Nationwide: Edwards Subways To First, Another Back Flip

August 12, 2012

WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 11: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Subway Dodge, leads Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 SKF/Discount Tire Dodge, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 11, 2012 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Edwards wins in his first 2012 Nationwide start
By NASCAR Wire Service
August 11, 2012 9:49 PM, EDT
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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Carl Edwards is batting 1.000.

Grabbing the lead from Brad Keselowski after a restart with 10 laps left in Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen, Edwards held on to win his first Nationwide Series start of the season.

Edwards took the top spot from Keselowski on lap 73 of 82, completing a pass to the outside as the cars approached the esses at the 2.45-mile road course. Keselowski regained the lead momentarily on Lap 76 but lost it again to Edwards’ crossover move as the cars approached Turn 1 to start Lap 77.

That’s when a caution for Austin Dillon’s blown tire slowed the field and set up a restart with two laps left. After a side-by-side battle in Turn 7 on Lap 81, Edwards held off Keselowski to win by 1.130 seconds.

“I hate to admit it, but I missed a downshift in Turn 6,” Edwards said of the sequence of events that allowed Keselowski to pull up beside him as the cars approached the white flag. “All day, that was where he was beating me, so I went in there extra hard, and I missed my downshift and he got next to me.”