Carl Edwards dodged the smoke, the skids and the wrecks to win his first Chase race in two seasons and vault five spots in the Chase for the championship standings.
He probably won’t be able to avoid a NASCAR penalty.
The No. 99 Ford failed the postrace inspection because the right-rear fender was too low. NASCAR will likely fine him and dock points that will push him down the standings and negate some of the effort from his win Sunday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Edwards’ lead late at Dover helped him avoid a massive wreck with 14 laps left that took out Chase contenders Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and a few other drivers in the 400-mile race.
Kurt Busch’s car hit the wall on the straightaway and ricocheted back on the track and into Reed Sorenson. The big crash left Truex’s crumpled car on the track while the race was red-flagged for nearly 12 minutes.
When all was said and done, Jeff Gordon seized the Chase points lead, with Tony Stewart second. Johnson, who led the standings entering the day, fell to fourth.
“It was a crazy day at Dover and somehow we came out of it with the points lead,” Gordon said.
Once the second race in the 10-race Chase was over, the points differential among the top seven drivers was minuscule, guaranteeing heated jostling for positions down the stretch.
NHRA: Peggy Llewellyn raced to her first victory, topping the pro stock motorcycle field at Texas Motorplex in Ennis in an event marred by a wreck that seriously injured funny car star John Force.
The 58-year-old Force was alert and conscious after sustaining serious injuries in a wreck with Kenny Bernstein during the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. A team spokesman said Force broke his left ankle and his left wrist and suffered a severe abrasion to his right knee.
Other winners included Larry Dixon (top fuel), Tony Pedregon (funny car) and Dave Connolly (pro stock).
