Edwards Wins Postponed Auto Club 500 in Fontana
FONTANA, Cali. (Feb. 25, 2008) – Almost 24 hours after the Auto Club 500 was originally scheduled to start, Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Dish Network Ford celebrated in victory lane at the newly named Auto Club Speedway. Edwards and the No. 99 crew earned their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2008 season after leading five times for 64 laps, turning 72 of the race's fastest laps and dominating the final laps of competition.
The weekend was mired by rain delays, postponements and cancellations. Then the race that started on Sunday was red-flagged twice and ultimately postponed to Monday. Finally at 10:00 a.m., PST on Monday, Edwards and the No. 99 crew took to the track to complete the running of the Auto Club 500.
The race finally re-started on Monday on lap 87 and Edwards was scored in the ninth position. Quickly he began to pick off the competition and work his was up through the field. When Edwards made the first pit stop of the day on lap 124, he was leading the race.
Though he reported that his Dish Network Ford was "a little free off," Edwards was seemingly happy with the handling of his Fusion and only minor adjustments were prescribed by crew chief Bob Osborne during the stop. Four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment were quickly performed by the No. 99 pit crew and Edwards was rolling again. When the field cycled through on lap 126, Edwards was scored in fifth place and among the fastest cars on the track.
Three cautions flags stalled the race over the next 40 laps – on laps 134, 150 and 167. Each time Osborne directed Edwards to pit road so that the Dish Network team could continue to tweak on the No. 99. On each stop, the No. 99 received four fresh Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel and minor air pressure adjustments. The efforts of the Dish Network crew paid off as Edwards was able to maintain the fastest lap times on the track and even lead from lap 180 to lap 220.
A caution on lap 220 set the stage for the final pit stop for the No. 99 team. Four tires and an air pressure adjustment and Edwards rejoined the race in fourth place, when green flag racing commenced with just 26 laps remaining in competition.
Edwards, focused and determined, charted his path to the front and began picking off the competition. First, Jeff Gordon on lap 233, then Jimmie Johnson on lap 238. From that point on, it was Edwards' race. In dominating fashion Edwards pulled away from the pack and took the checkers on lap 250, capturing his eighth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
Johnson finished second, followed by Gordon. Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch and Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five. Up next for Edwards and the No. 99 Dish Network crew is the UAW Daimler Chrysler 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. FOX television and PRN radio affiliates will carry the live broadcast beginning at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, March 1.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing operates 13 full-time motorsports teams, five in NASCAR Sprint Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; four in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Erik Darnell and Colin Braun; three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Darnell, Braun and Joey Clanton; and one in the ARCA RE/MAX Series with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Robin Johnson at (704) 720-4645.
