Edwards wins at Phoenix; Hamlin’s Chase lead shrinks

Edwards wins at Phoenix; Hamlin’s Chase lead shrinks


By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz.—After dominating Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway, Denny Hamlin ended up on the short end of the gas can and saw most of his lead in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup evaporate.
Polesitter Carl Edwards squeezed 88 laps out of his last tank of gas to win his first Cup race since 2008. The victory, the 17th of Edwards’ career, completed a sweep of a weekend that also included a victory in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday.
Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick stretched their fuel mileage and finished fifth and sixth, respectively, to trim Hamlin’s lead entering the next Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hamlin leads Johnson by 15 points and Harvick by 46.
Ryan Newman finished second to Edwards, followed by Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, Johnson and Harvick. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray completed the top 10.
Hamlin was relentless in the early stages of the race. After starting 17th, he drove through the field with relative ease. On Lap 52 he passed Kurt Busch for the second position, and on a restart on Lap 66, he took the lead from Edwards through Turns 1 and 2, after Brad Keselowski’s violent collision with the Turn 1 wall caused the second caution of the race on Lap 59.
Hamlin lost the lead to Edwards during pit stops under caution on Lap 103 and immediately promised his crew he’d get the position back on the racetrack. True to his word, Hamlin reclaimed the top spot on the first lap of green-flag racing after a restart on Lap 106.
On Lap 219, Mike Ford told Hamlin via radio that he had clinched the most laps led, assuring his driver of an additional five bonus points. Hamlin led 190 of 312 laps. Three laps later Robby Gordon’s spin in Turn 3 brought out the fourth caution and bunched the field for a restart on Lap 229.
Hamlin and Kyle Busch were short on fuel and opted to short-pit on Lap 298, while Edwards, Johnson and Harvick were among those who opted for fuel conservation strategy.