Carl Edwards is one of a kind. He’s the only guy who will answer an e-mailer by name when he’s the in-car analyst for a race. (“Oh, thanks so much for that question, Billy.”) And yet, he’s the only driver in recent years who has been caught on camera nearly punching out a teammate.
This isn’t to say that Edwards’ congenial way is just a show. But it’s not a stretch for someone to see similarities between him and guys like Curt Schilling or Alex Rodriguez, athletes so willing to try and say the right thing that the word “pandering” could reasonably enter a conversation.
Edwards tries to wear the white hat largely due to car owner Jack Roush, a man so adverse to drama that he was happy to see Kurt Busch hit the bricks — even though Busch brought Roush the first Cup title of the Chase era.
Joe Gibbs, on the other hand, has a history of driver hostility that’s second to none, thanks to folks like Tony Stewart a…