The penalties come as a result of violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing/aggressive driving) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.
Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60, has been penalized with the loss of 60 Nationwide Series championship drivers' points, fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Car owner Jack Roush has been penalized with the loss of 60 series championship owners' points.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.
"The incident at the end of Saturday night's race at Gateway was unfortunate not just for Penske Racing and the No. 22 team, but for all of the teams that were caught up in the aftermath," Keselowski said in a statement. "There was unnecessary damage done to a lot of race cars as a result of the incident, including one of our best cars. We support NASCAR's decision and we look forward to putting this behind us."
TV analyst Larry McReynolds agreed with Keselowski in regards to all the unnecessary damage but doesn't think the penalties go far enough.
"Feuds, rivalries and wars of words are good for any sport and they're part of what makes people tune in. But in my book, this deal had gone beyond a feud or rivalry. NASCAR could take 600 points from Edwards, fine him $500,000 and put him on probation until the end of 2015, but it doesn't repair those race cars that got torn up behind these two during their fun and games on the last lap -- teams that don't need to be tearing up race cars.
"This thing had gone well beyond NASCAR's intentions of "have at it, boys." Is that going to put an end to it? I feel strongly that only two people can put an end to this -- Jack Roush and Roger Penske because they do carry a lot of weight in this sport. If I was Jack Roush, my point to Carl would be, 'Yes, thanks for another win because they're few and far between here at Roush Fenway right now, but I've got two destroyed race cars that were behind you.'"
Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith acknowledged the penalties in a statement and said the team will look at this internally.
"We have received notification of NASCAR's penalties against Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Roush Fenway Racing related to Saturday night's race at Gateway," Smith said. "As with all NASCAR actions of this nature, we will internally evaluate the penalties, and the underlying explanations, prior to making any decision about next steps. We look forward to watching Carl and Brad as they continue to compete on a weekly basis for the championship in the Nationwide Series."
