Despite contact, teammates Kenseth and Edwards finish strong

Despite contact, teammates Kenseth and Edwards finish strong

(September 25, 2011)

LOUDON, N.H.—On Lap 173 of Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards did the last thing a driver wants to do—spin out a teammate.

 Though Edwards said he tried mightily to stay off Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth’s bumper, Edwards carried more speed into the entry to Turn 1, tapped Kenseth’s Ford and sent him spinning.

 Kenseth kept his car off the wall and was able to continue, and the way the race played out, both drivers salvaged top-10 finishes at a track that has given both trouble in recent years. Kenseth ran sixth and Edwards eighth, allowing both to stay within reach of Chase leader Tony Stewart.

 “I’m glad we don’t have to run this one in the Chase again—that’s good; Dover is great for us; Kansas will be great,” Edwards said, before adding with a laugh: “I feel pretty good after our (recent tire) test at Phoenix, so we’ll go and if Matt doesn’t retaliate, we’ll be really good.

 “I feel really dumb for running in to him, but I’m glad it worked out for both of us. It was a decent day for us. We’ll take it and move on.”

 Kenseth, who ran out of fuel last week at Chicagoland and finished 21st in the Chase opener, was elated to escape New Hampshire with a strong result.

 “I was pretty discouraged after Chicago, although you’ve got to brush that off,” Kenseth said. “But I’m pretty encouraged today, because this is probably one of my worst tracks.”

 As far as retaliation, Kenseth has no plans for revenge.

 “That was no big deal,” Kenseth said. “I was having a little bit of brake fade, and I backed up extra early. I didn’t expect it, or I probably could have saved it, but that was no big deal. Those things happen.”

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service