"I'm not gonna let somebody take advantage of me": When Carl Edwards felt justified as NASCAR penalized Brad Keselowski alongside him

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Carl Edwards, who was known for his aggressive racing style and clean-cut image during his career, once felt justified when NASCAR penalized him and Brad Keselowski for their last-lap bumping incident in 2010 at Gateway International Raceway. The drama wasn’t just on the track, as it spilled into post-race penalties and a long-standing rivalry between Edwards and Keselowski.

The 2010 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Xfinity race at Gateway came down to a last-lap battle between Edwards and Keselowski. Driving the #60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Edwards led coming to the final lap, but Keselowski got into the back of him in Turn 1, moving him up the track.

As they raced down the backstretch, Edwards lined up behind Keselowski and delivered a retaliatory bump in Turn 3 that sent Keselowski hard into the wall, narrowly avoiding being T-boned, and caused a massive multi-car wreck. Carl Edwards won that race, while Brad Keselowski finished 14th.

A few days after the race, NASCAR penalized both Edwards and Keselowski for their rough driving at Gateway. Both were placed on probation for the rest of the 2010 Xfinity Series season. Edwards was also fined $25,000 and docked 60 driver points.

Speaking to the media, the 2007 Xfinity Series champion admitted that he raced aggressively at Gateway and stood his ground. Here’s what Edwards said (via ESPN):

“I don't think there one championship driver that can go along and let someone take wins away from him. I race hard and I'm not gonna let somebody take advantage of me, that's for sure. I've been consistent about that and honest about it.”

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Carl Edwards apologizes for his intentional wreck at Gateway but not to Keselowski

Known for his backflip celebration after victories, Carl Edwards didn’t appeal the penalty that he received for deliberately wrecking Keselowski at Gateway and was glad that the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion joined him on probation.

In the media interaction, Edwards apologized to the drivers who were involved in the wreck at Gateway except Keselowski.

“I sincerely apologize to the other guys who were caught up in that wreck. But I'm real happy with is that NASCAR realized Brad needed to be penalized, too. My race car could have been the one turned around instead of his,” Edwards said, as quoted by ESPN.

The Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski rivalry remained one of the fiercest of the era, and the Gateway incident became a defining moment. In the following years, both drivers would go on to have successful careers. Edwards retired from the sport in 2016 and is currently working as an analyst for NASCAR on Prime Video.

Whereas Keselowski became a Cup champion in 2012 and currently competes full-time in the series, driving the #6 car for RFK Racing, a team he also co-owns now.