Edwards wins, makes Busch wait

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009

AVONDALE, Ariz. – In the middle of chaos, Carl Edwards stood as the winner.

He probably still doesn’t even know everything that happened while he ran off with a dominating victory in Saturday’s Able Body Labor 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

With Edwards having won while leading the most laps, Kyle Busch’s ninth-place finish wasn’t quite enough for him to clinch the Nationwide Series championship. However, all he needs to do is start next Sunday’s race at Homestead, Fla., to win his first NASCAR title.

“We at least kept him from getting the trophy for one more week,” said Edwards. “Those guys earned this championship. They have run fair and very well.”

Busch, disgruntled with the inability to clinch the title outright Saturday in part because of his single-car spin early in the race, was in any kind of mood to talk afterwards.

Asked what led to his spin, he replied, “I was driving a bucket of (expletive).”

Busch wasn’t the only driver upset with Saturday’s race. It also featured another chapter in an ongoing feud between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.

On Lap 157 of the 200-lap race, Hamlin bumped Keselowski from behind and then passed him to the inside while going three-wide.

Shortly after, Keselowski returned the bump, with Hamlin spinning out in the process.

Hamlin was livid during radio communication with his crew and a post-race confrontation seemed likely. Even Kevin Harvick, who finished second, said, “I got out of my car as quick as I could. I thought we were going to see some action.”

There was no confrontation on pit road, but Hamlin and Keselowski did meet face-to-face outside the Nationwide hauler well after the race in an animated discussion.

“There’s a lot of guys that have a lot of chips that they’re going to cash in. I’m just going to be the first to the pay window,” Hamlin said of Keselowski immediately after the race.

Asked if NASCAR should get involved, Hamlin said, “Nah, I’ll take care of him. I got it.”

Keselowski said he had no lingering issues with Hamlin.

“On the last restart there, Denny got into the back of me and pushed me up the track,” he said. “I was going to return the favor.

"When he did it to me, I saved it. When I did it to him, he didn’t save it.

“We just got into a pushing match.”

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