NSCS: Edwards Backflips to Sonoma Raceway Victory

Carl Edwards led a total of 26 laps this afternoon to capture the victory in the 26th annual Toyota/Save Mart 350. This weekend marked his second win of the 2014 season that will officially lock the 34-year-old driver into the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Today’s win marks his best finish at the 1.99-mile road course after his previous best was in 2011 & 2013 where he came home in third. Edwards started the event from the fourth spot and rallied back to the front after he was eleventh at the halfway point. With 27 laps left, Edwards was able to move into the second spot where he passed Marcos Ambrose one lap later to go on and score the victory.

 

Jeff Gordon just barely came up short today afternoon at the Sonoma Raceway after finishing in the second spot for his sixth top-five finish in 2014. Gordon was right on the back bumper going into the final corner to try and get Edwards to overdrive it but couldn’t get him to. If he would’ve held on to grab the victory, Gordon would have captured his 90th win in his Sprint Cup Series career. He finished second by just 0.592 seconds. Gordon will head into next weekend’s race with a 20 point lead over seventh-place finisher and teammate, Jimmie Johnson.

 

Finishing in third was Dale Earnhardt Jr. after once again having a solid run all afternoon despite a 17th-place starting spot. After driving hard in the last 27 laps, Earnhardt Jr. was able to drive his way from the eleventh spot to score his first top-10 and best ever finish today afternoon at the 1.99-mile road course in California. Earnhardt Jr. finished 3.300 seconds behind the race winner.

 

Today’s pole sitter, Jamie McMurray, will walk away from Sonoma with a solid day by finishing in the fourth position. On Saturday afternoon, the 38-year-old posted a fast time of 1:14.352 seconds, 96.350 mph. He led a total of nine laps for two different times in today’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. 

 

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be at the Kentucky Speedway. Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. Et, live on TNT. The Performance Racing Network will carry the live radio broadcast of the race.