NASCAR Darlington: Carl Edwards wins Southern 500 for Joe Gibbs
Carl Edwards battled back from two laps down to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
Edwards lost two laps early in the race after a pit miscommunication meant he stayed out on old tyres, but he fought his way back into the top three, before taking the lead at the final round of stops.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver controlled the last restart, leading the final eight laps to claim his second win of the year after victory at Charlotte, in what was a stop-start race interrupted by 18 cautions.
Polesitter Brad Keselowski led 196 of the 367 laps for Penske, but he ultimately had to settle for second, 0.902 seconds behind Edwards at the chequered flag.
Edwards' Joe Gibbs team-mate Denny Hamlin featured at the front throughout the race, but was dropped by the leading pair off the final restart, coming home third, ahead of Joey Logano.
Kevin Harvick, the 2014 winner at Darlington, went into the last 20 laps running in second, but dropped to fifth on the final pass through pit road.
Kurt Busch survived a late spin after a tap from Martin Truex Jr to take sixth, ahead of brother Kyle.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled his way from a starting spot of 22nd to finish in eighth, while Truex and Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10.
Aric Almirola strengthened his chances of progressing into the Chase with a run to 11th, with rival Clint Bowyer five spots back in 16th.
Six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson ended a disappointing race down in 19th.
The Hendrick Motorsports racer was fortunate to avoid a penalty for cutting the entrance to the pitlane, while he also suffered a big spin after contact with Logano.
Michigan winner Matt Kenseth battled back to finish 21st after losing time early on following a brush with the wall.
RESULTS:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 |
2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 367 |
3 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 |
4 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 367 |
5 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
6 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
7 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 |
8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 |
9 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
10 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
11 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 367 |
12 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 |
13 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
14 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
15 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
16 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 |
17 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 367 |
18 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 367 |
19 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 |
20 | Landon Cassill | Hillman Smith Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 |
21 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 |
22 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
23 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
24 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
25 | Matt DiBenedetto | BK Racing | Toyota | 367 |
26 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 |
27 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 367 |
28 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 367 |
29 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 366 |
30 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 366 |
31 | Jeb Burton | BK Racing | Toyota | 364 |
32 | Mike Bliss | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 363 |
33 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 354 |
34 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | 348 |
35 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 342 |
36 | Brett Moffitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 332 |
37 | T.J. Bell | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | 325 |
38 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 313 |
39 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 |
40 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 275 |
41 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 227 |
42 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 190 |
43 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 5 |
LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
Pos | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Kevin Harvick | 948 |
2 | Joey Logano | 906 |
3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 855 |
4 | Brad Keselowski | 837 |
5 | Jimmie Johnson | 817 |
6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 806 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 776 |
8 | Denny Hamlin | 754 |
9 | Kurt Busch | 752 |
10 | Jamie McMurray | 726 |
11 | Ryan Newman | 714 |
12 | Carl Edwards | 713 |
13 | Jeff Gordon | 700 |
14 | Paul Menard | 692 |
15 | Clint Bowyer | 682 |
16 | Aric Almirola | 653 |
17 | Kasey Kahne | 651 |
18 | Greg Biffle | 598 |
19 | Kyle Larson | 586 |
20 | Austin Dillon | 586 |
21 | A.J. Allmendinger | 536 |
22 | Casey Mears | 531 |
23 | Danica Patrick | 527 |
24 | Tony Stewart | 496 |
25 | David Ragan | 495 |
26 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 492 |
27 | Kyle Busch | 471 |
28 | Trevor Bayne | 452 |
29 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 440 |
30 | Justin Allgaier | 420 |
PROVISIONAL CHASE LINE-UP (ONE ROUND BEFORE CUT-OFF)
Jimmie Johnson (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4 wins), Joey Logano (3 wins), Matt Kenseth (3 wins), Kevin Harvick (2 wins), Dale Earnhardt Jr (2 wins), Kurt Busch (2 wins), Carl Edwards (2 wins), Brad Keselowski (1 win), Martin Truex Jr (1 win), Denny Hamlin (1 win), Jamie McMurray (726 points), Ryan Newman (714 points), Jeff Gordon (700 points), Paul Menard (692 points), Clint Bowyer (682 points)
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