Kahne, Edwards clash in Kobalt 400

Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet was a constant force in the top five Sunday in the Kobalt 400, and that’s where it was on Lap 195 attempting to make a pass on the outside when Edwards drove him into the wall.

As Kahne bounced off the barrier, he maintained his line, caught back up to Edwards and sent the No. 19 spinning — and eventually into the garage — with a subtle, meticulous shot.

“It’s completely my fault,” Edwards said from inside his car, in the garage, while his crew repaired damage. “Kasey did a good job. I just got sucked up into him there. That’s definitely my fault and I feel bad for Kasey.”

Edwards followed those remarks with a post-race discussion on pit road, strolling over to the No. 5 car as Kahne and crew chief Keith Rodden debriefed.

The conversation was short and direct, with Edwards again apologizing to a curt Kahne, who was fast all weekend but settled for 17th on Sunday.

“Carl just came down and apologized,” Kahne said after Edwards went on his way. “He said he hadn’t done that before to anyone. We basically needed just about a full car length more there in order to make it, and he just never lifted and put us right into the wall. It ruined his day as well.”

Edwards was all too aware of the implications to his own car — and finish — as well. That much was clear when his No. 19 Toyota Camry, which had run in the top 10 all day prior to the wreck, was scored 42nd when the checkered flag dropped.

“It’s not just frustrating — it’s pretty stupid,” Edwards said. “I just should have been a little calmer, but it’s kind of fun racing up front like that and it got me going. … I was being too aggressive on that restart. I started to slide up and I should have backed out of it way earlier.”

For Kahne, it was a missed opportunity. His cars have been swift in all three races this year, but his third-place starting spot Sunday gave him the ability to chase leaders Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson all day prior to the damage.

“We had a second-place car the first 30 laps of a run and a winning car the last 15-20 laps of a run,” Kahne said. “The way it went down, I feel like we would have been able to race (winner Kevin) Harvick. He was unreal throughout the entire race, but I think our car was unreal, too.”

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