Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Sport Clips Toyota, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Count on Carl Edwards to find the silver lining in last Sunday’s hard crash at Martinsville.
The wreck left Edwards last in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 32 points behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in fourth place.
Realistically, Edwards must win either on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway or the following week at Phoenix to preserve a shot at the Sprint Cup championship. But Edwards found a source of optimism—namely the two tracks that chose out the Chase’s Round of 8. Continue reading →
Considering the way Sunday started for Denny Hamlin, a third-place finish in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 might have defied the omens from early in the day.
Hamlin was on the way to an early-morning appearance when the driver introduction stage, being hauled by a tractor, collided with the golf cart in which Hamlin was riding. The golf car was totaled, but Hamlin saw the accident coming and leaped out of the vehicle before the impact.
Before the race, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota fell off its jack, forcing the team to do extra work to get it through inspection. Continue reading →
A blown tire late in Sunday’s race almost certainly put Carl Edwards in a win-or-bust position for the next two races in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Edwards was running ninth when the blown tire sent him hard into the outside wall on lap 358 of 500. Ultimately, Edwards finished 36th, 23 laps down and trails teammate Kyle Busch by 32 points for the final spot in the Championship 4 finale, set for Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Continue reading →
Jeff Gordon doesn’t plan to race again in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car – unless team owner Rick Hendrick twists his arm.
But Gordon hopes circumstances won’t force him into another substitute role. Competing in place of ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the last time this season, Gordon finished sixth on Sunday in his Martinsville swan song.
“Well, I had a lot of fun out there,” Gordon said after the race. “It’s great to be here in front of all these awesome short track and Martinsville NASCAR fans. It’s just a special place to me, and I had a lot of fun and had a great car. This No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet was really good. I knew we didn’t have the short-run speed for some of those Gibbs cars…
“I would rather have won. I felt like we had a fourth-or-fifth-place car the run before that (last run), so I always wanted to get the most out of it. I was a little disappointed it didn’t take off there at the last yellow, but very proud of this team proud of my performance. Best finish I’ve had in this car (subbing for Earnhardt). Good way to finish my run this year in the No. 88 Chevy.”
Notice Gordon said “my run this year” and not “my career.”
