Sun Jun 22 00:11:04 2008

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Edwards breaks winless streak with win in Milwaukee

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West Allis, WI (Sports Network) - He was the defending series champion, but Carl Edwards had not won in 36 races before he captured Saturday night's Camping World RV Rental 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. The No.60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford crossed the finish line 1.589 seconds ahead of Joey Logano.

The victory was Edwards' first of the season and 14th of his Nationwide Series career.

Pole winner Brad Keselowski charged into the first turn and kept on going.

Meanwhile, the Sprint Cup drivers (defending series champion Edwards, points leader Clint Bowyer and David Ragan), who flew in late from California and had to start from the back of the field, were slicing their way through the field.

By lap 15 Edwards had already jumped from 39th to 15th. Bowyer was up to 19th and Ragan 22nd. Edwards pitted for adjustments at the first caution flag, so Bowyer got ahead of him as they continued up the ladder. At lap 40 Bowyer had cracked the top-10 and Edwards was 14th.

Up front, David Reutimann, who arrived in time to qualify and started fifth, has moved up to second place behind Keselowski. Then David Stremme spun on lap 53 and it sent everyone down pit lane.

Keselowski remained the race leader on the restart with Mike Bliss and Jason Leffler behind him. Reutimann fell to fifth when he and Logano made contact on pit road, Edwards was up to ninth and Bowyer 10th.

Bliss was fast and got around Keselowski on lap 63 for the lead. The pair of drivers pulled out to a one-second lead on third place Leffler at the 75-lap mark. Keselowski obviously wasn't happy about following Bliss and on lap 84 he slid underneath Bliss to retake the top spot.

Another caution flag and Keselowski again got help from his pit crew to get him out first. But behind him Scott Wimmer and Edwards' crew performed brilliantly and they were second and third, respectively.

Keselowski wasn't about to give up his position. He was the leader at the 100-lap mark and at the mid-point his lead was 1.465 seconds over Wimmer and four seconds on Leffler. The car on the move was Logano's who passed Bliss, Bowyer and Edwards to take over fourth place. Logano got Leffler for third place on lap 134 and was almost two miles-per-hour faster than the leader.

Logano got past Winner eight laps later and had just one car between himself and a possible repeat win.

A Colin Braun spin, with help from Chase Miller, brought out the caution flag to slow the race with 100 laps to go. It was close at the exit line on pit lane, but Keselowski barely beat Logano to maintain his lead. Edwards was third.

Logano got side-by-side with Keselowski with 81 laps remaining, but the No.88 refused to give up the position and fought him off using an outside line. Two laps later they made contact and it sent Keselowski up the track and gave Logano the lead. Edwards followed Logano through the opening as did David Ragan.

With the clean air, Logano was flying and built his lead to 1.400 seconds with 70 laps remaining. The gap was up to 2.403 seconds a dozen laps later. Then a caution flag on lap 204 erased the lead and sent the leaders down pit road for one last time.

Steve Wallace took just two tires, gained 12 positions and was the new race leader. Behind him was Edwards with four new tires, Bowyer and Logano.

But the two tires were no match for four new ones and Edwards flew around the outside of Wallace. Bowyer chose the inside and he pulled past Wallace into second place and then past Edwards for the lead. One lap later Logano got around Wallace. It was now a three-man race for the win.

Thirty laps to go and Travis Kittleson slammed the outside wall and set up a 26-lap shootout.

One lap after the green flag Edwards slid underneath Bowyer, got him loose and charged through the opening for the lead. Logano followed Edwards and grabbed second place.

But Edwards is a veteran and he never let Logano get close enough to make a passing attempt. He also got help from Bowyer who fought Logano for second and allowed him to get a comfortable lead.

Edwards easily took the checkered flag and then honored a favorite local driver, the late Alan Kulwicki, with a "Polish Victory Lap."

Bowyer's third-place finish will send him to next Saturday's race at the New Hampshire International Speedway with a 188-point lead over Keselowski who finished eighth.