Bristol, TN (Best E Casino) - Kasey Kahne led a race-high 305 laps, but Carl Edwards had the better car at the end and captured Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The No.99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford crossed the finish line 1.406 seconds ahead of Kahne.
The victory was Edwards' second of the season and sixth of his Nextel Cup career.
"Just look around, this is it," said Edwards. "This is the biggest win of my career. The fans, the intensity, the nerves, the energy. I always thought to win this race would be unbelievable."
Kahne led the field to the green flag for 500 laps on the "new" BMS short track. Within five laps Kahne's lead was more than one second as he quickly put Juan Pablo Montoya in his rearview mirror.
Kahne's lead was up to two seconds, but the man on the move was Edwards, who took second place from Montoya on lap 18. Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon were also looking strong early on.
Edwards caught Kahne by lap 30 as Kahne was starting to lap slower cars. He went to the bottom of the track and on lap 37 made the pass for the lead. Edwards lasted 28 laps before Kahne retook the lead with his favorite move - a pass at the top of the track.
"Junior" and Gordon cracked the top-four as the field approached the 75-lap mark. By lap 85 Earnhardt Jr. caught Newman for second. They raced side-by- side but Newman fought him off. "Junior" apparently used up his equipment because he suddenly fell back into Gordon's grasp and the No.24 Chevy passed him for third place. So did Junior's teammate Martin Truex Jr., who was charging to the front.
On the newly paved, variable-degree banking, half-mile oval passing was much easier than on the old track as evidenced by the first 126 laps being caution free.
Johnny Sauter brought out that first yellow flag of the evening after he slammed the outside wall. All the leaders took advantage of the caution to pit for the first time. Kahne was first down pit road and first out as well. Bad news for Truex Jr., however, a missed lug nut forced him to make a second stop and sent him to the back of the field.
On the restart, Gordon went around Bobby Labonte for second place and went after Kahne. But 150 laps into the event and Kahne was still the strongest car on the track.
Through 200 laps it was Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. A couple of laps later Denny Hamlin's engine exploded bringing out just the second caution flag of the day and ending the No.11 Chevrolet driver's race. Fortunately for Hamlin, he had already clinched a position in the "Chase for the Nextel Cup."
At the mid-point, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon continued to show the way, but Edwards and Kurt Busch joined them at the front. Edwards, Busch and Newman got around Gordon by lap 270 as the No.24 began to fade.
Kahne was still the leader at lap 275, but Junior had closed to less than half-a-second. Again, it seemed that Kahne could just turn it on when he wanted. He fought of Earnhardt Jr. all the while lapping slower traffic. By lap 280 there were just 22 cars on the lead lap and Kahne had clinched the 10- point "most laps lead" bonus.
Next, on lap 300, the No.9 Dodge's torrid pace put 2006 defending series champion Jimmie Johnson down a lap.
Kahne had trouble passing Michael Waltrip, who also likes the top of the track, and it allowed both Edwards and Earnhardt Jr. to catch the leader. Two laps later they both got underneath Kahne for the lead as the No.9 dropped to third.
The field was set to make their final pit stops, still waiting for another caution flag. Soon, however, they would have to stop for fuel. The green-flag stops began around lap 360.
The field cycled through without a caution flag and Edwards retook the lead. Behind him was Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Busch and Earnhardt Jr. Just before the 400-lap mark Edwards' lead was 1.670 seconds, but a caution flag erased the gap in a heartbeat.
The race restarted with 98 laps remaining and almost immediately Edwards built the lead to one second. However, a third spin of the night from David Ragan slowed the race again.
More caution flags slowed the race. After each caution Edwards would pull away from Kahne, build another solid lead, and see it disappear when a couple of backmarkers got together. The top-five remained constant throughout the flags with Bowyer, Busch and Earnhardt Jr. behind the two leaders.
The final restart came with 30 laps to go. Edwards did what he had done all night, jumping out to a working margin. This time with no caution flag he cruised to the checkered flag without further challenge.
Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. completed the top-five. Busch finished sixth and remains in the 12th and final "Chase" position - 158 points ahead of Earnhardt Jr.
The next race in the series is scheduled for Sunday, September 2nd at the California Speedway.
