Edwards Captures Hard Fought 13th Place Finish at Infineon Raceway
June 22, 20091:20 PM
Sonoma, CA. (June 21, 2009) – Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac team went into scenic Sonoma Valley this weekend for their first road course race of the 2009 season. This was also Edwards’ third consecutive non-companion race weekend of the year. Following practice in Sonoma on Saturday, Edwards traveled over four hours away to race at Milwaukee where he captured his first win of the season in the Nationwide Series. Edwards then headed back in the early morning hours to Sonoma to get ready for Sunday’s race.
The No. 99 Aflac Ford struggled during the first part of the race, but with strategy and fuel conservation Edwards was able to stay in the top-15 the majority of the race. Racing went into overtime on the 1.99-mile road course and when the checkered flag flew on lap 113 Edwards had landed in the 13th position. Edwards moved up one position to 5th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series overall points standings and is only 313 points behind leader Tony Stewart.
When the green flag dropped to begin the race, Edwards was lined up in the 34th position. By the first caution on lap 20, Edwards had moved into 26th. He didn’t report much except that he was having a hard time turning right. Edwards pitted for tires, fuel, and air and right rear wedge adjustments. He reentered the race in 28th, but crew chief Bob Osborne had dealt the cards for a fuel strategy that put the Aflac Ford slightly off cycle with the rest of the field.
It only took 11more laps for Edwards to bust into the top-10 for the first time. By lap 33 he moved into 8th and reported he was a little loose and needed more forward grip.
On lap 43 Osborne advised Edwards to conserve fuel. He moved up to 6th on lap 57 and Osborne advised him again to conserve fuel and be smooth.
On lap 66 Edwards green flag pitted from the 8th position for fuel, four tires and another air and wedge adjustment. Once the 43-car field cycled through, Edwards was in the 12th position. He survived a flurry of late race cautions including mixing it up with teammate David Ragan on lap 101.
The seventh and final caution came out on lap 108 setting the stage for a green-white-checkered finish. The green flag waved on lap 111 and Edwards was shuffled from 9th to 13th. Edwards had a good points day by moving up one position to 5th in the overall points standings
“It was a tough day out there,” stated Edwards. “I got into the 6 and that’s the bad thing. I was racing really hard with him, but I didn’t expect to get caught up with him. Our car was really slow in our practices and we used strategy to get us up front. The guys did a good job and we ended up having a good points day.”
Edwards travels to New Hampshire next weekend in the Aflac Ford Fusion. Edwards and the No. 99 team moved into the fifth position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, 313 markers behind points leader Tony Stewart. The Sprint Cup Series races next on Sunday, June 28th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating nine motorsports teams. Five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; three in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Ragan, Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Colin Braun; and one in the Camping World Truck Series with Braun. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
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