LAS VEGAS — Carl Edwards is off to the best start of his career, and credits “a gift” from Tony Stewart for his first win of the season.
Stewart had the dominant car Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but had to shuffle his strategy when a penalty on pit road crippled his chances. Edwards’ crew chief, Bob Osborne, took note of what Stewart was doing, then used it to get his own driver into Victory Lane.
“That car was spectacular. He did a really good job driving it too,” Edwards said of Stewart. “That was really a gift for us for him to have that penalty. It may have been the difference in the race there.”
Stewart was the leader when he was penalized for leaving his pit stall with the air hose still attached to his Chevrolet. Crew chief Darian Grubb had to call for a two-tire stop to get Stewart back into the lead, the entire field saw it work, and Stewart was backed into a corner.
He had to take four tires on his final stop, most everyone else took two, and the longer time spent on pit road shuffled him too far back in the pack to make it back to the front.
Edwards, in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford, pulled away for the win, while Stewart, who dropped to 22nd after the four-tire stop, was unable to chase him down and finished second.
“We had the fastest thing on the planet today and we just gave it away,” Stewart said. “It kills me to throw away a race like that.”
The win, Edwards’ second victory at Las Vegas and the 19th of his career, has many thinking he is a solid championship contender. He closed last season with wins in the final two races, and is now third in the Sprint Cup Series standings, seven points out of the lead.
“This is the best start to a season that I’ve ever had,” he said. ” I felt like we had a solid top-three car all day.”
Juan Pablo Montoya finished third and was followed in order by Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.
