Edwards given fine, probation for MIS actions
by: NASCAR News Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR announced Tuesday that Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Ford in the NASCAR Busch Series, has been fined and placed on probation due to a rule violation at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 19.

Edwards was fined $20,000 for violating Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing: hitting another competitor's car after the completion of the race) of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book.

He was also placed on probation until Dec. 31.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed into the rear end of Edwards' No. 60 Ford early in a green-white-checkered finish in Saturday's Carfax 250, sending Edwards spinning down the track and nearly taking Gordon with him. That gave two-time Busch champion Earnhardt his second Busch win in four starts this season and the 22nd of his career.

Edwards first drove onto pit road and momentarily parked in Earnhardt's pit. Then he drove back onto the track as the field drove slowly by behind the pace car, banging hard into the side of Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet.

"I didn't mean to spin him out. I don't go around wrecking people," Earnhardt said. "I wouldn't have waited two years to get back at him for wrecking me in Atlanta in 2004 pretty much the same way.

"We got a run off that corner, and Carl just got sideways and he wasn't in the gas. I guess he was pretty mad at me, but there wasn't much I could do."

Earnhardt, the most popular driver in NASCAR, was loudly booed by the crowd when replays showed on the big screens as he got to Victory Lane.

Asked if he saw Edwards coming off pit road, Earnhardt shook his head and said, "I had my hand out the window. He could have taken my hand off. But he didn't. Pretty stupid. That was just rude."

Edwards, who was called to the NASCAR hauler after the race, appeared to have cooled down considerably after getting out of his car. "He just wrecked me off [Turn] 2," Edwards said. "I just wanted to make sure he knew I was mad that he wrecked me. It's racing."