Team owner Jack Roush and team president Geoff Smith said that Roush has had a meeting with the two, but will take a hands-off approach. If the tiff festers and becomes a detriment to the organization at large, Roush will again step.

Roush must walk a fine line between treading too lightly and trampling on his drivers.

If the meeting fails to squash the ill will, there’s a real potential for a wide rift at the top of his organization. Then it’s not much of a stretch to imagine the entire operation being pulled in two different directions. Are their teammates - Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and David Ragan - Kenseth guys or Edwards guys? What about their crews and all of the support personnel?

On the other hand, if Roush tramples too hard, he risks alienating his drivers - one of whom has won a Cup championship, the other who’s about to win a Busch championship.

A certain amount of disagreement is expected. To some degree, every professional racecar driver is a Type-A personality; along with the fearlessness they display in driving at 200 mph is a certain bullheadedness. It’s exemplified in some drivers more than others, like Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch, who will say what’s on their mind, consequences be damned. From time to time, actions and words offend, and generally the drivers have no problem telling you about it.

That hard-charging attitude likely played at least some part in getting each of those drivers to the level that they’re at.

To come down hard on those drivers risks dulling that competitive edge, however slightly.

For the Roush organization right now, that doesn’t seem like a great idea.