Carl Edwards denied Kyle Busch a piece of NASCAR history on Saturday by winning the Nationwide series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch was two laps away from an unheard-of sixth consecutive Nationwide victory at Texas when Edwards just took off on the green-white-checker re-start to win by about 10 car lengths.
But the win in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford over Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota couldn’t deny another milestone moment at the 1.5-mile TMS oval.
With his third-place finish in the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge, Brad Keselowski brought legendary Roger Penske his very first NASCAR championship. Toronto Sun
“Carl Edwards jumped the restart by about three lengths before the double red marks [on the frontstretch wall],” a frustrated Busch said during his post- race press conference. “Does it (expletive) matter. The race is over, and the guy is in victory lane. It doesn’t matter.”
Busch had won the last five Nationwide races at Texas. He was attempting to become the first driver in the series to win six in a row at the same track. Busch led most laps with 107.
“I don’t expect [Busch] to be happy, and I did what I had to do to win the race, Edwards said. “It just doesn’t matter what he says.”
Busch won the Camping World Truck Series race on Friday at Texas.
Edwards received a $75,000 bonus from series title sponsor Nationwide Insurance for winning the race. He did his celebratory backflip from his car and then took the checkered flag before he climbed up into the grandstands along the frontstretch to celebrate his victory with the race fans. MiamiHerald.com
While Edwards connected with the fans, Keselowski, who finished third in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, put on a burnout display on pit road. It was well-deserved. Not only did Keselowski deliver Dodge its first Nationwide championship, he ended a 27-year title drought for Roger Penske in NASCAR.
On Saturday, Keselowski humbly answered the question: what do you give the billionaire who has everything? A championship.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Keselowski said. “He’s the Captain. I’m not sure how many (overall) wins that he has, I can’t think of anybody that has more. This one was awesome and it’s incredible that we were able to get him a championship.
“There’s a respect factor that I have (for Roger) to get to see him carry that trophy and see him do something that he’s never done. It’s hard to give a billionaire something.” FOXSports.com
Joey Logano finished fourth, followed by Martin Truex Jr.
With the victory, Edwards won $75,000 in Nationwide’s Dash 4 Cash program. Thirteenth-place finisher Justin Allgaier won the $75,000 Dash 4 Cash season-ending bonus as the eligible driver who scored the most points in the four Dash 4 Cash races. NASCAR.com
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NASCAR Nationwide Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas - Race Results
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