By strapping on his heat shields before climbing into his racecar, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, prepares for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2010 in Avondale, Arizona.
Pole sitter Carl Edwards leads the fray in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to the green flag to start the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
The four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, Johnson, wasn’t in front the entire race. On the other hand, the man who was leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship race in points, Denny Hamlin, led a race-high 190 laps.
In the latter stages of the race with Hamlin still dominating the field, he had to pit stop. Hamlin was running low on petrol. Both Denny and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch came into the pits on Lap 298 of 312. Meanwhile, Edwards, Johnson and Kevin Harvick were being thrifty with their fuel supply after pit stops under caution on Lap 224.
Being miserly with the fuel consumption proved to be the right strategy for the three racers. Hamlin, who crossed the line in 12th, saw his lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson in the championship competition narrow from 33 points to 15 entering next Sunday’s season ending conquest at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kenny Harvick stands in third position – 46 points behind Hamlin.
Edwards raced through the finish line 4.77 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Newman. In the process, he broke a winless streak of 70 races, dating back to Homestead in November 2008. Getting 88 laps out of his last tank of gas to win for the 17th time in his career, Edwards completed an Arizona two-step, which included a victory in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.
Joey Logano and Greg Biffle were just off the podium, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Johnson and Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top 10.
Heading into the last race of the year, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s hard to imagine that the teams could be any closer in vying for the championship. Jimmie Johnson Trails Denny Hamlin by a minuscule 15 points! Oh, and it bears repeating, Kenny Harvick is 46 points behind Hamlin. We can’t wait to see what happens. Look for all the NASCAR season ending action from Homestead-Miami Speedway, right here on Redline Review, where It’s All About Speed!
Carl Edwards led the first six laps and 46 of the first 105 laps of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
With the fuel filler can still attached to his fuel line, Kasey Kahne left his pit box and was forced to pit a second time putting him a lap down in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
On his last pit stop, one loose lugnut forced Kevin Harvick to pit a second time. The mistake worked in Harvick’s favor, however, as he was able to top off his fuel, which allowed him to finish the race without pitting again.
Jimmie Johnson finished fifth in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, but never was a threat to win the competition.
Denny Hamlin led a race-high 190 of 317 laps and had the dominant car at Phoenix International Raceway up until the end.
Carl Edwards took the lead on Lap 266 and led the final 47 laps of the race, after running in second place to Denny Hamlin for much of the contest.
Edwards topped all three practice charts and won the Coors Light Pole Award. Carl Edwards crossed the finish line in first and won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Whenever he wins, Carl Edwards performs a backflip, which he did after winning the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Carl Edwards charged into the grandstands to celebrate his win with the fans.
