Originally published Monday, April 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM
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Auto Racing | Talladega wreckage harms drivers, fans
Carl Edwards climbed from his crumpled car and crossed the Talladega Superspeedway finish line on foot. In the grandstand to his left, seven...
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RAINIER EHRHARDT / AP
Carl Edwards' car flips into the safety fence on the final lap of the Aaron's 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Carl Edwards climbed from his crumpled car and crossed the Talladega Superspeedway finish line on foot. In the grandstand to his left, seven fans were injured from the flying debris of his last-lap battle with eventual winner Brad Keselowski in the Aaron's 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
"We'll race like this until we kill somebody," Edwards said. "Then [NASCAR] will change it."
Restrictor-plate racing came under fire again Sunday after Edwards' attempt to block Keselowski's winning pass triggered the last of several frightening accidents at one of the sport's most high-profile tracks.
Officials said none of the fans has life-threatening injuries from the debris that flew into the grandstands.
Dr. Bobby Lewis, Talladega's on-site physician, said one woman had a possible broken jaw. Track spokeswoman Kristi King said the other injured fans were treated and released.
After Keselowski pushed Edwards past Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the lead on the final lap, Edwards ducked low to block a pass. Keselowski was close and couldn't avoid contact that sent Edwards into a spin.
Edwards' car flew over the top of Newman's hood and into the frontstretch fence before returning to the racing surface. It wasn't clear whether fans were struck by debris from the car or the fence.
"I don't know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands," Edwards said.
Restrictor plates, used at Daytona in Florida and Talladega in an attempt to combat high speeds, often keep the field bunched. There was a 13-car accident on Lap 7 and a 10-car wreck with nine laps to go.
Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., was seventh and Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw was 36th of 43.
Other races
• Scott Dixon held off Helio Castroneves down the stretch to win the Road Runner Turbo Indy 500, an IndyCar Series event at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
• Brawn GP's Jenson Button won the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in Sakhir, his third victory in four F1 starts this season. Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel was second.
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
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