There isn’t a bad time for a first win of the season.
Visiting Victory Lane as you are about to compete for another Sprint Cup Series championship can’t hurt, either.
Tony Stewart held off Carl Edwards and won Sunday night’s Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and earned his first win of the season and 38th of his career. It was his first win since Oct 4, 2009 at Kansas Speedway.
The victory comes with the Chase for the Cup set to begin in two weeks. Stewart, who was assured of making the Chase, gains 10 bonus points and will now have a points advantage over at least five other drivers in the Chase who do not have a win yet. Kansas City Star
“The pit crew is who we have got to give all the credit to tonight,” Stewart said. “They had an awesome pit stop the last time we came in that got us that track position that I lost on the previous restart. Without that, I don’t think we would have a shot to be here tonight.”
“It’s been a long time since we have been in victory lane,” he said. “So it’s something we are not used to. Luckily, we have had the good fortune to not normally go this long without a win.”
Stewart also claimed his third win at Atlanta. His two other victories here came in March 2002 and October 2006. MiamiHerald.com
Jimmie Johnson was third, followed by Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch.
Ten drivers have now clinched spots in the 12-man Chase for the Sprint Cup championship going into the final race before the playoff begins, led by points leader Kevin Harvick. Jeff Gordon, Busch, Stewart, Edwards, Burton, Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin are also heading to the 10-race playoff.
Edwards has not driven into Victory Lane since his nine-win season of 2008. But he led more laps in Atlanta (32) than he had in the last 46 races combined, giving him plenty of confidence that he can contend for his first series title.
“Tony just has such a fast car at the end, but we’re back,” Edwards said. “I know we don’t look good as we did in 2008, but we’re better prepared to race for the championship.”
Johnson also is headed back to the Chase, giving him a shot to add to an already unprecedented four straight Cup titles.
“This is a huge relief for myself and this team,” he said. “that was so much fun. That was the way racing should be. Even at the end, we were trying to run (Edwards) down. We were racing hard with these guys. That says lot about (Johnson’s) team going forward.” The Associated Press
Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Juan Montoya and Marcos Ambrose completed the top 10.
Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin led seven times early for 74 laps, but his engine blew on Lap 143 and he finished 43rd.
“I was just pacing myself out there, having fun and racing with Tony and those guys,” Hamlin said. “We’ve really got a strong race team, and if we can just keep it together, we can really win this championship legitimately. We’ve just got to keep it together, and we’ll be all right.”
Despite the last-place finish, Hamlin clinched a position in the Chase. NASCAR.com
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta - Race Results
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