Edwards, who only led the race for a total of 15 laps on the race, made it count during the final eight laps to get his second win on the season. The driver was quick to praise his team for a lightning-quick pit stop that allowed him to re-enter the track in the lead after the final round of pit stops.
“They won the race for us. My pit crew ought to be up here doing the interviews,” Edwards said. “It was just amazing to come down third and go out leading the race.”
Edwards was battling Brad Keselowski and reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick when the yellow flag came out late in the race. It was the 18th caution period the night and a record for the race. Edwards entered pit lane in third place and re-entered the track in the lead, after edging out Keselowski. Edwards was thrilled he was able to hold off Keselowski and Denny Hamlin in a race at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway.
“I hope I never forget those last 25 laps. That was really fun,” he said. “The restart was fun, but truly racing with Brad and Kevin was a blast. I had a really good time.”
The race was not an easy one for Edwards. On Lap 89, he lost two laps after an early pit stop and ensuing caution period. Edwards’ next 200 cycles of Darlington Raceway were filled with fighting back to the front of the field.
“Nobody gave up,” said Edwards. “We were two laps down. We fought back hard.”
Edwards was ecstatic over the low-downforce package used at Darlington Raceway. He said “This is what it’s all about” when voicing his admiration for the type of race where cars are “sliding, tires are falling off.” He added he would love to see a low-downforce race be part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“This is as good as it gets,” Edwards said. “I don’t think I can get in trouble for how much I liked it, but I loved it.”
The race winner wasn’t the only one praising the type of racing the low-downforce package configuration provides. Keselowski was also all in favour of it.
“I loved it,” Keselowski said. It separates the race car drivers from the pretends, and that’s the way it should be.”
Also in favour of the package was third-place finisher Hamlin. He said the low downforce, though making cars slightly more unstable in traffic and sometimes leading to on-track incidents, makes for good racing. He said low downforce package means cars are sliding around and drivers are making mistakes.
“I think wrecks are good,” Hamlin said. “We’ve made our cars so idiot proof over the last four to five years. We said a long time ago that the way that the back car passes the front car is to drive in deeper that that guy. Sometimes he makes it, sometimes he doesn’t, sometimes he wrecks, and that is what makes for exciting racing.”
Eleven drivers have locked their positions in the Chase by virtue of winning races to this point in the season. That leaves the five who are currently sitting in qualifying positions based on points earned in the regular portion of the season. The most tenuous of holds is gripped by Clint Bowyer, who sits in the 16th spot and 10 points behind Jeff Gordon.
For Bowyer and the other four drivers,on the Chase grid it means there is one more chance to mark their shot in the championship race. The final race on the regular part of the Sprint Cup schedule comes Sept. 12 at Richmond International Raceway.
