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CUP: Edwards Triumphs At MIS
Written by: Tom Jensen   
08/17/2008
Brooklyn, Mich.
 
Carl Edwards celebrates after winning the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. (John Harrelson/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos

Carl Edwards fended off a hard charge from Kyle Busch to win Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway to win his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Edwards, who is second to Busch in the points standings, held off his rival to win what was a huge day for the Roush squad, as David Ragan finished third, Greg Biffle fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth, all in Roush Fords.

Second-qualifier Jimmie Johnson used a push from his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take the lead at the start, the two Chevrolets dropping pole-sitter Brian Vickers to third. Earnhardt, who won the June Michigan race, took the lead on Lap 8 to pickup five bonus points.

The first caution came on Lap 20, when Marcos Ambrose lost an engine in the Wood Brothers Ford. After a round of pit stops, the order out was Johnson, Vickers, Earnhardt, Patrick Carpentier, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Tony Raines and Greg Biffle.

Earnhardt took second from Vickers on Lap 28 and a lap later blew by teammate Johnson to reassume the point. Also charging was Kyle Busch, who took over second from Johnson on Lap 30. Three laps later, Vickers took over third from Johnson, who was starting to fade. But the man on mission was Carl Edwards, who qualified 27th, but on Lap 34 passed Johnson to take over fourth place.

Vickers took the lead at the one-quarter distance, and with 50 laps in the books, he led Earnhardt, Busch, Edwards, Biffle,
Gordon, Johnson, Sadler, Kurt Busch and Carpentier. Green-flag pit stops began at Lap 64, just prior to the one-third distance of the 200-lap race. After the stops cycled through, Earnhardt reclaimed the lead ahead of Edwards, Vickers, Biffle and Kyle Busch.

Edwards, who won the Nationwide Series at MIS on Saturday, took the lead for the first time on Lap 75, pulling Vickers with him into second a lap later.

The second caution came on Lap 86, when Paul Menard hit Ryan Newman, pushing him into Dave Blaney’s car on the backstretch and lifting it up in the air briefly. The wreck happened right in front of leader Edwards. The leaders all pitted under yellow, with Edwards leading Biffle, Vickers, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Sadler, Kurt Busch and Carpentier.

On the restart, Biffle took the lead, while Johnson had to pit again after Tony Stewart, who was on the outside, knocked Johnson down into Jeff Gordon, cutting a left-front tire on Johnson’s car. That put him a lap down.

Edwards quickly went back out front, as Kyle Busch took second from Biffle and began running down the leading Ford.

Caution No. 3 came on Lap 97, when Gordon cut a right-front tire — likely as a result of the earlier contact with Johnson’s car — and went hard into the wall. That was not what Gordon wanted with just three more races remaining after the Chase. The leaders all pitted again, Edwards coming out ahead of Biffle, Kyle Busch, Vickers and Ragan.

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