Edwards closes in on Busch with win at Michigan
Edwards closes in on Busch with win at Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Carl Edwards looked in his mirrors and saw the guy he had to beat.
With two laps remaining and one final restart coming up in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Busch _ the only driver that Edwards trails in the points _ was right on his rear bumper.
Edwards said he thought about the race last month at Chicagoland Speedway when Busch passed two-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson after a late-race restart for one of his season-high eight victories.
"I just didn't want to have to go through the pain, so I just did everything I could to have the best restart I could, and it worked out great," Edward said after racing away to his fifth win of the season.
And Edwards hopes that's just a preview of what's coming up in the Chase for the championship.
"We're winning races," Edwards said. "We're gearing up for the Chase. I'm feeling stronger than ever. We're here to win championships. That's what we're shooting for."
With just three races remaining until the start of the 10-race Chase, Edwards closed the gap on series leader Busch with his second victory in the last three races. Edwards also completed a rare weekend sweep on the 2-mile Michigan oval, adding the win in the 3M Performance 400 to a victory Saturday in the Nationwide Series event.
While the 23-year-old Busch has had a great season, winning eight times and building a big lead in the regular-season points, Edwards, who turned 29 on Friday, has kept the youngster in sight.
When the 12-man Chase begins next month at New Hampshire, all of the eligible drivers will be seeded, with 10 bonus points added to their base total of 5,000 for each victory. Edwards lost one 10-point bonus because of a penalty early in the season, but would still be just 40 points behind Busch if the Chase began next week.The greatest part is we didn't give up more bonus points to Kyle," Edwards said. "He's just so strong. Every time I win and he finishes second that's really a 20-point spread for us. That's what we have to keep doing, is to try and win the next three events and go into this Chase on even ground."
Busch knows he has a battle on his hands.
"Carl's right there," he said. "He has been all year. Yeah, it's a 20-point swing. We've got to live with it. Hopefully, we can make it up someplace else."
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Carl Edwards looked in his mirrors and saw the guy he had to beat.With two laps remaining and one final restart coming up in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Busch _ the only driver that Edwards trails in the points _ was right on his rear bumper.
Edwards said he thought about the race last month at Chicagoland Speedway when Busch passed two-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson after a late-race restart for one of his season-high eight victories.
"I just didn't want to have to go through the pain, so I just did everything I could to have the best restart I could, and it worked out great," Edward said after racing away to his fifth win of the season.
And Edwards hopes that's just a preview of what's coming up in the Chase for the championship.
"We're winning races," Edwards said. "We're gearing up for the Chase. I'm feeling stronger than ever. We're here to win championships. That's what we're shooting for."
With just three races remaining until the start of the 10-race Chase, Edwards closed the gap on series leader Busch with his second victory in the last three races. Edwards also completed a rare weekend sweep on the 2-mile Michigan oval, adding the win in the 3M Performance 400 to a victory Saturday in the Nationwide Series event.
While the 23-year-old Busch has had a great season, winning eight times and building a big lead in the regular-season points, Edwards, who turned 29 on Friday, has kept the youngster in sight.
When the 12-man Chase begins next month at New Hampshire, all of the eligible drivers will be seeded, with 10 bonus points added to their base total of 5,000 for each victory. Edwards lost one 10-point bonus because of a penalty early in the season, but would still be just 40 points behind Busch if the Chase began next week.The greatest part is we didn't give up more bonus points to Kyle," Edwards said. "He's just so strong. Every time I win and he finishes second that's really a 20-point spread for us. That's what we have to keep doing, is to try and win the next three events and go into this Chase on even ground."
Busch knows he has a battle on his hands.
"Carl's right there," he said. "He has been all year. Yeah, it's a 20-point swing. We've got to live with it. Hopefully, we can make it up someplace else."
posted by fathima @ 6:55 AM
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