Coming to the checkered flag, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski tangle as the battle for the victory during the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. (Photo: Getty Images)

- Yes, NASCAR officials have encouraged rivalries both in meetings - we hesitate to call them "town meetings" because the term implies public access - and with rule changes. But each driver is responsible for his own actions.

- Rivalries can be productive or destructive. The Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski spat appears to have crossed the line from the former to the latter.

- Edwards and Keselowski are young men in a hurry. Each stands in the other's way, and therein lies the rub.

- Chairman Brian France says NASCAR is considering limitations on Sprint Cup drivers competing in Nationwide Series races. Is it really positive when a Cup regular wins the Nationwide title every year?

- The NASCAR version of "Sink the Bismarck," for the next seven races, is "Make the Chase." Perhaps at the end, the equivalent of a victory cry will be, "We're No. 12!"

- Two drivers have combined to win the past five Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson has won three and Tony Stewart two. Johnson has won the past two.

- A speeding penalty prevented Juan Pablo Montoya from winning last year's race. One of NASCAR's major mysteries is why Montoya has won only once and not since 2007.

- Hoosiers Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have combined to win six of the 16 NASCAR races at Indy. That probably makes another, Ryan Newman, envious.

- No official estimate was announced when NASCAR first raced at Indy in 1994, but many stories listed the crowd at 300,000 or more. The 2009 estimate was 180,000. Some track sources have suggested they will be pleased with a crowd in the 150,000 range this year.

- Out of the season's first 19 races, only five have boasted higher TV ratings than their 2009 equivalents: Phoenix, Talladega, Darlington, Charlotte and the second Daytona race.