MONTREAL (AP) -- Carl Edwards was as shocked as anyone."I can't believe I won the race,'' Edwards said Sunday after making a stunning pass of Marcos Ambrose on the final turn of the Nationwide race at Montreal. "I just figured he'd take off and run away with it. I guess that goes to show you never give up.''
It was another lost opportunity at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for Ambrose, who has had a chance to win all three Nationwide races conducted on the street circuit since NASCAR began racing here in 2007.
The despair was real on a day that started in sunshine and turned to gloom.
"I just made a mistake at the end there and lost the race,'' Ambrose said. "I feel pretty devastated.''
Edwards couldn't believe what happened because Ambrose led 60 laps over the 14-turn, 2.7-mile course - including 31 in a row before the rain moved in for the second straight year.
Still, the hard-charging Tasmanian figured to be a lock since he grew up racing in the rain. But after overcoming restart after restart in the crash-filled event, Ambrose slipped up at the wrong time.
Edwards won a two-lap sprint to the finish on a track that was both wet and dry in spots from a light rain, making up more than a second on the final lap. Edwards began to close fast on Ambrose entering turn 10, a right-handed hairpin, and that gave Edwards renewed hope.
"I drove a little bit deeper than him and I caught him, and that surprised me,'' Edwards said. "I didn't think I'd catch him in that corner, but I had the benefit of watching his car. He was kind of out there flying. Once I got to him, we came off turn 10, he was spinning the tires, and I thought I might have him.''
Seconds later, Ambrose slid sideways after hitting the rumble strips in turn 14. Edwards slipped past and outraced him down the final straightaway.
"That was an amazing gift,'' Edwards said. "Marcos just made that one mistake that gave me a chance to get by. The difference was the tires and the way the track was changing. As soon as it gets dry, there's so much more grip, and there were places out there I saw that had a little more grip. Maybe I could just see better through my windshield.''
Ambrose survived three other restarts in the final 12 laps of the race, which was plagued by 11 cautions. The race went two extra laps and lasted 3 hours, 49 minutes, 19 seconds, the longest in Nationwide Series history. The Gateway 300 in 1997 lasted 3:48.25.
Ambrose was out to right what went wrong in the previous two Nationwide races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In 2007 he led 37 laps and was challenging for the win before he was spun out by Robby Gordon and finished seventh.
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A member of the NYFD signs the hood of the NASCAR racecar custom-designed to commemorate 9/11 during a marketing event Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 in New York. Driver Benny Gordon and North South Motorsports will race the car to commemorate 9/11 on September 11, 2009 at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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Driver Benny Gordon, third from left foreground, poses with firefighter, police officers, and the NASCAR racecar custom-designed to commemorate Sept.11 Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 in New York. Gordon and North South Motorsports will race the car on Sept. 11 at the Richmond International Speedway in Virginia. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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Driver Benny Gordon is photographed during a marketing event to unveil the NASCAR racecar custom-designed to commemorate 9/11, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 in New York. Gordon and North South Motorsports will race the car on Sept. 11 at the Richmond International Speedway in Virginia. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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The NASCAR racecar custom-designed to commemorate Sept. 11 is unveiled Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 near the World Trade Center site in New York's lower Manhattan. Driver Benny Gordon and North South Motorsports will race the car on Sept. 11 at the Richmond International Speedway in Virginia to commemorate 9/11. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 30: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 CitiFinancial Ford celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Edwards
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MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 29: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota is escorted on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Nationwide Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch
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MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 30: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota smiles during pre-race activities for the NASCAR Nationwide Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch
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Carl Edwards hoists the winner's trophy after his victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)
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MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 29: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota drives during the NASCAR Nationwide Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch
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Last year in the rain, Ambrose led 27 laps but was caught speeding on pit road late in the race and Ron Fellows won the rain-shortened event, the first points race in NASCAR history to be run on rain tires.
It was the third win of the year and 23rd in his Nationwide career for Edwards, who moved within 192 points of series leader Kyle Busch.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series star Andrew Ranger was third. Former Formula One star Jacques Villeneuve finished fourth on the track named for his father, and Brad Keselowski was fifth. Busch went from fourth to 10th on the final two laps.
Ambrose started from the pole, but everything changed when the rain moved in. The race was halted at the end of lap 61 so the teams could switch to rain tires, slap on windshield wipers, and hook up brake lights.
The race resumed on lap 64 with the street course damp but with no standing water like a year ago. Ambrose quickly cleared the second-place car of Ranger. Edwards then tangled with Ranger and Busch slipped past both for second, with Edwards and Ranger right behind.
Ambrose had a 2.8-second lead after the first time around, but the ninth caution of the race, for debris, erased that margin on the next lap.
Ambrose again assumed control when the race went green on lap 68, but several cars spun out before the 31 cars remaining in the race made a complete trip around. That brought out caution No. 10, six more than last year's race and twice as many as 2007.
Ambrose easily drew clear on the restart on lap 71 and Ranger passed Busch for second. But Steven Wallace set up the two-lap dash to the finish when he made contact with Victor Gonzalez Jr. and slid sideways into a big pack of cars in the second turn to bring out the race-changing final caution.
By JOHN KEKIS, AP Sports Writer
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-01-2009 @ 11:16AM
James said...
ESPN should be ashamed of thier coverage,to sit there and watch an idiot like Steven Wallace tear up race car after race car and not say anything about it because his father is in the booth is shamefull.Report the event as it happens,quite giving this jerk a free pass.
Reply
9-02-2009 @ 4:57PM
yogibear619fl said...
Thats the first time i saw something in here I agreed with. Bring dale jarrett back to the booth, even DW. time for Rusty Wall Eye to go.
9-09-2009 @ 1:56PM
RMT said...
Rich says: I didn`t watch the whole race, only the last half. I thought that this race was about the best that I`ve seen since Richard Petty and David Peardon wrecked at Daytona!!!! I applaude nascar for the way they handled the rain situation. This should be done more often. Bring them in,change to rain tires,make adjustments for the rain, and cut-em loose. Sundays race in Montreal proved that there are only a few REAL RACE CAR DRIVERS IN NASCAR!!!! You can see that some of those drivers out there don`t know the first thing about handling a stock car if the track isn`t dry. All they know is that you get into the car,mash down on the gas,and point it in one direction. If the car doesn`t perform, they cry like babies to the media after the race or after they crash out!!!! Race cars don`t always perform the same from week to week. The driver has to make his own adjustments,ATTITUDE AND DRIVING SKILLS!!! People like Bill Elliot and Smokey make these comments all the time. You have to know how to drive these cars if they don`t handle perfectly. Back in the 60`s and 70`s you didn`t hear all the crying about- It`s tight going in,tight in the middle,loose in tight out,ETC. Just drive the car stupid.
Again,I agree with James about Steven Wallace. He was driving so far over his head that if he just held his positions each time the race restarted he probably would have finished a lot higher than he did. Nascar should have BLACK-FLAGGED him after the second incident. And did you hear Edwards CRYING about how crazy this whole race was just before the last restart???? He sounded so scared sh--less!!!! You didn`t hear him crying after he won the race though. Most of them so called drivers are just over paid CRY-BABIES.
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9-01-2009 @ 6:06PM
Mike said...
It's obvious Steven didn't inherit any of the genes needed for driving, he's aweful! To get rid of people like him nascar needs to do like was mentioned and like it's done at the track where I race. If you cause the caution to come out more than twice, you take your car and go home, no more racing for you that day. It's too bad sponsors don't get to see the cream of the crop. Instead I'm sure Rusty had to agree that HE would do commercials and be a spokeman for Fidelis so they would sponsor his son. His son sure couldn't do it on his own.
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9-01-2009 @ 6:52PM
Rich39 said...
WOW..what a great race. I would like to see more of these type races. We have a great road course track in South Carolina. Not Darlington, but in Kershaw County.
Saw my first Darlington race back in the late 1950's at Darlinton.
Use to go to Charlotte, Atlanta, Daytona and a few more but they are to boring. I go to sleep after 3 or 4 laps.
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9-01-2009 @ 10:38PM
SEXY VERONICA said...
Montreal was defenetely a cool race until the rain started and than zap the show is gone.
Too bad m. lambrose screwed up in the last 100 yards and so we had to watch the cheer girl flipper do another flip, but that's better to watch the kayla winning.
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9-03-2009 @ 7:24AM
Kim said...
I can't believe Ambrose let Edwards get the best of him in the final lap. The race was clearly Amrbose's to lose and he did so. What a bummer, but a good job on Edward's part.
As for the rain racing, they proved they can put rain tires on a stock car on a road course in the rain and still race. So what's the problem? Why no rain tires in Sprint Cup on road courses?
As far as Steven Wallace, I couldn't agree more. What a disaster! That kid needs to have his ride taken away from him and he needs to be permantly parked! He is a menace to all the others and has no business behind the wheel of a racecar, regardless of who is father is!
Kim
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9-03-2009 @ 6:59PM
Brad said...
Well Kim the only thing I think they proved is that they can Ride around in the rain cause there wasn't much Racing going on while it was raining. All it really does is slow them down and make it more dangerous for all of them trying to push it to that all out edge in wet conditions and with visibility problems to boot. As far as Wallace, all I can say is wow what a disaster.
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9-03-2009 @ 9:25PM
Kim said...
True Brad!
There were certainly a lot of cautions after the rain started, although two of the later cautions can be attributed to Wallace. What an idiot! I am not sure he should even be driving any type of vehicle on any type of road. Thank God he doesn't live anywhere near me and I don't have to share a freeway with him, LOL. :-)
Kim
9-03-2009 @ 10:56PM
NAZIAOL said...
KIM, if there was rain tires available, don't you think nascar would used them by now at every track? I mean real
rain tires that allow cars to race at 150 to 200 mph.
The rain at montreal last weekend, was more of a drizzling than heavy rain. Than occurred in the last 20 lats, so there was not much racing left. In addition there was no puddles and no other standing water on the track.It would been an all defferent story if the rain came down like the falls.And even though all these pluses, they had to slow down and yet those drivers had to put up with incompetents like steven wallace.In short; those drivers were driving just about like we drive on wet roads around our towns and cityes. There was plenty of driving but very little racing during the rain and we all saw ambrose getting passed when he stepped on a little and went sideways.Maybe by year 2020
nasa will bring back rain tires tecnology from mars aliens,lol.
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9-04-2009 @ 12:39AM
anzajoe said...
HEY NAZIAOL HI,
this is nzcr14. I wonder what kind of crap the fanhouse tred to sell you for you to get such a screen name,LOL.
C HATEWARDS won the race only because AMBROSE went side ways when he tryed to pick up speed stepping a little harder on a wet pavement. that' all.Indry conditions ambrose would win.
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9-04-2009 @ 12:54AM
sexyveronica said...
GUYS and GALS, do not despear,as sept 1-09 the fanhouse has a new editor and it's JERRY BONKOWSKY from yahoo sports.Things can get better but remember that at times changes make it worse.Just a thought.
Reply
9-04-2009 @ 2:44AM
Susan said...
The rain tires were terrible. I thought it was obvious to everyone. The ESPN booth repeatedly said that the Sprint Cup cars could not be driven on ovals on rain tires in the rain. So why did Rusty 'pretend' to not notice and keep up the ridiciulous line of b.s. that Sprint Cup needed rain tires.
2. Rusty's kid Steven. I try to give the kid a break because he takes so much abuse for wrecking everyone. ESPN needs to tell Rusty that he cannot discuss Steven. Rusty needs to sit Steven down & tell him that is it. Drive the car without a madman temper and destroying the inventory or tell him he'll put someone else in the car. Steven is doing whatever he wants at a very high financial cost, possible injury to others. He's getting worse.
3.Everyone says what a great move Carl Edwards put on Ambrose at the end of the race. Ambrose threw that race away due to a mistake. How many cars did Couson Carl take out on that last restart? Very misfortunate and I believe at 'least' avoidable.
Jerry Bonkowski? Maybe he will keep the news up to date on Fanhouse. Major issue IMO. Almost none of the daily Nascar news/issues are covered on this site in a timely manner. I've followed Jerry on Twitter for a long time. I recall that Jerry has always been adamant that Mayfield is an innocent man (which I don't believe in any, way, shape, or form).
Welcome to Fanhouse, Jerry!
Reply
9-04-2009 @ 3:12AM
xxxsexyveronica said...
HEY SUSAN, maybe jerry is a meth user himself that why he protects the mayfield boy,lol.
I 'M from quebeck susan and i was at the race and those rain tires are a joke.It was a light rain, a sprinkle in some spots. No rain at all in other spots.
Edwards did not deserve to win the race,he only did because ambrose slid sideways on a wet curve by stepping hard on the gas pedal.ESPN sucks just like rusty wallace in reporting nascar. They belong togheter i guess but not in nascar. Remember stewart giving hell to espn last year?I miss stewart antics sometime although he is not my main driver.
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9-04-2009 @ 3:59AM
Susan said...
Veronica, I can't remember Stewart giving ESPN a hard time last year. I remember the Goodyear tires episode. Are you possibly talking about when Tony felt ESPN would not cover him fairly so he quit giving them interviews? The good old days!!! I do prefer the old Tony to the new Stepford Stewart. I know the language may be different in Canada. I heard the non-English words in the Canadian song. Hopefully, we have no communication issues now.
I would love to see Tony Stewart and the Kylie thrown down some time. Or Tony and Juan Pablo?
Who is your favorite Driver? Villeneuve (sic)? :)
9-04-2009 @ 4:33AM
xxxsexyveronica said...
YES SUSAN,
that's exactly what i was talking about regarding tony stewart, but he had problems with espn way before that.
And the goodyear show, that was after indyanapolis last year. Jimmy Johnson is my top driver but i also like stewart and gordon a lot and i do miss stewart oldies.
About the KB or kylie as many like to call him, i noticed after daytona kyle stays pretty clear of tony
but i would love to see both of them getting in to.
2 years ago,maybe 3, this was when KB was still at hms stewart kept running on kyle bumper, atlanta i think it was and that sissy got so scared he kept on telling his crew chief STEWART was trying to kill him and also was constantly moaning on the radio about tony.
Montoya? lol. i been waiting for that match too for 5 years but i now doubt it will ever happen anymore unless
montoya dose something detrimental to stewart performance.But as a stewart fan you may not wish anything to happen now that the chase is about to begin
and your driver has already had few bad finishes lately.
Reply
9-04-2009 @ 5:25AM
naziaol said...
Not an all lot nzcr14. G miller and CO. blocked an old email of mine and are now trying to sell me B S storyes.
i hope they won't block my IP connection too.
Reply
9-05-2009 @ 7:26PM
kenneth said...
Come on, guys, ease off on Rusty. I had the impression that he was embarrassed by his son's performance on the track. Everyone has a bad day some time, and Steven surely had his, but what could Rusty do (or say)?
Reply