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March 29, 2024

kobalt tools 400 race blog:

Carl Edwards wins Las Vegas race for the second time in four years

Edwards edges Tony Stewart for Kobalt Tools 400; Columbia’s Juan Pablo Montayo takes third

Carl Edwards Wins Kobalt 400

Justin M. Bowen

Carl Edwards holds his trophy after winning the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011.

Updated Sunday, March 6, 2011 | 3:18 p.m.

Carl Edwards Wins Kobalt 400

Carl Edwards (99) celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011. Launch slideshow »

2011 NASCAR Race

A crew member reaches for a tire as Jimmie Johnson (48) pits during the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 6, 2011.  Launch slideshow »

Carl Edwards back-flipped off his No. 99 Ford race car Sunday for a second time in four years at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Edwards fought off Tony Stewart Sunday to win the Kobalt Tools 400, taking the checkered flag one week after a heart-breaking finish in Phoenix. It's his tradition to black-flip off the driver's side window ledge and onto the track after victories.

Edwards, who in 2008 also won the annual Sprint Cup race in Las Vegas, overtook Stewart for first place with about 20 laps remaining. It was his 19th career win.

“It means a lot coming off of Phoenix,” Edwards told FOX Sports. “I just didn’t know how things would go from there. You just don’t know when you are going to get (a car running that good).”

Stewart, who has never won in Las Vegas, led for more than half of the race.

After 226 laps:

Tony Stewart took two new tires about 30 laps ago during the last caution and appears to be solid heading down the home stretch of the Kobalt Tools 400.

Stewart, who has led most of the day, regained the top spot shortly after the caution and leads with roughly 41 laps remaining. Stewart has never won in Las Vegas.

Columbia’s Juan Pablo Montoya is in second place and 4.5 seconds behind Stewart, while Carl Edwards is in third place and still in striking distance.

Drivers should pit once more. It should be an exciting finish.

After 194 laps:

Jeff Gordon will join Kyle Busch in the garage at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gordon’s right-front tire failed in Turn 4 of the 194th lap to force a caution with 72 laps remaining in the Kobalt Tools 400. Gordon’s No. 24 Chevy smashed into the wall and caught on fire.

Gordon, who started in the 13th spot and led for one lap earlier in the race, is officially out. Last week, he broke a 66 race-win drought by winning in Phoenix.

Also, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in fourth place. He hasn’t won a race since June of 2008.

After 180 laps:

Carl Edwards is leading the Kobalt Tools 400 with about 85 laps to go, holding a 2.6 second lead over second-place Martin Truex Jr.

Edwards, who nearly won last week in Phoenix, was the champion in 2008 in Las Vegas.

Tony Stewart has clinched the bonus money for most laps led, being in first place for 130 laps. Stewart is in 17th place after having to visit pit road.

Drivers should each make about two more stops, with Edwards and Stewart likely to be in contention late.

Las Vegas’ Kurt Busch, who dropped to the middle of the pack after spinning out about 80 laps ago, has slowly climbed back into contention. He’s in 14th place about 15 seconds behind Edwards.

After 150 laps:

Tony Stewart has led for 127 of the 150 laps, and is looking for his first win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Carl Edwards has been in the top five for virtually the entire race and is less than one second behind Stewart in second place. Kevin Harvick is in third place and Martin Truex Jr. is in fourth.

Defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who has won four of the last six races, is nine seconds back in 16th place. Las Vegas’ Kurt Busch is in 17th. His brother, Kyle, was knocked out of the race in the 108th lap after his car caught on fire.

A few laps earlier, Kurt Busch’s car spun out.

“We’re having problems of our own in our hometown,” Kyle Busch said. “It might be good just to get out of here and come back and try again next year.”

After 109 laps:

Kyle Busch won’t pick-up another victory on his hometown track.

Busch’s No. 18 Toyota caught fire on the 108th lap, forcing the Durango High graduate to the garage and out of the Kobalt Tools 400.

Busch, the 2009 champion at Las Vegas, also had problems on lap No. 97 when one of his tires blew out. Busch was in second-place behind Tony Stewart before the tire trouble.

“Man, it is really unfortunate. We had a great race car today,” Busch told FOX during its broadcast.

Busch’s older brother, Kurt, is still racing but is in 21st place after spinning out on the 102nd lap.

The brothers occupied the top two spots — Kyle was in first — in the Sprint Cup standings entering race. It won’t be the same exiting.

“Fortunately, it is still early in the year where we can bounce back and still be in contention,” Kyle Busch told FOX.

After 102 laps:

Las Vegas natives Kurt and Kyle Busch have been involved in minor incidents in the last five laps.

In lap No. 97, Kyle Busch’s tire went out and his car briefly scrapped against the wall to force a yellow flag caution. Kyle dropped from second place to 18th, but is back racing with four good tires.

Five laps later, however, older brother Kurt forced another caution when his car spun out coming out of Turn 4. Kurt Busch is 22nd place.

Tony Stewart, who is looking for his first win in Las Vegas, continues to lead. Carl Edwards has now moved into second.

After 88 laps:

Paul Menard and Mike Shinner each briefly shared the lead at the Kobalt Tools 400 while Tony Stewart visited pit road, but it didn’t take long for the 2005 Cup champion to regain the top stop at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Stewart, who has never won in Las Vegas, has led for roughly 70 of the race’s 88 laps. Las Vegas’ Kyle Busch is 2.2 seconds behind in second place, while Greg Bifle follows in third.

Carl Edwards, who nearly won last week in Phoenix, sits in fourth place.

Several of the more notable racers are struggling: Jimmie Johnson is now a lap-back in 24th place, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in 22nd place and pole-sitter Matt Kenseth is in 32nd place after having early tire problems.

After 40 laps:

Tony Stewart is trying to drive away from the field at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Stewart had led the Kobalt Tools 400 the past 25 laps, holding a 3.416 second lead against second-place Kurt Busch of Las Vegas after 40 laps.

Other notable drivers after 40 laps include: 2008 champion Carl Edwards in seventh place, 2009 champion Kyle Busch in sixth and defending champ Jimmie Johnson in 24th.

Jeff Gordon, who led briefly in the 14th lap, is in eighth place but hasn’t taken a pit stop.

After 15 laps:

The first yellow caution flag of the afternoon comes on lap 10 when Robby Gordon’s No. 7 car spun out on Turn 4. Several drivers are using the opportunity to make their initial pit-stop of the race.

The caution went from laps 10 to 12 for three laps.

Jeff Gordon, who won last week in Phoenix to snap a 66 race-win drought, overtook pole-sitter Matt Kenseth on the inside at the restart to take the lead. Shortly after, however, Tony Stewart overtook Jeff Gordon in lap 15. Kenseth is having problems with his tires and is one of two drivers one-lap down.

Pre-race:

Jimmie Johnson’s dominance at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway could be on display again Sunday with the annual Sprint Cup race in Southern Nevada set to begin.

Johnson, who has won Cup races here in four of the last six years, will start in Row 7 after qualifying Friday in the 14th position with a lap of 28.919 seconds at 186.728 mph.

Johnson, the five-time defending Cup champion who has 53 career wins and 204 top 10 finishes, is still searching for his first trip to Victory Lane in 2011. Rookie Trevor Bayne won two weeks ago at the Daytona 500, while Jeff Gordon broke his victory-drought last week in Phoenix

Las Vegas, at least according to Johnson’s past performances, is a likely race for the breakthrough. Johnson, who is a 6-to-1 betting favorite, led the final 16 laps last year in winning his fourth Las Vegas title. He also won from 2005 to 2007.

Matt Kenseth, who during qualifying set a track record with a 28.589-second lap at 188.884 mph, will start in the pole position for the fifth time in his 12-year career. He is a two-time (2003-04) champion in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, the 2009 champ and a Durango High graduate, will start in Row 3. His older brother, Kurt, is back in Row 11. Carl Edwards, who won in 2008, will start in Row 2.

The 401-mile race will take the 43-driver field around the 1.5-mile track 267 times. Check back all afternoon for updates on the races.

Picks:

The crew covering the race for the Sun each predicts a different winner — reporter Case Keefer likes Edwards, editorial cartoonist Mike Smith takes Kyle Busch and photographer Justin Bowen is going with Gordon. I like Johnson.

Randy Howe, a sports anchor from our television partner KSNV, picked Kenseth. Kevin West of KSNV is siding with Edwards.

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