Edwards hits wall in Martinsville, damage to title hopes – Nascar

Carl Edwards slammed hard into the outside wall in Turn 1 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday after the right front tire on his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota apparently went down, and he was forced to the garage.

Following a lengthy caution, Edwards returned to the race but finished the day in 36th, 23 laps down. The JGR driver is now eighth in points and 32 points behind teammate Kyle Busch for the final transfer spot to the Championship 4 with two races left in the Round of 8.

“We had a really good race going and sometimes that’s just what happens in racing,” Edwards said. “I think we had a top-three car. I was having a lot of fun, and now we just go to Texas and try to win there and Phoenix — we could win at either one of those race tracks.”

Edwards had been running in the top 10 when his No. 19 car smacked the wall — during a period of green-flag pit stops — on Lap 357 of 500 in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. As a result, his car went spinning onto the grass.

In the remaining tracks in the Round of 8, Edwards has three wins at Texas and two at Phoenix.  

Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service