WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 10, 2014) – Driving his No. 99 Cheez-It Ford in the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Edwards arrived to Watkins Glen International hoping to sweep the road courses in 2014. The Missouri-native lined up 16th to start and landed his fifth top-five finish, taking his Ford Fusion to a fifth place finish at the checkered flag.
The 2.45-mile road course puts drivers’ skills to the test and the 200-mile race endured several cautions and two red flags through its entirety. Edwards marched up through the field quickly moving from his 16th-place starting position to enter the top-10 by lap 25.
The Cheez-It team gave Edwards fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment under the first three pit stops to help a tight condition in the carousels and a loose condition in turn seven.
A multi-car wreck happened on lap 55 and caused a prolonged red flag. Jimmy Fennig made a strategic call that put Edwards in the lead position by staying out. He led two laps and stayed in the top-five the remainder of the race.
After numerous late race cautions and on the final restart Edwards found himself in the catbird seat directly behind Marcos Ambrose and A.J. Allmendinger. Edwards drove his No. 99 Cheez-It Ford very hard trying to compete for the win, but as the checkered-flag flew with cars wrecking behind him, he captured his fifth top-five of the season and finished fifth.
“I am glad Jimmy Fennig put us in a position to be up there for the win. I am sure like everyone up there that you want the last few laps to do over again. It was a blast and a lot of fun. Thanks to Cheez-It and thanks to all the fans for coming out and making this a record crowd. Congrats to AJ, that is awesome for him. Marcos did a great job, too. Both those guys are amazing to watch. I had the best seat in the house to watch that and if we couldn’t win, at least I had a great seat to the show.”
Next up for Edwards and the No. 99 team is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 17. Race coverage begins at 1p.m. EST on ESPN. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SIRIUS radio channel 90.
