Carl Edwards spent 313 laps in the top 10 at Darlington. Credit: Autostock

Late-race gamble nearly pays off for Edwards

DARLINGTON, S,C, -- Carl Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne went against conventional wisdom on Saturday night by making a gutsy call with a handful of laps remaining in the Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

	Carl Edwards
	Results Dodge Charger 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. Greg Biffle Ford 2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 3. Kasey Kahne Dodge 4. Mark Martin Ford 5. Ryan Newman Dodge Complete results, click here Standings, click here

Instead of putting on four tires, Edwards and Osborne called for two and put themselves in a position to win -- or at least finish in the top three.

But Jeff Gordon made that a moot point by bumping Edwards off Turn 2 on a green-white-checkered run to the finish, and Edwards fell all the way to ninth in the final order.

Gordon, for his part, said that the bump was not intentional.

"I've got to say one thing about Carl Edwards," he said. "I got him loose up off Turn 2 and I don't know if he checked up or if I just got into him, but he saved it and it was one of the best saves I think I've ever seen in my life. And I'm sorry that I hit him."

"We were at a disadvantage all night because of our pit stall," Edwards said. "We would lose two spots no matter how fast we were, because I had to go slow (to get in).

"We figured the heck with it, we'll just go for two tires. It would have worked for a top three or four if Gordon hadn't gotten into the back of me off Turn 2, but we were all racing for a win there and it was just hard racing."

Edwards' pit stall was the first on the Turn 1 side of the tunnel, and the retaining wall juts out into pit lane, forcing Edwards to slow way down to get in so his crew could service his Office Depot Ford.

"We weren't going to have as much grip as those guys who pitted." Edwards said. "Other than hitting me, I don't think six of them would have gotten by. I think we would have been in the top three or four.

Victory LaneGreg Biffle celebrates his third win of the season Second placeJeff Gordon on his runner-up finish at Darlington Bumper TagWaltrip penalized after continuous beating and banging with Green Wall streetTravis Kvapil, Dale Jarrett and Scott Riggs tangle on Lap 242 Early troublesKurt Busch and Michael Waltrip wreck early at Darlington Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"You have to gamble, you've got to go for it. With our pit stall, we'd have come out 10th and been battling for 10th. We'd rather start up front."

He restarted third behind leader Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader, both of whom stayed out for the track position.

Gordon was right behind him, and as the green flag waved for the final time on Lap 368, Gordon charged off Turn 2 with a head of steam. He got into the back of Edwards' Ford and set him sideways, and Edwards had a handful of steering wheel trying to save it.

"I'm just glad I didn't wad it up," Edwards said. "I've never steered so fast in my life. That's a good finish, a top-10 finish and we'll move on."

Edwards said before the race that his major goal was to stay off Darlington's legendary walls for 367 laps, and that's what he did.

"That was the biggest thing, just trying not to wreck," he said. "Three-hundred-sixty-seven laps at this place is a lot of laps. It's fun, but that's why I work out.

"I noticed I was getting a little worn out toward the end and the other guys were slowing down as well. It was fun and I'm really proud of my team."

With the ninth-place finish, Edwards moved up a spot in the points to 13th.