Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

kobalt tools 400:

Carl Edwards’ hot start to 2011 includes Las Vegas victory

Edwards gets past Tony Stewart, who led for more than half the race but had pit stop problems

2011 NASCAR Race

Justin M. Bowen

Carl Edwards celebrates with his crew after winning the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011.

Carl Edwards Wins Kobalt 400

Carl Edwards (99) celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011. Launch slideshow »

2011 NASCAR Race

A crew member reaches for a tire as Jimmie Johnson (48) pits during the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011.  Launch slideshow »

"Sports Night in Las Vegas" coverage of NASCAR

"Sports Night in Las Vegas" coverage of the Kobalt 400.

Mike Smith NASCAR cartoon on national TV

Front page of the Las Vegas Sun in the opening of the NASCAR broadcast on FOX.

With about 20 laps remaining Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards easily could have felt good about his chances to win the Sprint Cup Series race.

He was in first place by more than two seconds and his No. 99 Ford car appeared to be in great condition — it had enough gas to finish and fresh tires from a recent pit stop.

But Edwards wasn’t about to get complacent. He went through several scenarios in his head for the final laps, all of which made him understandably anxious.

“I wish there was a little microphone you could hear what drivers were thinking because there’s so much that goes through your mind,” Edwards said. “You have to keep your mind busy because if you just start thinking, 'Wow, we’re going to win the race,' then it all goes to hell.

“The key is to try to just focus on what you have to do, but I mean, we do this to win,” he continued. “We do this for that victory, and so when it’s right there within your grasp, that’s the toughest time to stay the course and focused.”

Edwards had every right to be cautious.

Tony Stewart, who led for more than half the race, overtook Juan Pablo Montoya for second place with five laps left and was in striking distance. But Stewart couldn't get past Edwards.

Edwards took the checkered flag for the second time in four years in Las Vegas, partially easing the pain from his heart-breaking result last week in Phoenix.

It was the 19th Sprint Cup victory for the 31-year-old Edwards. And, after the disappointment of last week, when Edwards started from the pole but wrecked early in falling to a 28th-place finish, the win came at the right time.

“Yeah, it means a lot coming off Phoenix,” Edwards said. “I went home last week and I had no clue. I just didn’t know how things were going to go from there.”

What a difference a week makes.

Edwards and Stewart were seemingly in the top five for a majority of the race, with Stewart leading for 166 of the race’s 267 laps. It was the sixth time in the 12-year history of the race that a driver has led for more than half the race but didn’t win. Montoya, from Columbia, took third.

Now, after winning for the third time in five races — he also won the last two events of 2010 — Edwards is already fielding questions in regards to ending Jimmie Johnson’s five-year run as Sprint Cup champ. Edwards, who has finished second in points the last three years, heard similar rumblings in 2008 when he also won in Las Vegas.

While it’s just the third week of the season, Edwards couldn’t help but feel like he’ll be in contention again.

“The biggest difference from then and now is I feel I have a better understanding of how the sport works, and I think I’m more prepared to use these fast race cars and do a better job to win this first championship,” he said. “There is definitely a process in becoming the best you can at this level because all of these guys are so savvy.

“So I feel I’m in a better position now than I was three years ago to get all the points we can and all the wins we can this year,” he continued.

Edwards picked up 47 points for his win and is in third place in the standings with 106 points. Kurt Busch and Stewart each have 113 points, with Stewart in first on a tie-breaker.

But with a long season ahead of them, Edwards’ handlers know one win won’t define the season — or secure a title. But after nearly winning two weeks ago at Daytona (he took second) and running well at Phoenix, all signs are pointing to a great season.

“It is way too early to start thinking about a championship,” said Jack Roush, owner Roush Fenway Racing, who Edwards races for. “…But we’ve got to keep our eye on the ball. We can’t make a misstep. We can’t squander the opportunities now that we’re certainly running better than we did last year.”

Just like Edwards last week, Stewart couldn’t help feeling he let a victory slip away. Stewart has never won in Las Vegas.

“I honestly think we had the car to beat today. We just gave it away,” Stewart said.

Stewart’s pit stops were problematic on multiple occasions, likely costing him the race.

He was penalized on the 151st lap for removing equipment from a pit stall when his air hose got caught in the car during a stop.

The penalty forced Stewart to take just two tires during a caution on the 197the lap to regain the lost position. The gamble paid off because he regained the lead.

But on the final stop, Edwards only needed two tires with 33 laps remaining, while Stewart had to replace all four. That was arguably the difference, as Stewart dropped to 22nd place and never made it back to the top spot.

“I don’t know what happened on the pit stop there, but we had a miscue and had a penalty and had to go to the back,” Stewart said. “Unfortunately, it kind of dealt our cards for us.”

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