Qualifying
"RocketMan" Ryan Newman laid down another fast lap to claim his seventh pole of the season and his sixth straight at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That means that the last time someone other than Ryan Newman was on the pole in Atlanta was in 2002.
Winner of the Spring race in Atlanta Carl Edwards started second. The second row was made up of Elliott Sadler and Mark Martin while Dave Blaney in car number 07 rounded out the top five.
Drop The Green Flag
When the green flag flew Elliott Sadler immediately dove to the bottom from the inside of the second row and went three wide for the lead. The daring move paid off as Sadler settled in to lead the early laps.
A cut tire on lap 8 caused a mess deep in the field that caught up Chase for the NEXTEL Cup contender Rusty Wallace. The resulting front end damage to the Miller Lite Ford effectively ended his day and any outside shot he still may have had for a title.
After the caution Carl Edwards took over the lead and set the pace until his teammate Mark Martin took over at the head of the field. Mark was then able to set sail and comfortably lead the early going over Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr until he was caught speeding after his second pit stop and had to drop to the back. Mark had a fast car and was able to quickly climb back through the field. Mark ended the day in third pace.
Storylines
Another week where drivers involved in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup had troubles. Kurt Busch, Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield al had problems today. Entering the race there were four drivers within 100 points of the leader. When the drivers left Atlanta today only three were left within 100 points.
Chasing The Checkers
Carl Edwards took the lead from Mark Martin on lap 243 of the 324 lap race and was never seriously challenged after that. The margin of victory was 2.713 seconds over Jeff Gordon. Mark Martin rounded out the top three.
This win completed the season sweep for Carl Edwards. Edwards nipped Jimmie Johnson at the line here in the spring to claim his first career victory Today's win is the third of his NEXTEL Cup career.
Top Ten
- Carl Edwards
- Jeff Gordon
- Mark Martin
- Dale Earnhardt Jr
- Matt Kenseth
- Jamie McMurray
- Greg Biffle
- Jeff Burton
- Tony Stewart
- Elliott Sadler
The Points
The Chase entered Atlanta with four drivers within 100 points of leader Tony Stewart. This race was not good for the battle as Jimmie Johnson fell back to 43 points behind as a result of his 16th place finish. Ryan Newman finished in 23rd and is now more than 100 points out of the lead.
This was a good day for Tony Stewart as he managed another top ten finish and extended his points lead as now only three races remain.
The Chase points are now:
- Tony Stewart -0
- Jimmie Johnson -43
- Greg Biffle -75
- Carl Edwards -107
- Ryan Newman -107
- Mark Martin -143
- Matt Kenseth -155
- Rusty Wallace -257
- Kurt Busch -260
- Jeremy Mayfield -310
Next Week
Texas Motor Speedway takes center stage as the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup Championship rolls on. Texas is a 1.5 mile tri-oval with a history of hard wrecks. Greg Biffle was dominating in his win there in April and will need another good finish to close the gap on points leader Tony Stewart.
