Carl Edwards was concerned entering Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
He had every reason to be.
Despite starting first, with qualifying being set by points due to rain, Edwards didn’t have a car worthy of contending for the win.
Yet he still salvaged a ninth-place finish to maintain the points lead.
As late as Lap 430 of 500, Edwards said, “Last week we were trying to run around the back, this week we’re not.”
He joked after the race that he was “cruising around the back, waiting for things to work out,” but certainly the 500 laps challenged Edwards.
He first fell off the lead lap just past midway in the race when Jeff Gordon passed him on Lap 255. He was 24th at the time. But short tracks have a tendency to create races of attrition.
On Lap 435, NASCAR black-flagged Edwards, who had climbed to 19th, then rescinded the call. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the confusion with Edwards' black flag was the “initial call was going to be a penalty for him jumping out of his lane on the restart -- after reviewing video replay, there was no penalty called.”
Edwards’s crew chief Bob Osborne and spotter Jason Hedlesky directed the driver to stay calm. He did -- and just waited for the competition to fall.
Fall they did. The greatest relief came on Lap 465 when teammate Matt Kenseth, who trailed Edwards by 14 points, checked up in Turn 3 and was nailed from behind. Kenseth returned to the track, but finished 31st. He dropped to fifth in the points standings, 36 markers behind.
Denny Hamlin then put the hurt on Brad Keselowski on the final restart in Turn 2 on Lap 498. Keselowski entered the weekend third in the standings -- 18 points behind Edwards. He salvaged a 17th-place finish, but his deficit grew to 27 points.
The only driver of concern from a points standpoint was Tony Stewart. His No. 14 car dropped off the lead lap on Lap 416 after contact with Kevin Harvick that forced Stewart to pit for new tires and drop to 21st. A two-tire pit stop on Lap 459 put Stewart back into contention. A late-race caution triggered by Brian Vickers retaliating against Kenseth for an earlier bump and run, set up a green-white checkered finish with Stewart being victorious over Jimmie Johnson.
The win, Stewart’s third in the Chase, vaulted the No. 14 team to second in the standings, eight points behind Edwards.
When asked about the points leader, Stewart replied, “He better be worried. He’s not going to have an easy three weeks.”
Edwards, who acknowledged that he did not “deserve to finish ninth," felt Stewart’s declaration was just the adrenaline talking.
“He’s wound up,” Edwards said. “He won the race. We’ll see what happens in Texas.”
