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Carl Edwards' Memphis win moved him 80 points closer to Clint Bowyer in the standings.By the Numbers: Texas
Bowyer, Edwards almost identical in Lone Star State
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And then there were two.
With three races left in the 2008 Nationwide Series season, the battle for the championship is down to two drivers -- Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards.
Thanks to his career-high fifth victory on the season Oct. 25 at Memphis, Edwards was able to cut 80 points off of Bowyer's lead after the points leader struggled to a 16th-place finish, three laps down.
The series now heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the O'Reilly Challenge (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and if history is any indication, it's going to be a challenge for either driver to change the points race after 200 laps in the Lone Star State.
The current top-two at Texas
1. Clint BowyerIn seven Nationwide races at Texas, Bowyer has two top-fives and four top-10s with no wins. His worst finish at the track is 36th when he had engine problems in his first Texas Nationwide race in 2004. Since then he's finished no worse than 18th. The last two races he's finished fourth and third but has only led one lap in his Nationwide career at the track. Bowyer's average finish at Texas is 13.0.
2. Carl EdwardsEdwards' Nationwide stats at Texas are almost identical to Bowyer's. Edwards has never won at Texas, has three top-fives and four top-10s. In 2005, Edwards finished third and fourth for his top-two finishes at the track. His worst finish is a 43rd in the 2006 spring race due to engine problems, but other than that he's finished no worse than 13th. His last two races at the track have seen him outside the top 10 with an 11th and 13th. Edwards' average finish at Texas is 12.0 and he's led six laps.
Championship facts
0No driver in NASCAR history has won the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series titles in the same season. Carl Edwards could become the first if he can catch Clint Bowyer in the Nationwide Series and Jimmie Johnson in the Cup Series.
2The 2008 season is the second-closest points battle in the last five Nationwide Series seasons. In 2004, Martin Truex Jr. was up 161 points after 32 events; in 2005 Truex led by 100; in 2006 Kevin Harvick led by 790 points and in 2007 Carl Edwards led by 531 points.
3This is third season out of the last four that Carl Edwards will finish in the top 10 in points in both the Cup and Nationwide Series in the same season. In 2005 he finished third in both series; in 2007 he was ninth in the Cup Series and was the Nationwide Series champion and he is currently second in both series.
116The 116-point deficit is the closest Carl Edwards has been to Clint Bowyer since August after the Michigan race when Edwards trailed Bowyer by 113 points.
Five more things
0Since 2001, no winner at Texas has started from the front row. Kevin Harvick has won three races from the second row, starting either third or fourth, but other than that the winner has started seventh or worse.
1Texas is a relatively clean race as only once has the race gone longer than the scheduled distance. Nationwide races at Texas average 6.4 cautions for an average of just 35 of the 200 laps run.
1Kyle Busch is one win away from tying Sam Ard for the series record of 10 Nationwide wins in a season. Busch has three opportunities to catch Ard as he will run the final three races at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.
3Three drivers have won multiple races at Texas and two are entered this weekend. Kevin Harvick has four wins, Mark Martin has three and Matt Kenseth has two. Kenseth is the only one of the three not racing on Saturday.
9Look out for the "K's" this weekend at Texas. The last nine Nationwide winners at the track have a 'K' in their name. (Joe Nemechek: 2003; Matt Kenseth: 2004, 2007; Kasey Kahne: 2005; Kevin Harvick: 2005, 2006, 2007; Kurt Busch: 2006; Kyle Busch: 2008.
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Texas Motor Speedway
Nationwide Series winners
| Year | Winner | Start | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Mark Martin | 20 | Ford |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 16 | Chevrolet |
| 1999 | Mark Martin | 2 | Ford |
| 2000 | Mark Martin | 2 | Ford |
| 2001 | Kevin Harvick | 7 | Chevrolet |
| 2002 | Jeff Purvis | 13 | Chevrolet |
| 2003 | Joe Nemechek | 7 | Chevrolet |
| 2004 | Matt Kenseth | 15 | Ford |
| 2005 | Kasey Kahne | 25 | Dodge |
| Kevin Harvick | 3 | Chevrolet | |
| 2006 | Kurt Busch | 7 | Dodge |
| Kevin Harvick | 4 | Chevrolet | |
| 2007 | Matt Kenseth | 10 | Ford |
| Kevin Harvick | 4 | Chevrolet | |
| 2008 | Kyle Busch | 31 | Toyota |
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