Edwards wins NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Bristol
Sunday, August 26, 2007, 10:56 AM - Auto Racing
Never before had Carl Edwards done his patented Victory Lane back-flip with such relish, pride and emotion."This is the race," he said after winning Saturday night's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. To do it, he held off previously dominant Kasey Kahne in the final 150 laps.
"This is the biggest win of my career," Edwards said of his sixth in the Nextel Cup Series, and second this season. "To win at Bristol, I think, is everybody's dream.
"I don't know if this is going to sink in. This is 'The Night Race at Bristol,' 500 laps, and we won it."
He and Kahne made it almost entirely a two-car show rather than the wild slugfest this race has become. Kahne led 305 laps, Edwards 182, and no other driver led more than three.
Kahne dominated more than 60% of the race, but Edwards was able to catch up and force a duel between Laps 330-335, largely because Michael Waltrip wouldn't move his lapped car out of the way of the front-runners.
After that, Edwards' Ford was simply superior to Kahne's Dodge. Kahne finished 1.4 seconds behind, followed by Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"I think for the first 300 laps we were probably the best car," Kahne said. "After that, Carl came on stronger at the end. I just couldn't get back to him. He was a touch better through the center of the corners, and he could get back in his throttle a little quicker down the straightaways."
Edwards credited his crew chief, engineer Bob Osborne, for making the adjustments that wrested dominance from Kahne.
"Bob just kept making adjustments; he's a really smart guy," Edwards said. "The car just kept getting better and better." - See Edwards wins NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Bristol for the complete article.
add comment Rain may put damper on NASCAR schedule
Monday, August 20, 2007, 10:59 AM - Auto Racing
Steady rain forced NASCAR to postpone the Nextel Cup race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
The 3M Performance 400 was rescheduled for 9 a.m. PDT today, but the forecast called for more rain today and possibly Tuesday.
It was the fourth time this year that a Cup race was rescheduled because of poor weather.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said that if the 200-lap race was postponed both today and Tuesday, NASCAR would then have to decide whether to hold the race Wednesday or push it back to the end of the season.
Running the race as late as Wednesday is problematic because the Cup teams need time to move their cars and personnel to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in time for practice and qualifying ahead of the next race Saturday night. NASCAR's Cup champion is determined by the Chase for the Cup, a 10-race playoff among the 12 drivers highest in points after the season's first 26 races. There are four races left to decide which drivers qualify.
The first of the Chase races is scheduled at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sept. 16. But if the Michigan race can't be held this week, New Hampshire would become the 26th race to decide the Chase field.
That means the final race of the year, currently scheduled Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida, would instead be held here in southern Michigan, possibly the day after Thanksgiving, Poston said. - See Rain may put damper on NASCAR schedule for the complete article.
Leffler scores first Busch win for Toyota
Saturday, July 28, 2007, 11:37 PM - Auto Racing
Jason Leffler drove Toyota to its first victory in the NASCAR Busch Series with a rousing run from seventh to first in the final 37 laps Saturday in the Kroger 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
It was Leffler's second Busch win in 139 starts. The 31-year-old Braun Racing driver was running fifth when he gambled and stopped for tires under caution on Lap 142 at the 0.686-mile track. He fell to 12th.
The top four cars of Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, David Reutimann and Ron Hornaday stayed out. Leffler showed his strength by charging back to seventh in nine green-flag laps wrapped around two cautions.
When the race went green with 37 laps to go, Leffler moved up to fourth behind Biffle, Edwards and Reutimann, who were waging a tremendous battle at the front.
Edwards and Biffle, both in Roush Fenway Racing Fords, ran side-by-side for five laps before Edwards pulled in behind his teammate on Lap 170.
Reutimann, in Michael Waltrip Racing's Toyota, passed Edwards five laps later, moving high exiting Turn 4 and carrying the momentum to the inside in Turn 1.
Leffler passed Edwards for third a few laps later and began working on Reutimann. Leffler went into second with 15 laps remaining, moving past on the inside exiting Turn 2.
"I had to get rough there with the 99 (Reutimann)," Leffler said. "He's probably not very happy with me right now, but I had to get past."
That left Biffle, who had led all but one lap -- when Edwards had beaten him by a foot -- since Lap 103.
Leffler had pulled a few feet in front of Biffle when the race's final caution came out on Lap 193, but Biffle still was scored the leader because he was out front at the previous scoring loop when the field was frozen for the yellow flag. - See Leffler scores first Busch win for Toyota for the complete article.
Tony Stewart Ends 20-Race Winless Streak.
Monday, July 16, 2007, 11:04 AM - Auto Racing
Tony Stewart finally broke through for his first victory of the season, holding off Matt Kenseth on several late-race restarts Sunday to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Stewart, who has spent this week in a high-profile feud with teammate Denny Hamlin, climbed the frontstretch fence in celebration, but seemed more relieved than elated by the victory.
Stewart broke a 20-race winless streak dating to last season thanks in part to a hard crash by contender Jimmie Johnson, who was running second behind Stewart with 45 laps left when his tire went flat.
Johnson walked away from the crash into the wall without any serious injuries beyond a sore elbow, but it left his car mangled and ruined his chance at a victory.
"I thought the drive shaft came out of the car, it was so violent," Johnson said.
The accident jumbled pit strategies for the race leaders, most of whom only needed a splash of fuel to make it to the end when they pitted with 40 laps left.
After a quick pit stop, Stewart came out of the pits with the lead, ahead of Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. Kenseth pulled side-by-side to challenge Stewart on the restart, but Stewart held him off until another caution flag came out for a crash by J.J. Yeley 20 laps later.
Kenseth said that was his "one shot" to get past Stewart but he nearly lost control of his car while making the move, and backed off to finish second.
"I had that one shot at him, and I couldn't quite finish the pass," Kenseth said. - See Tony Stewart Ends 20-Race Winless Streak for the complete article.
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