Roush the big winner with sweep of top three spots (cont'd)

Crew chief Bob Osborne admitted it was a risky call -- a call that no one else followed aside from Ryan Newman. But at the time, Edwards got behind his crew chief and continued to lead.

But it would become clear Biffle and Kenseth had the four-tire advantage.

Osborne radioed the team and said, "I lost the race for us ... Carl, everyone, I owe you guys an apology."

Without hesitation, Edwards replied, "Just remember, you're the man. I have a ton of faith in you. Keep doing what you're doing and we are going to win this championship. We are in this position because of you. It was a 50-50 call."

Edwards, who finished third, said it was not Osborne's fault.

"You've got teammates in front, I'm still leading the points, and I got to race like I haven't raced in a long, long time. That's fun. I'm not going to hang over this one," Edwards said.

The Roush domination began with under 100 laps to go and Jimmie Johnson out front. Three Roushketeers swarmed Johnson on both sides and from behind, Biffle took the lead, and Edwards settled in second. Kenseth lined up behind him.

At the end of the day, Kenseth improved in the standings from 12th to 10th, 167 points out of the lead. Edwards is still the points leader while Biffle sits third, tied with Johnson and just 10 points out.

Saturday's final practice was a clear indication of what the Roush Fenway Fords were capable of during the race. Edwards, Biffle and Kenseth all occupied top-five spots on the speed chart, while Jamie McMurray was eighth and sixth in the two practices, respectively.

McMurray backed it up, taking the lead from Jeff Gordon and leading for 35 laps early in Sunday's race.

The No. 26 performs well at Dover with five top-10 finishes in 11 starts. But McMurray's Ford would not have the opportunity to prove its potential. On Lap 164 Robby Gordon drove up into McMurray in Turn 4, badly damaging the steering and tow on McMurray's Ford. After repairs on pit road proved futile, the crew and driver went to the garage on Lap 164.

McMurray's crew chief Larry Carter radioed the team and said let this be a lesson.

"We had a car that could win the race, but we put [McMurray] back in the pack and he got wrecked," said Carter, referring to a pit stop that shuffled the driver away from the lead.

McMurray ended the day 36th.