Edwards holds on for victory

October 26, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

He stayed alive for the NASCAR Nationwide Series title.

Associated Press

MILLINGTON, Tenn. — Carl Edwards held off David Reutimann to win the Kroger On Track for the Cure 250, keeping alive his hopes for a second straight NASCAR Nationwide Series title.

Edwards, who missed qualifying at Memphis Motorsports Park because of practice for today’s Sprint Cup Race in Atlanta, started 34th in his No. 60 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford, but gained ground quickly after making an early stop for fresh tires.

He took the lead from Mike Bliss on lap 69, and never trailed after that, taking his fifth Nationwide Series victory of the season and 18th of his career.

Edwards pulled within 116 points of series leader Clint Bowyer, who finished 16th. There are three races remaining on the schedule.

“Any time you can gain 80 points on that team you’re doing something,” Edwards said. “But obviously we’ve got to think about winning the next three races.”

Kenny Wallace finished third, his best series finish since 2005 and the best finish ever for team owner Jay Robinson. He was followed by Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. It was Dillon’s second Nationwide start.

Craftsman Series

HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Newman passed Ron Hornaday in Turn 2 on the last lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win in his first Truck Series start.

Newman and Hornaday, both driving Trucks for Kevin Harvick Inc., traded the lead twice in the final eight laps of Saturday’s race. The two raced side-by-side for a lap, with Hornaday coming out front on the next-to-last lap. Newman then grabbed it back and Hornaday, locked in a battle for the series championship, couldn’t afford to push the issue.

“I don’t know if I can say it, but second stinks,” Hornaday said. “I just missed the corner a little bit, that one corner off of [Turn] 2. If you miss it, you miss three-tenths to a half a second. He ran me down and he got the momentum.”