BRISTOL, Tenn. - The modern-day Romans line the concrete coliseum screaming for some excitement and story lines.
The NASCAR gods finally gave them what they wanted.
With everybody in the garage hoping that nothing happens; that Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski hug and make up after their March 7th brouhaha that ended with Keselowski’s car sailing through the Atlanta air, in jumps Kevin Harvick.
And the half-mile hotbox in Bristol may have just gotten hotter.
Sure, some folks are expecting the Edwards-Keselowski feud to boil over just outside the Twin City. What everybody should have been expecting was Harvick, whose history with Edwards dates back to a 2008 run-in, to interject himself into the much-anticipated sultry storyline that old-school fans insist NASCAR needed.
Leading into Bristol, Harvick called Edwards “fake” on a radio spot and on his Twitter account. And, in the blink of an eye, what was supposed to be a two-way dance has turned into a triple-threat match.
Now it’s more than just worry about possible retaliation for Edwards spinning Keselowski into the night sky. Drivers are hoping it doesn’t turn Bristol into bumper cars.
“I made a crack about maybe I got in trouble in the wrong era and it was more expensive then,” Harvick said, an obvious reference to Edwards’ three-race slap-on-the-wrist probation. “As far as the ‘fake’ comment, I mean, you can’t be the nice guy; you can’t be the bad guy and you can’t be the bully.
“So ... that is how I feel about that.”
Grand Marshall “Stone Cold” Steve Austin must be smiling.
Vince McMahon is probably ready to book the threesome for a guest appearance on Monday Night Raw.
The other drivers, however, already have enough to worry about without a third man inserting himself in the maelstrom the day before Keselowski and Edwards were slated to have a clear-the-air session with NASCAR officials.
Clint Bowyer joked that the two would hug and there would be smiles.
“Does that sound correct?” he asked.
Veteran Mark Martin hopes NASCAR tells them to just get along.
Paul Menard hopes they don’t take 10 more cars with them this week, an all-but-guarantee if paint is exchanged in anger at Bristol.
“I think they’ll race each other fine,” Kasey Kahne said, “I think they’re probably good to go now.”
There’s no guarantee of that. Certainly not with Harvick joining in.
His words put him in the hottest racing topic of 2010 – will there be retaliation for Atlanta two weeks ago and how will Harvick join the mess? Will words escalate to wrecks?
“You guys worry about the soap-opera stuff so much,” said Tony Stewart, scolding the media. “I’m more worried about trying to figure out how to make my racecar go faster in Bristol, not figuring out how to continue the saga, the drama, the soap opera that’s called the media center.”
What Stewart doesn’t realize is, with NASCAR’s have-at-it-boys mantra, that soap-opera shoe is fitting so well these days.
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