Concord, NC (Best E Casino) - Martin Truex Jr. captured the 40-lap Nextel Open at the Lowe's Motor Speedway to advance to NASCAR's Nextel All-Star Challenge. The No.1 DEI Chevrolet edged Johnny Sauter who also qualified for the main event.

The Nextel All-Star Challenge is an invitation only event run on Saturday night where only winning is important. On Saturday night, the teams race for the $1 million prize that goes to the winner.

The field is made up of 21 drivers and owners who have won at least one race during the preceding year, any past series champions (last 10 years), past Nextel All-Star Challenge winners (last 10 years), the winner and runner-up of the 2006 Nextel Open and the winner of a "fan vote."

Carl Edwards started on the pole for the "Open" and the race lasted almost half-a-lap before the first of many crashes. It started when Juan Montoya went into turn two with too much speed and he clipped David Gilliland. Collected in the mess were: Paul Menard, Joe Nemechek and Jon Wood.

Meanwhile, Edwards led all 20 laps to the first "competition" caution.

The second segment began as a three-car battle between Edwards, Truex Jr. and Dave Blaney. But it didn't last that way for long. Edwards built a lead of more than one second on Truex Jr. by lap 30 and Blaney fell backwards and was caught by Johnny Sauter as both were running more than two seconds back.

Then Edwards' Ford got too tight and both Truex Jr. and Sauter passed him with a couple of laps to go. And that's the way they finished, Truex Jr. by 0.181 seconds over Sauter as both drivers advanced to the big event.