Carl Edwards punches his ticket to Chase

NASCAR officials end race early because of rain in Fort Worth

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

Carl Edwards got the victory he desperately needed to earn a championship-contending spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup finale, winning at Texas on Sunday night in a race shortened by 41 laps because of rain after the start was delayed nearly six hours.

With his fourth career win at Texas, Edwards joined Jimmie Johnson as drivers locked into the championship-contending spots in Homestead.

That leaves two spots up for grabs next Sunday at Phoenix.

Edwards entered the second-to-last race before the Nov. 20 season finale eighth in points among the drivers still eligible for the championship.

“This is huge. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. That’s all we said was needed, just a shot,” Edwards said. “Now we’re going to go to Homestead, we’re going to do what we need to do. This was a great test. We came here and did what we needed to do, we performed, and I really believe we can do that at Homestead.”

The rain-shortened victory was certainly appropriate for Edwards after how his championship Chase ended last year.

Last year’s race at Phoenix was delayed nearly seven hours as a series of storms passed through the area, and then once it started under the lights was called after 218 laps. Edwards finished fifth, leaving him five points out of the final spot for the Chase finale.

Edwards’ three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are among the six other drivers still in contention this season, and clearly not all of them can advance.

Light rain had already been falling, and plenty more was on the radar around the track, when the caution came out with 45 laps remaining of the originally scheduled 334-lap race.

All the cars were brought to pit road four laps later, and it was only a few more minutes before NASCAR declared the race over and official after 293 laps. It could have taken two hours or more to dry to track.

“We were in a bad spot if we went green again,” Edwards said. “But the last run before it rained, I think we could have held off, I’m not sure.”

Edwards had taken the lead on lap 258 late Sunday after beating Martin Truex Jr. off pit road, and led the rest of the way.

It was Edwards’ first win at Texas in eight years. He swept the two Cup races there in 2008, the season he had nine wins overall and a career-best finish of second in points.

Joey Logano, another Chase contender, finished second while leading a race-high 178 laps. Truex finished third and Chase Elliott fourth.