Second straight win for Edwards
Carl Edwards took his second consecutive Nextel Cup win, moving him up to third in the points standings, just 77 behind leader Tony Stewart
Edwards made a sensational charge back at the Texas Motor Speedway from sixth place on the final eleven laps, overtaking veteran NASCAR drivers and Chase for the Cup champions lap after lap. And, with just two laps to go, the 26-year-old overtook Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin for the lead.
"Carl was spectacular," Martin said afterwards. "It was a great call. The right car won the race."
Edwards was equally humble in victory, claiming Martin was only beaten because the two ran on a different pitstop strategy.
"My hat's off to Mark," Edwards said. "He almost won this race. It was only the tyres that beat him; he had the best car."
Edwards and Martin's teammate Matt Kenseth finished the race in third, giving Roush Racing their third 1-2-3 finish of the season. All three moved up one place in the Cup standings, with Kenseth in sixth and Martin in fifth position - the latter only one point behind fourth placed Greg Biffle.
Points leader Stewart finished today's Dixies 500 race in sixth, with his nearest points rival Jimmie Johnson beating him to fifth place with two laps to go. Stewart's lead over Johnson has now narrowed to 38 points.
But Edwards remains a strong, if not surprising contender for the 2005 title. In only his first full Nextel Cup season, he is within realistic contention - but Edwards vowed to change nothing in his preparation for the final two races of the season.
"Four wins, man, I can't believe it," Edwards said, after making his traditional backflip in victory lane. "We're not going to change a thing. We're out to win this championship and we'll do it by having fun.
"That way, if we lose it, we're still going to have fun."
Pos Driver Make Laps 1. Carl Edwards Ford 334 Chase 2. Mark Martin Ford 334 Chase 3. Matt Kenseth Ford 334 Chase 4. Casey Mears Dodge 334 5. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 334 Chase 6. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 334 Chase 7. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 334 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 334 9. Elliott Sadler Ford 334 10. Kurt Busch Ford 334 Chase 11. Jamie McMurray Dodge 334 12. Dale Jarrett Ford 334 13. Ricky Rudd Ford 334 14. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 334 15. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 334 16. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 334 17. Mike Bliss Chevrolet 334 18. Jeff Green Dodge 334 19. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 334 20. Greg Biffle Ford 334 Chase 21. Kyle Petty Dodge 334 22. Rusty Wallace Dodge 334 Chase 23. Sterling Marlin Dodge 334 24. Travis Kvapil Dodge 334 25. Ryan Newman Dodge 334 Chase 26. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 333 27. Scott Wimmer Dodge 333 28. Dave Blaney Chevrolet 333 29. Ken Schrader Dodge 333 30. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 333 31. Terry Labonte Chevrolet 333 32. Bill Elliott Dodge 333 33. Kevin Lepage Ford 331 34. Scott Riggs Chevrolet 331 35. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 330 Chase 36. Mike Wallace Chevrolet 330 37. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 329 38. Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet 328 39. Jimmy Spencer Dodge 327 40. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 325 41. Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 294 42. Kasey Kahne Dodge 151 43. Mike Skinner Dodge 151 Chase for the Cup - points standings: Pos Driver Points Change 1. Tony Stewart 6255 = 2. Jimmie Johnson 6217 = 3. Carl Edwards 6178 +1 4. Greg Biffle 6133 -1 5. Mark Martin 6132 +1 6. Matt Kenseth 6120 +1 7. Ryan Newman 6081 -2 8. Kurt Busch 5974 +1 9. Rusty Wallace 5940 -1 10. Jeremy Mayfield 5848 =
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