Victory Interview with Carl Edwards from NASCAR Nationwide Series at RIR
Attached is the audio file of the interview with race champ Carl Edwards along with a transcript and a link to all the pictures we shot this weekend plus more that were not published. Nationwide will be at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26. @NationwideNNS will be Twittering. Nancy Smeltzer Nationwide Insurance Communication Consultant (614) 249-4491 FAX: (614) 677-6802 Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nancy501 Follow Nationwide on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nationwide Carl Edwards NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Interview ā€“ Richmond International Raceway With the Nationwide Series making their second visit this season to Richmond, Carl Edwards had to start in the back of the pack, but came on strong to bank his forth win in 2009 in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250. Carl Edwards: We made it back up there and there at the end my guys put me in the lead on pit road and thatā€™s what it took. Once we got up front the car was a rocket ship. They made my job really easy so it was a full team effort right there. In the Roush Fenway, Scotts Ford, Edwards was reeling in leader Kevin Harvick when the final caution came out with 24 laps to go. But Edwards would have had no problem if the race had gone green, right to the end. Edwards: I was looking forward to that because my car was very good on the long green flag runs. I was kind of stalking on the 33 right there just waiting for the right moment to really be aggressive. Then we got that caution and it was just a gift that my guys had such a great pit stop. That sure made it a lot easier than trying to pass under green out there. The long green flag runs were good but that pit stop didnā€™t hurt. In finishing second, Kevin Harvick also had to survive a run in with home town hero, Denny Hamlin, who led the most laps 101 of the 250 but wound up 17th after the two tangled and contact with Harvickā€™s car forced him to make an extra pit stop for a tire rub. Kevin Harvick: Everybody was slipping and sliding at that point and I think he just got loose and got in the side of me a little bit and no harm no foul. We were just racing hard and a few donuts down the side and that was about it. Coming home third, Kyle Busch. Kyle Busch: We were competitive enough to win. I felt like we were always going to be a third or forth place car tonight. The 20 was really good, the 33, the 60 and the 88, we almost fell to fifth but unfortunately the 20 had some problems there and had to come down pit road. That gained us a spot sort of so third place was alright. Busch led 30 laps. Leading 70 was forth place finisher, Brad Keselowski, who thought at one point he might have had the car to beat. Brad Keselowski: The first half of the race I thought we were the winning car on the short runs but I knew we were in a little bit of trouble on the long runs. We just couldnā€™t get the race to play out the way we needed it to. We needed some yellows at the end and some action and we just didnā€™t get it. Finishing fifth David Reutimann, at number six it was Martin Truex Jr, with Trevor Bayne, Justin Allgaier, Steve Wallace and Scott Speed rounding out the top ten. The win for Carl Edwards allowed him to cut 20 points off his deficit to Nationwide Series Championship leader, Kyle Busch, snipping it from 221 points to 201 with eight races to go. Still on crutches, Edwards also hopes this quiets all the talk about his broken right foot. Edwards: Iā€™m hoping, I thought folks would quit asking me about my foot after this but its fine, itā€™s not the weak link right now. Itā€™s not holding me up any and it feels good so it shouldnā€™t be an issue. Edwards obviously couldnā€™t do his normal celebratory back flip and decided not go with the backup plan. Edwards: One of our guys, Mike Riggs, I was supposed to stop in the grass and he was going to attempt a back flip off of the car but I donā€™t think heā€™s ever successfully performed a back flip, he was just planning on the emotion and the energy of the moment to just make it work. He was really upset I didnā€™t stop down there but Iā€™m really glad I forgot about that because he would have probably needed medical attention so I donā€™t know what Iā€™ll do next time. I might just do it so I can watch. A full set of the pictures taken at Richmond International Raceway can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationwide/sets/72157622342825682/ The Nationwide Series will return Sept. 26 to the Dover International Speedway in Delaware. Look for the audio interview following the Dover 200. And donā€™t forget, Nationwideā€™s Media Team will be Twittering from the Dover International Speedway. You can follow the Teamā€™s whereabouts on the track at Twitter/Nationwide ( http://twitter.com/NationwideNNS). If there is a picture of someone or something you would like to see trackside, send your request to http://twitter.com/NationwideNNS The team will try its best to get the shot. Pictures will be posted at http://www.twitpic.com/photos/nationwideNNS