means Edwards now trails Keselowski in the Nationwide standings by 228 points, with Keselowski in first place.

So a few questions remain - can Cousin Carl keep his cool the rest of the year?  Will the terms of their probation be long enough to smooth both drivers' ruffled firesuits?  Or will Edwards and Keselowski just settle their differences the old-fashioned way - with a few good punches and a couple busted lips?

Time will tell ...  but I can't wait to watch it.  One thing's for sure - these two aren't going to settle things quietly.

Hot Racing in Hot-lanta

The track was hot and the racing was hotter. And the Labor Day race at Atlanta Motor Speedway definitely lived up to its hype.

With Kasey Kahne taking the checkers in an unpredictable finish, the 500-mile marathon sure did have its share of surprises. Here are just a few of the high points and best stories from the "night the lights went on in Georgia":

An inspiring little girl: Nursing a broken foot and a damaged oil cooler, Carl Edwards didn't have a great points night in Atlanta. But some things are more important than points. The paint scheme on Edwards' 99 car was designed by Jody Lawrence--a smiling 12-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Jody was the winner of Aflac's "Color Carl's Car" contest and her story, and her inspiring attitude, puts a bad night into glaring perspective. Our prayers are with her and her family. For those of you who missed her story, watch it here on the CBS News site.

Jimmie Johnson goes for a spin: Johnson's Chevy was loose from the get-go and he had his hands full just hanging onto the wheel. But eventually even Johnson's estimable talents were no match for his monster of a car...and thus he went sliding 'cross the track. He did manage to keep his car out of the wall, but the spin was just a foretaste of things to come. The race ended for the #48 with a broken rear axle. It was a rare bad night for Knaus and crew. Fiddle-dee-dee.

Kenseth saves the chase: What looked like a hopeless start for Matt the Brat wound up ending on a pretty good note. He may have gone a lap or two down early on, but you can never count Kenseth out. And with a 12th place finish, the driver of the #17 car kept himself in the hunt for a spot in the chase.

Bobby L. proves his mettle: It's been a roller coaster of a week for Bobby Labonte. But he's handled the upheaval with class and aplomb--even though his fans were pretty darn perturbed when he was parked by Yates Racing earlier this week. However, in short order, the resilient Labonte snagged a new ride with TRG Motorsports for seven races and he ended up with an impressive 18th place finish in Atlanta. The rookie that took Labonte's Yates ride? Well, Erik Darnell finished 3oth. Not that anyone's counting...

It was almost a sweep: For a while Sunday night, it sure did look like Kevin Harvick was going to sweep the weekend's Atlanta races. Fresh off a knockout win on Saturday night, Harvick seemed to have another unbeatable car in the Cup race. Although a runner-up finish is nothing to sneeze at, it sure would have been nice to see Harvick sweep the weekend. Maybe in Richmond.