It always amazed me that guys took Earnhardt's crap. If Labonte had made it a point to run into him every chance he got, thereby ruining Dale's chances of a Winsotn Cup title, you can bet not only Dale but every other driver would have stayed away from him. Why do you think no one screws around with Tony Stewart? They know if they hit him, he will try to wreck them, if they wreck him, he will go after them the next race. He will follow your car to the hauler to hit you. No one messes with a psycho.
If it's a cheap win for him, then Gordo got a few of those against Rusty, and Earnhardt earned his fair share against . . . . everybody. That's the beauty in it - he didn't even tap him that hard. Just a little nudge to get his selfish butt out of the way. I've seen that Busch kid drive like a maniac in more than a few races, in all of the series. Restraint? No - that was called shock. He was stunned that it could happen to him.
It was dirty driving. Using your bumper to pass is ok if someone is blocking you. He couldn't even get close to the 18. He tried on several restarts and Busch drove off from him. So he just drove into him in the corner before Busch could drive off and leave him again. Edwards knew he was dead wrong and that the win was tainted. That's why he started rationalizing with stuff from a Nationwide race no one else even remembered. He should have thanked Hamlin for saving his ass.
What are you babbling about? Kyle paid him back in the very next turn, then banged him down the straight. It didn't stick. Then Carl drove away from him. Hamlin's stupidity came a lap or 2 later. Get your facts straight. The faster car won.
Didn't occur to you AAA that maybe Kyle had used it all up by the end of the race? Maybe that's why Denny got around him too? He was set up to lose all night - the fastest car doesn't always win.
Stop Whining...that was AWESOME stuff...And Carl is a lot of things but a wimp?? He'd kick the crap out most everyone in the garage...actually, he has been accused of having some 'roid rage" issues....I loved the end when he slammed into Kyle and quite frankly, he didn;t feel bad or tainted in any way...You have to remember...a WIN is a WIN...they don;t care what transpired...I remember sitting in Daytona watching Kurt bush and tony dominate for half the race and then BAM...they wreck and nobody gets a tropy for half the race
He went back by Hamlin but by then it was too late. He couldn't use his bumper on his "teammate", even though the moron was blocking him and basically cost him the race.
Edwards is one of the biggest wusses in the garage. Anyone touches him he is squealing. Come on, how many drivers have their mommy waiting in their pit? I can't wait to see his face when the 18 puts him in the wall. He knows what he has coming, which is why he looked so weird after "winning" the race.
At the 1999 Bristol Race (from my seat in Section S, Row 18 of the Waltrip Grandstand), I watched Terry Labonte do just that - run through everyone on his way to Earnhardt. Gordon (LaBonte's Team mate at the time) moved out of Terry's way, but The Kelloggs' Chevy used the chrome horn on everyone else. Bottom Line (and I am just as guilty of this as anyone else), if it's your guy doing the shoving, it's "One of them thar racin' deals." However, if'n it's your guy getting the shove, well then, it's bullshit and dirty racing. Even the drivers themselves act this way. I heard Gordo (over the team radio) not respond kindly to Smoke's 'nudge' early in the race, but we can all count numerous times where Gordon moved Kenseth or Rusty or Dale the hell out of the way with his bumper. Not to mention, this ain't Hot-Lanta with +200 MPH speeds. This is Bristol Dammit! Racin' the way it Ought'ta be. And if you ain't rubbin', you ain't racin'. - Spydertrader