Carl Edwards celebrates his win in the Dover 200 - and extending his series point lead to 472 points over second-place Kevin Harvick. More pix in the Photo Gallery at the end of this page...

Carl Edwards Wins Dover 200

DOVER, Del. – Carl Edwards led 122 laps and pulled away from fellow Nextel Cup driver Denny Hamlin during a rash of late-race cautions to win Saturday’s Dover 200 NASCAR Busch Series race at Dover International Speedway.

It was the third victory of the year for Edwards, the series points leader.

Hamlin, Scott Wimmer, Casey Mears and Matt Kenseth completed the top five in a race that was slowed by two red flags and 11 cautions for a total of 47 laps. Six of those cautions came during the final 40 laps.

Edwards was leading when the day’s sixth yellow flag flew for debris on Lap 161. But when Kenseth and rookie Marcos Ambrose chose not to pit, Edwards found himself restarting the race on Lap 165 in fifth place.

“There were times in the race (the car) was just so good,” Edwards said. “I thought, ‘Man, all we can do is screw this up.’ And then we had that final pit stop, and I thought, ‘There, we did. We screwed it up.’

“Just a small slip up, that’s how competitive the Busch Series is. Just a small slip, and we got back there (in traffic). Then I got real worried.”

After three more cautions, Edwards caught Kenseth and then found himself in a three-wide battle as Hamlin made his bid for the lead. Once around Kenseth, Edward's Roush Fenway Ford was clearly the fastest on the one-mile concrete track.

“Matt Kenseth did an unbelievable job in that car with no (fresh) tires,” Edwards said. “When my spotter said ‘three wide,’ I thought, ‘This might not turn out all right.’ But to win at Dover is a driver’s dream.

“Denny is real good on the restarts, and I was having trouble with mine. He could have really worked me over there. It was just a fun race.”

It was Edwards' 12th career victory in 85 starts in the Busch Series and his first win at Dover.

Hamlin, who started on the pole and led twice for 50 laps, said his Chevrolet was “really a second-place car to Carl after about Lap 50.

“They didn’t have anything at the (nearby) Air Force base that could run with him today,” Hamlin said. “We gave ourselves a shot there at the end, going three wide, but I just didn’t have the bite I needed. ... They really just outclassed us today.”

Of the three-wide move, Hamlin said he “needed the space (Jeff Burton) was occupying to make my move. I got in the loose stuff, too high, and that was my one opportunity.”

Edwards leads the point standings by 472 points over Kevin Harvick.

Complete race results and point standings in the Related news section below...

Checkered Flag Fast Facts

• Carl Edwards won the Dover 200, his 12th victory in 85 NASCAR Busch Series races.
• This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in five races at Dover International Speedway.
• This is his third victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2007.
• Denny Hamlin finished second with the race ending under caution. It is his seventh top-10 in 10 NASCAR Busch Series races this season.
• Scott Wimmer (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in the eight NASCAR Busch Series seasons he has competed in this season.
• Edwards retained the lead in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings and is now 472 points ahead of Kevin Harvick.

TV Schedule

Practice: Friday, June 1 (ESPN2 at 3 p.m./AT, 2 p.m./ET)

Qualifying: Saturday, June 2 (ESPN2 at Noon/AT, 11 a.m./ET)

Race: Saturday, June 2 (ESPN2/TSN-HD at 4 p.m./AT, 3 p.m./ET)

Related News

5/30: Entry List (PDF)

6/1: Friday First Practice (PDF)

6/1: Friday Rookie Practice (PDF)

6/1: Friday Final Practice (PDF)

6/1: Qualifying Order (PDF)

6/2: Qualifying Results (PDF)

6/2: Starting Lineup (PDF)

6/2: Race Results (PDF)

6/2: Point Standings (PDF)

Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Dover 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: June 2, 20071
The Time: 4 p.m./AT, 3 p.m./ET
TV: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m./AT, 2:30 p.m./ET
Track Layout: 1-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,127,483
2006 Winner: Jeff Burton
2006 Pole: None - weather
Schedule: Fri. 9–10:20 a.m. – Practice; 1:20–2:45 p.m. – Rookie Practice; 2–3:00 p.m. – Final Practice. Sat. 11:05 a.m. – Qualifying (Impound).
Year-To-Date Standings: click here

Qualifying Notes

• Denny Hamlin won the Busch Pole for the Dover 200, lapping the Dover International Speedway in 23.443 seconds at 153.564 mph.
• This is Hamlin’s ninth Busch Pole in 81 career NASCAR Busch Series races.
• This is Hamlin’s third Busch Pole and his seventh top-10 start in 10 NASCAR Busch Series races in 2007. His three Busch Poles have all come in th past four races.
• This is Hamlin’s first Busch Pole and fifth top-10 start in as many races at Dover International Speedway.
• Scott Wimmer posted the second-fastest lap at 23.534 seconds, 152.970 mph and will join Hamlin on the front row.
• This is Wimmer’s second top-10 start in eight races this season – both second and both in the past two races. It also is his first top-10 start in nine Dover International Speedway races.
• Marcos Ambrose (third) posted his fourth top-10 start this season. This will be his first race at Dover International Speedway.
• Ambrose was the fastest qualifying rookie.
• Casey Mears (ninth) was the fastest of the driver that had to make the field on time.

Green Flag Notes

• Chevrolet remains solidly in the lead in the Bill France Performance Cup standings as the NASCAR Busch Series moves on to Dover. Chevy is also the leader in victories at The Monster Mile, having won 20 times at the track, including two in a row and six of the last eight races there. Ford – second in the standings – broke into that streak with a Greg Biffle victory in this race in 2004. But it’s Dodge (third in the rankings) that snapped Chevy’s string most recently with a victory by Ryan Newman in the fall race in 2005, and it’s Dodge that may have an upper hand in once again challenging Chevrolet this weekend. Kasey Kahne captured the manufacturer’s second win of the season last Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and first since Juan Pablo Montoya won in Mexico City in March. Dodge also had two cars in the top 10 in this event last year at Dover. Toyota, 11 points behind Dodge in the standings, will make its debut at Dover.
• WHAT TO WATCH FOR AT DOVER: THOUGHTS FROM JOE BALASH,NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR - “Dover lives up to its “Monster Mile” nickname due to the loads that are placed on all of the chassis parts. The high banking and high speeds also place a lot of stress on all of the suspension parts. The concrete surface will be a factor, too. Teams will need to manage their tires since Dover is one of four tracks we go to this year where only five sets of tires can be used. The majority of our events utilize six sets for practice, qualifying and the race. Pit strategy plays a big part at this race. Pit road at Dover is tight with concrete boxes, so drivers need to have their cars under control and not slide the tires. This is key especially if they’re making a two-tire stop. Lastly, teams may gamble on taking fuel only to gain track position.”
• Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Wisk Dodge) goes for back-to-back wins this weekend. He captured last Saturday’s race in Charlotte. Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards have won consecutive races this season.
• Jason Keller (No. 11 CJM Racing Chevrolet) goes for start No. 404 at Dover. He’s chasing the all-time record of 417 set by Tommy Houston.
• Shane Huffman (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) is scheduled to visit Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Navy Investigative Services headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday prior to arriving in Dover.
• Keep an eye on Steve Wallace (No. 66 HomeLife Communities Dodge). The 19-year-old now has his uncle, NASCAR Busch Series veteran Kenny Wallace, spotting for him and the RWI team has traditionally done well at Dover. …
• James Hylton (No. 01 RACEGIRL Chevrolet), 72, and Morgan Shepherd (No. 89 Victory in Jesus Racing Dodge), 65, are entered at Dover. Shepherd won at Dover from the Busch Pole in 1986.
• In addition to Shepherd, there are five other former winners at Dover entered in the field including two-time victors and Roush Fenway teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Arby’s Ford). Kenseth’s win in 1998 came one day before his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut. His seven top-five finishes are the most among all drivers in NASCAR Busch Series competition at the track and his 637 laps led are the most among active drivers at The Monster Mile.

Photo Gallery - Saturday, June 2


Denny Hamlin (20) paced the field to the green flag to start the Dover 200...


Pole winner Hamlin (20) races eventual race winner Edwards (60)...


Edwards margin of victory over Hamlin...


Edwards trademark celebratory backflip for the fans...


More traditional Victory Lane celebrations...

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.