Edwards, running fourth at the time of the stop, dropped to 16th as a result of the penalty and had to resort to some alternate pit strategy on lap 185 with a two tyre pitstop under caution in order to move back into the top five. However once he was out of the snarling pack Edwards made quick work of his teammate Matt Kenseth and the Hendrick Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr to retake the lead on lap 194 of 267.
Edwards led comfortably as the race passed the 200-lap mark but it all nearly came unstuck for the driver who won last Monday’s rain-delayed Auto Club 500 when, during the final round of stops on lap 215 another errant tyre on pit road threatened to have him moved to the tail of the lead lap runners. However NASCAR officials deemed that an encroaching film cameraman had obstructed a member of Edwards’ pit crew just as the crewman tried to grab the tyre and while Edwards did lose two places in the confusion, it was much better than the alternative penalty.
Kenseth and Earnhardt Jr re-assumed the top two spots for the lap 224 restart but before Edwards could get stuck in the eighth caution period of the afternoon waved for Casey Mears’ tangle with Brian Vickers. Edwards therefore had to wait until lap 226 before unleashing his frustrations and he was soon battling side by side with his teammate for the race lead, which he eventually took on lap 237.
With nothing but clear air battering the front end of his Dish Network sponsored Ford Edwards opened a two second lead as the race entered its final 30 laps but when Kurt Busch suffered a spectacular mid corner blow-out in turn four on lap 256 all Edwards’ efforts counted for nought. This close to the end and nobody wanted to give up their track position for a top up of fuel and a new set of tyres and so Edwards led Earnhardt Jr, Kenseth and Gordon to the lap 262 restart desperately trying not to spin his worn rubber too badly.
![Carl Edwards, Roush-Fenway Ford [Pic Credit Ford Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/405819.jpg)
