Carl Edwards salvaged a 26th-place finish at Bristol on Sunday. Credit: Lecka Streeter/Getty Images

Rough weekend ends with wreck for Edwards

Second-lap accident leads to busted radiator, time behind wall

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Carl Edwards was smiling after the Food City 500, but it was one of those 'Man, today nearly brought me to my breaking point' smiles.

Food City 500 Unofficial Results Pos. Driver Make 1. K. Harvick Chevrolet 2. E. Sadler Ford 3. T. Stewart Chevrolet 4. D. Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 5. D. Jarrett Ford Complete results click here Driver standings, click here Final lapsKevin Harvick takes the checkers at the Food City 500 Top finishersElliott Sadler and Tony Stewart on their day at Bristol Busch, Burton KO'dKurt Busch slams head-on into a spinning Jeff Burton The big oneOn Lap 332, Bristol collects several top drivers in a multi-car wreck More Bristol troubleRicky Rudd and Matt Kenseth get tied up on Lap 323 Tire troublesRusty Wallace has tire troubles that put him two laps down Tough dayBad day for Kyle Busch and Casey Mears Early troubleEdwards gets caught up in someone else's mess Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Edwards started the day in 42nd position after wrecking his primary car during qualifying Friday, and was riding down the back straightaway behind a large pack of cars on the second of 500 laps when Jason Leffler hit the wall.

Cars darted everywhere, and Hermie Sadler hit the brakes -- right in front of Edwards. Edwards slammed into the rear of Sadler's machine, poking a hole in the radiator on Edwards' Office Depot Ford.

He spent 25 laps behind the wall replacing the radiator. Those 25 laps nearly ate him alive.

"I was just tucked in behind Hermie there, was just gonna cruise, and somebody wrecked somebody and he stabbed the brakes and I just got him just enough to poke a little hole in the radiator.

"That's just the most... I'll tell you what, to have that miserable feeling for that long was probably good for me. I don't know how to explain that feeling. I'd run 5000 laps right now if it'd make me lose that feeling. I never want to feel that again."

He returned to the track in 41st position, but after a series of multi-car wrecks throughout the day, he rallied to finish 26th.

"Our guys did a great job to come back to 26th, he said. "I don't know how bad that hurts us in points, but, man..."

Not terribly. He only dropped one position in the standings, from third to fourth. But that doesn't change the fact that he's elated to be racing in Monday's Busch Series event, which was postponed due to inclement weather. He'll start from the pole.

"I'm very glad I'm racing (Monday) -- I've got to make up for this," Edwards said. "That was just terrible. But Edwards' dismay is compounded by the fact that he was in Victory Lane the last time the Nextel Cup Series competed.

"Oh yeah, but hey, that's a character-builder to say the least," Edwards said. "The feeling I had sitting over there five laps in, sitting in the garage with an awesome car ... when I wanted to go, I could go as fast or faster than the leaders.

"That's hard to swallow, but you've got to have those days to learn these lessons, and it's good to have them early in the season."