Edwards Claims Atlanta Busch Win
Polesitter Carl Edwards claimed his first ever Busch series win after leading the pack for the final twelve laps at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
Edwards, who is running in both the Busch and Nextel series for the first time this year, was overjoyed with the tight win over Tony Stewart, stopping his car on the finish line after the race and performing a backflip off the window sill in front of a delighted crowd.
"This is the biggest win of my career," he said in victory lane. "I was just happy to win. That was a good way to show it."
Edwards has proven Roush Racing's faith in the former truck series driver was well placed, holding off an experienced field of racers to the chequered flag. Nextel Cup regulars filled the top nine positions at the finish, after a race that was slowed by eight yellow flag periods.
The rookie had a strong restart at the final yellow, surging into the lead and storming away from the pack. Stewart led the challengers but finished over a second behind. "We just ran out of time," he later noted. "We probably needed 10 or 15 more laps."
Jimmie Johnson led for 90 of the 203 laps, but it wasn't enough and he finished third, just ahead of Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne.
Results of the Aaron's 312 - Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Pos Driver Team Laps 1. Carl Edwards Ford 203 2. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 203 3. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 203 4. Matt Kenseth Ford 203 5. Kasey Kahne Dodge 203 6. Greg Biffle Ford 203 7. Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 203 8. Elliott Sadler Ford 203 9. Jamie McMurray Dodge 203 10. Michel Jourdain Jr. Ford 203 11. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 203 12. Kenny Wallace Ford 203 13. David Stremme Dodge 203 14. Ashton Lewis Ford 203 15. Randy LaJoie Chevrolet 203 16. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 203 17. Jason Keller Ford 203 18. Bobby Hamilton Dodge 203 19. Reed Sorenson Dodge 203 20. Johnny Sauter Dodge 203 21. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 203 22. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 203 23. Blake Feese Chevrolet 203 24. Paul Menard Chevrolet 203 25. Jon Wood Ford 200 26. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 199 27. Jimmy Spencer Chevrolet 199 28. Kertus Davis Chevrolet 199 29. Derrike Cope Ford 197 30. Ryan Hemphill Dodge 195 31. Brent Sherman Dodge 185 32. Brandon Miller Chevrolet 182 33. David Green Ford 181 34. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 171 35. Kim Crosby Chevrolet 164 36. Shawna Robinson Chevrolet 160 37. Geoffrey Bodine Chevrolet 150 38. Tim Fedewa Dodge 139 39. Shane Hmiel Chevrolet 137 40. Steve Grissom Ford 114 41. Stacy Compton Ford 90 42. Justin Labonte Chevrolet 5 43. Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 2
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