While Edwards managed to make a clean getaway Earnhardt Jr did not and was quickly swamped by Kenseth and Gordon as the field headed into turn one. As Gordon tried to make ground on the low line he slid up the track coming off turn two and brushed the left rear of Kenseth’s car with enough force to send the #24 Chevrolet into a half spin. Gordon’s car shot across the track and slammed the inside retaining wall head-on just where there was an abutment for the safety vehicles. The car briefly became airborne as it jack-knifed around spitting the radiator out onto the back straight as it spun to a smoky halt with Gordon, groggy but conscious, still strapped into his seat.
Slowly and only after NASCAR red flagged the field in turn one, Gordon climbed from his wreckage and walked to the awaiting ambulance although he would later say in a rather shaky post race TV interview that it was the hardest crash of his career to date.
This left a two-lap sprint to the finish with Edwards once again leading Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr now had the #16 Roush-Fenway Ford of Greg Biffle directly behind him for while Kenseth survived his tap from Gordon without hitting anything solid, he was forced to pit with two flat tyres on his #17 Ford.
Earnhardt Jr knew his only chance against Edwards would be to out-drag him at the green flag but Edwards made the perfect jump and quickly pulled enough of an advantage leaving Dale Jr to fend off Biffle’s attentions over the final three miles.
Edwards reeled off the final tour to secure his ninth career Cup Series win and his first back-to-back triumph. Edwards also takes over the overall championship lead for the first time in his career and can now look forward to next Sunday’s race at the equally fast, equally daunting Atlanta Motor Speedway where he took a seasonal double in 2005.
![Carl Edwards, Roush-Fenway Ford [Pic Credit Ford Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/405819.jpg)
