NASCAR: Carl Edwards Answers, but Tony Stewart Delivers in Texas
Immediately following last week's race in Martinsville, the war of the words between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards started. All week long both drivers took part in taking friendly jabs at each other in preparation for one of them to win this season's championship.
Carl Edwards answered Stewart's call to be "worried and it wasn't going to be easy" by finishing second in today's AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup race in Texas.
But Tony Stewart delivered and backed up his words by winning today's race, his fourth of the Chase, and leading the most laps in the AAA 500.
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Stewart led a race-high 173 out of 334 laps.
He didn't win at all in the regular season and didn't think he would of had a shot at the championship, but since has won half of the Chase races going into the last two races. His four wins ties the record for most Chase wins in a season with Jimmie Johnson, who won four races in the Chase in 2007.
The win today by Stewart was the fastest average speed for a Sprint Cup race in Texas. Stewart's average speed of 152.707 mph broke Edwards' record from the 2005 race at 151.055 mph.
Edwards leads Stewart by three points heading into next weekend's race in Phoenix.
Stewart drove to the win by RCR driver Jeff Burton trying to stretch out his fuel but coming up short at the end.
Kasey Kahne had a strong run today, finishing as the top non-chase driver in third place in the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota.
Matt Kenseth the spring winner in Texas finished fourth, while fellow Roush Fenway driver and pole sitter Greg Biffle rounded out the top five.
Three of the four Roush drivers finished in the top five today.
Kevin Harvick tried to stay as close as he could to Edwards and Stewart in the championship battle but ended up a disappointing 13th. He goes to Phoenix 33 points behind Edwards.
Jimmie Johnson's string of championships looks like it will be coming to an end with a 14th place finish today. He's now sixth in the points and 55 points out.
Three drivers were eliminated from championship contention today in Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman because they're too far behind points-leader Carl Edwards.
1. 14 Tony Stewart
2. 99 Carl Edwards
3. 4 Kasey Kahne
4. 17 Matt Kenseth
5. 16 Greg Biffle
6. 24 Jeff Gordon
7. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. 56 Martin Truex Jr.
9. 33 Clint Bowyer
10. 43 A.J. Allmendinger
11. 9 Marcos Ambrose
12. 6 David Ragan
13. 29 Kevin Harvick
14. 48 Jimmie Johnson
15. 27 Paul Menard
16. 39 Ryan Newman
17. 21 Trevor Bayne
18. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya
19. 5 Mark Martin
20. 11 Denny Hamlin -1 Lap
21. 83 Brian Vickers -1 Lap
22. 00 David Reutimann -1 Lap
23. 78 Regan Smith -1 Lap
24. 2 Brad Keselowski -1 Lap
25. 13 Casey Mears -1 Lap
26. 51 Landon Cassill -2 Laps
27. 47 Bobby Labonte -2 Laps
28. 71 Andy Lally -2 Laps
30. 22 Kurt Busch -3 Laps
31. 38 Travis Kvapil -3 Laps
32. 34 David Gilliland -3 Laps
33. 18 Michael McDowell -3 Laps
34. 32 Mike Bliss -5 Laps
35. 35 Dave Blaney -18 Laps
36. 1 Jamie McMurray -39 Laps
37. 20 Joey Logano Out
38. 36 Geoff Bodine Out
39. 46 Scott Speed Out
40. 66 Josh Wise Out
41. 37 Mike Skinner Out
42. 87 Joe Nemechek Out
43. 55 J.J. Yeley Out
1. 99 Carl Edwards 2,316
2. 14 Tony Stewart -3
3. 29 Kevin Harvick -33
4. 17 Matt Kenseth -38
5. 2 Brad Keselowski -49
6. 48 Jimmie Johnson -55
7. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -79
8. 24 Jeff Gordon -81
9. 22 Kurt Busch -87
10. 11 Denny Hamlin -99
11. 18 Kyle Busch -100
12. 39 Ryan Newman -103
