Despite being blasted from nearly every angle by competitors for the loose oil tank lid that allegedly gave them an on-track advantage, Carl Edwards and Jack Roush defended their innocence while fielding questions from the media Friday afternoon. “I swear it was not an intentional thing,” Edwards said. “It doesn’t change what I’m gonna do; I just drive the race car as fast as I can. It’s not my responsibility to tighten that bolt.” Earlier in the day, nearly every fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup driver or owner who was asked about the penalty condemned Edwards and his Roush Fenway team for intentionally loosening the lid. “You can tell a lot about people by the way they act,” Edwards said. “People get worked up about it; we’ve got ’em where we want ’em. It’s not a big deal to me personally; it’s almost comical.” For owner Jack Roush, it’s certainly not a laughing matter. While he wouldn’t rule out appealing the decision, he did say he’d made a certain peace with what had transpired. “If NASCAR’s decided that your car is out of variance, regardless if you’re culpable or did it with intent, and then there’s a penalty … that’s fine, just do it every time,” Roush said.(AMS Pit Note)(3-8-2008)
