Carl Edwards wins Nationwide race, delays Kyle Busch's championship party
Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards emerges from his car after winning Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. // Mark Sluder, NASCAR Scene
Related story: Denny Hamlin vows to retaliate against Brad Keselowski
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Carl Edwards did what he had to do, and for once, he actually got Kyle Busch to cooperate.
Edwards led the most laps and won the Able Body Labor 200 on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway as Busch finished ninth, two spots short of clinching the NASCAR Nationwide Series title one week early.
All Busch needs to do is start next weekend's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the title, but Edwards’ strong performance prevented the Joe Gibbs Racing driver from hoisting the trophy at Phoenix.
“I know Kyle has almost clinched the championship, but that’s what we came here to do, is win this race,” Edwards said.
Said an irritated Busch on his team radio: “Not one thing went our way today, guys. Have to go on and do it next week. … We didn’t get it today because we didn’t deserve it. Oh well.”
Unable to do his traditional backflip because of a still-healing broken foot, Edwards got down on the pavement at the start/finish line and did a somersault instead.
In just his second start with new crew chief Mike Kelley, Edwards dominated the second half of the race and led 109 laps after Busch’s teammate Denny Hamlin seemed to run away with the first portion of the event.
Hamlin was still in contention late, but bumped nemesis Brad Keselowski, who responded by spinning Hamlin.
Afterward, Hamlin all but guaranteed revenge on Keselowski next week.
“There’s a lot of guys that owe him,” Hamlin said. “There’s a lot of guys that have a lot of chips that they’re going to cash in – I’m just going to be the first at the pay window.”
Asked if NASCAR needed to intervene with Keselowski’s aggressive driving, Hamlin said simply, “Nah, I’ll take care of him. I got it.”
Keselowski said he didn’t understand why Hamlin continued to hold a grudge against him and said “I don’t know why he wanted to do that.
“Denny got in the back of me and pushed me up the track,” Keselowski said. “I was going to return the favor. When he did it to me, I saved it; when I did it to him, he didn’t.”
