Carl Edwards Conquers Concrete Monster for Nationwide Win
Carl Edwards could now be dubbed ‘King of the Concrete’ after a conquering win at the Monster Mile in the 26th Annual OneMain Financial 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
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[/media-credit]The driver of the No. 60 Fastenal Ford even did his trademark victory back flip, although not quite sticking the landing due to the high banking at Dover International Speedway.
“My back flip was terrible,” Edwards said. “I was nervous doing it on the banking. I’m not going to do it tomorrow if I win because there is too much banking.”
Edwards also made his traditional foray into the crowds to celebrate his victory. On the way, he signed one fan’s Subway car and received plenty of congratulations.
“There was one guy up there that had all my gear on and he was just pumped,” Edwards said. “It’s just neat up there and all the drivers should try it.”
This was Edwards’ seventh win of the season. But more important, this was Edwards’ ninth win on the concrete, scoring him a perfect driver rating.
“That was a great race,” Edwards said. “It all starts at the shop because these Ford Mustangs are spectacular.”
“That was a very fast car,” Edwards continued. “Pit stops were great. Strategy was great. And we hung on for the win.”
Mike Beam, Edwards’ crew chief, echoed his driver’s sentiments.
“We really worked hard on the car,” Beam said. “Carl’s feedback was perfect. It worked out well.”
Team owner Jack Roush praised the chemistry of the team, as well as all of the members of the group that works on the car.
“It’s been a great team,” Roush said on the one year anniversary of the team coming together. “We put our Nationwide shop in the same location as the Cup shop. So, the help that Ford was giving would help all of the teams.”
“Thankfully, Carl didn’t crack his noggin on his back flip.”
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge, finished second.
“I almost felt like we were first in class until the restarts,” Keselowski said. “We did a great job with our Ruby Tuesday Dodge Challenger.”
“Carl was just way faster than anyone else,” Keselowski continued. “We weren’t as good as Carl was.”
“I thought we were going to steal one with strategy but it wasn’t meant to be,” Keselowski said. “We just didn’t have enough for him today.”
Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Heating Cooling and Water Heating Chevrolet, scored the third spot in the finishing order.
“I was pretty sure we weren’t first in class,” Bowyer said with a chuckle. “The caution came out and took two tires and then we had to take four and lost a lot of track position.”
“We just got beat up on pretty bad,” Bowyer continued. “Carl was fast and he was the class of the field.”
Ryan Truex, driving the No. 20 Heinz 57 Sauce Toyota, was the race’s top finishing rookie, bringing his race car home in eighth position. Not to be confused with his brother, Cup driver Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan still showed the same affinity for his local, home track.
“I don’t appreciate being called Martin,” Truex said in the media center when he was incorrectly introduced. “But we had a great day.”
“The caution got us off sequence,” Truex continued. “We deserved to be top five.”
“It’s great when you can have good cars and run like that but it’s disappointing when you don’t get the finish you thought you should.”
Probably the luckiest driver on the track for this Nationwide race was Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. Dollar General Chevrolet, who finished seventh.
Sorenson benefitted from a NASCAR error where he should have gone to the rear of the field due to pitting too early, however, NASCAR failed to get the information to him in a timely manner.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Sorenson said. “I knew a lot of cars had to do the wave around. I don’t think it would have affected where we finished.”
“I don’t know what the problem was but all in all it was a top-10 day for the Dollar General car.”
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., driving the No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford, scored a top five finish. But more important, he came out of the Monster Mile with the points lead, 22 points over Elliott Sadler.
“I wish I would have been a little bit better,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “We just never had the car the way we needed it.”
“We stayed tight the whole day,” Stenhouse continued. “We didn’t make any mistakes and that’s what we need to do each and every week.”
“A top five is definitely a good result for us.”
Stenhouse Jr. now sees himself and his team as in control of the championship competition.
“I think we’re in control for sure but we have to control what we do,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “I’ve got to keep it out of the fence and keep the fenders on it.”
“We’ve got a real good shot at this thing,” Stenhouse said. “We have a race team that’s pretty determined to win this thing.”
No doubt, Elliott Sadler, who had started from the pole position in his No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, was the most disappointed driver coming out of the Monster Mile. Sadler finished fourteenth, trailing Stenhouse Jr. in the point standings.
“We were a little bit too loose with the cloud cover,” Sadler said. “My car would get too free. As soon as we pitted, the caution came out and it put us in a bigger hole.”
Sadler, however, is still hopeful about his championship hopes.
“We got five races left and anything can happen,” Sadler said. “I got to do a better job in practice for how I like it in practice to be able to get into Victory Lane.”
“We just have to find that next level and we will have to win a race or two to get back into this.”
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| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| OneMain Financial 200, Dover International Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=29 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Make | Points | |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 8 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | 0 |
| 3 | 4 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | 38 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 39 |
| 6 | 9 | 16 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 38 |
| 7 | 19 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 37 |
| 8 | 5 | 20 | Ryan Truex * | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 13 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 10 | 14 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | 34 |
| 11 | 11 | 11 | Brian Scott | Toyota | 33 |
| 12 | 18 | 62 | Michael Annett | Toyota | 32 |
| 13 | 3 | 18 | Joey Logano | Toyota | 0 |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 31 |
| 15 | 16 | 88 | Aric Almirola | Chevrolet | 29 |
| 16 | 10 | 9 | Kenny Wallace | Toyota | 28 |
| 17 | 15 | 7 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 18 | 23 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Chevrolet | 26 |
| 19 | 17 | 30 | Jason Leffler | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 12 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Toyota | 24 |
| 21 | 22 | 81 | Blake Koch * | Dodge | 23 |
| 22 | 42 | 15 | Timmy Hill * | Ford | 22 |
| 23 | 31 | 39 | Fain Skinner | Ford | 21 |
| 24 | 27 | 14 | Eric McClure | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 25 | 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 41 | 28 | Derrike Cope | Dodge | 18 |
| 27 | 37 | 52 | Kevin Lepage | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 28 | 36 | 70 | Casey Roderick | Chevrolet | 16 |
| 29 | 21 | 1 | Mike Wallace | Chevrolet | 16 |
| 30 | 24 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | 14 |
| 31 | 25 | 23 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 32 | 33 | 171 | Matthew Carter | Ford | 12 |
| 33 | 40 | 40 | Josh Wise | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 34 | 175 | Carl Long | Ford | 10 |
| 35 | 35 | 141 | Johnny Chapman | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 36 | 38 | 49 | Mark Green | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 37 | 26 | 104 | Kelly Bires | Ford | 7 |
| 38 | 20 | 147 | Charles Lewandoski * | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 39 | 43 | 146 | Chase Miller | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 40 | 30 | 142 | Tim Andrews | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 41 | 28 | 182 | Scott Wimmer | Dodge | 3 |
| 42 | 32 | 150 | T.J. Bell | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 43 | 29 | 44 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 1 |
Martin Truex Jr. Scores Monstrous Pole at Track He Owes
At a track that he considers home, as well as the one to whom he owes the launching of his Cup career, Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 Napa Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, scored his first pole of the season.
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[/media-credit]This was Truex’s sixth pole in his Cup career but his second in 12 races at Dover International Speedway. Truex conquered the concrete mile for the fastest lap at a time of 22.641 seconds and a speed of 159.004 mph.
“It was a good lap,” Truex Jr. said. “I knew it was good coming off of (Turn) Four but you never know exactly what kind of time you have to run, especially today with the track being so much faster than in practice yesterday.”
Truex Jr. also affirmed his affection and affinity for the Monster Mile, which is just two hours away from Mayetta, New Jersey where he grew up.
“It’s always nice to come here to Dover,” Truex Jr. said. “I love this place.”
“I feel like I understand what it takes to get around the place,” Truex said. “It’s a really challenging and difficult race track and if you don’t like it, it’s one of those places that you’re never going to figure out.”
“I really enjoy the place and I’ve had good race cars too.”
Truex Jr. also hopes that being on the pole can catapult his team back to Victory Lane, a place where he has not been in awhile.
“I feel good we can get back there this weekend,” Truex said. “Certainly our team has done a phenomenal job the second half of the year.
“We’ve had some really strong runs lately,” Truex continued. “This is a great thing for us. It would be nice to get back to Victory Lane before the season is out.”
Truex Jr. was also proud that he was able to outrun the Chase competitors for the pole position. Having said that, however, he still lamented that he was not chasing the Cup championship this year.
“It doesn’t feel good to not be in it,” Truex Jr. said. “But this is what we come to the race track to do every weekend.”
“Today we were the best out of the cars out of the race track,” Truex continued. “If we do this next year, we will be in the Chase.”
Truex, Jr. was just 0.003 seconds ahead of second place qualifier Kurt Busch, driving the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge. This was Busch’s 17th top-10 start of 2011 and his 15th in 23 races at the Monster Mile.
“This has always been a fun track to qualify on and one you have to get really amped up for,” Busch said. “It was a nice lap for us but I left a little bit on the table.”
“Sure enough Martin Truex Jr. got us by three thousandth of a second.”
Busch acknowledged that qualifying was a challenge after a night of rain led to a ‘green’ race track.
“It’s difficult,” Busch said. “I remember in years past when the track would be fresh from rain and it would be on the looser side. But when you are on the tight side at the Monster Mile, you don’t have the speed.”
Busch also said that he was not worried in the least about being the only car in the Chase to qualify in the front of the pack.
“It won’t be scary,” Busch said. “We’re qualified on the front row so you have to trust the guys around you.”
“That’s only lap one of the race,” Busch continued. “You race your own race and let it all pan out.”
“When you get to the final two pit stops, that’s when you look for the other Chase guys.”
Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, qualified in the third spot. This was Menard’s third top-10 start at Dover and his 14th in 29 races in the 2011 season to date.
“It was a good run for us,” Menard said. “Obviously, I wanted that pole.”
“I’m still shaking a little bit from the run,” Menard continued. “It takes a lot to get up on the wheel after not practicing. Starting P3 is pretty good for us.”
Carl Edwards, behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford, and Kyle Busch, this week in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota rounded out the top five in qualifying for the AAA 400.
Darrell Wallace Jr. and Max Gresham Duo Winners at Dover
There were dueling victory lane celebrations after the final NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, the Dover 150, at the Monster Mile.
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[/media-credit]Darrell Wallace, Jr., driving the No. 6 US Army Toyota for Revolution Racing, scored his third win of the season in the final race, while Max Gresham, fielding the No. 18 Live Oak Plantation Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished off the season as champion.
Although one a race winner and the other a champion, both drivers were equally emotional about their victories. The win was especially powerful for Wallace due to a loss he suffered in his personal life last weekend.
“It was an emotional win for me, especially losing my uncle this past Saturday,” Wallace Jr. said, “It was tough.”
“I put his name over my name on the door,” Wallace continued. “He was riding shot gun with us and he’s the one who put us in Victory Lane.”
Wallace not only enjoyed the racing at the Monster Mile, but the trophy too.
“This race was fun,” Wallace said. “I love this track.”
“Dover is my favorite track, not just because I won but because it teaches you a lot, how to pass cars, go fast and turn laps,” Wallace continued. “But I’m more tired from carrying this thing (Miles the Monster trophy) around than racing out on the track.”
Wallace is just seventeen years old, with his ‘big 18th’ birthday coming up next Saturday. Under the tutelage of Andy Santerre, former Busch North champ, and with the support of the US Army as sponsor, the young driver has also been responsible for half of the wins for Revolution Racing this past season.
“Revolution Racing and the US Army not only got us to Victory Lane today, but also got us three wins and three poles and getting us to the race track each weekend we had a race,” Wallace Jr. said. “It just goes to show how ‘Army Strong’ we are.”
As strong as Wallace was, there was one stronger car and driver in the field, at least as far as the championship. Max Gresham, who ran every lap of the season, was officially crowned the K&N Pro Series East champ.
“This has been the best season I’ve ever had,” Gresham said. “It will be a good one for the records book for a long time for ourselves.”
“You can’t ask for anything better than that,” Gresham continued. “It’s been a great year for us.”
“To be a NASCAR champion is the biggest thing and pretty much the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do when I started racing,” Gresham said emotionally. “And now I am.”
Crew chief Bryant Frazier seconded his driver’s assessment of the winning season. In addition to this championship, Frazier is also best known for being Tony Stewart’s first crew chief.
“Wow, this is an awesome day,” Frazier said. “It’s been something coming all year.”
“Max has done an excellent job,” Frazier continued. “It’s a testament to the Gibbs and everyone who works throughout this sport.”
Steve Desouza, Vice President of Nationwide and Driver Development for Joe Gibbs Racing, also spoke of his pride for the driver, as well as the pride he had for the team in Gresham’s K&N Pro Series East championship.
“Speaking on behalf of the Gibbs, what an honor to be part of this Series,” Desouza said. “It’s been a great development series for us.”
“We’re really proud of Bryant and Max and the job our entire group has done,” Desouza continued. “Max is an incredible talent and our guys have worked very hard for the championship this year.”
Gresham’s major competition for the championship, Brett Moffitt, looked like he might have a chance to pull off the upset, leading the race in the waning laps. Moffitt, in his No. 00 AAA/Michael Waltrip Racing machine, however, blew a tire and hit the wall to finish 21st.
“It was unfortunate for him that he blew that right front tire but good for us,” Gresham said of Moffitt. “As soon as it happened, there was a big sigh of relief and we just slowed down and finished third.”
“I’ve never been happier finishing third.”
Both Gresham and Wallace Jr. acknowledged that not only are they winners, but they have also both learned many lessons throughout this race season. And one of those lessons is that patience is a virtue.
“I think the biggest lesson that I’ve learned this year is patience,” Gresham said. “It’s definitely played a lot into finishing every lap and finishing top five and top ten as much as we did.”
“Not letting my nerves get the better of me and staying calm, being patient and not pushing the issue was the key.”
“The lesson that I’ve learned is to not get in over my head like in situations like today,” Wallace Jr. said. “Just a lot of patience, car control and everything there is to racing.”
“I’ve still got a lot to learn.”
With the race win and championship now in their rear view mirrors, both Wallace Jr. and Gresham took a moment to think about their futures. But for both winning drivers, that future is uncertain at present.
“I don’t know yet what I will do next year,” Wallace Jr. said. “When I do, I’ll let you know.”
“Hopefully by winning this race, we’ve opened some eyes and opened some ears.”
“Watching Max since he has been with us, he has learned to race well,” Desouza said of Gresham’s future. “I would venture to say that you’ll be seeing him in Nationwide and more than likely in Cup in the future.”
“He’s done a great job and he’s done a nice job of bringing this group together and applying it on the race track.”
Following Darrell Wallace Jr., race winner, were Dale Quarterly, Max Gresham, Eddie MacDonald, and Andrew Smith as the top-five finishers. Benny Gordon, Ryan Gifford, Brandon McReynolds, Dylan Presnell and Jeff Anton rounded out the top ten.
