Carl Edwards completed the Atlanta sweep today as he captured the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 in rather easy fashion….winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway by a comfortable 2.712 seconds. This was his 3rd win of they season (besides the spring race here he also won at Pocono in June) and he’s now all the way up to 84th on the all-time win list. Win #87 for Roush Racing was worth $314,700 from the over $5.9M in posted awards.
Dale Earnhardt Jr (4th) had his best finish since he won at Chicagoland in July. Jamie McMurray (6th) had his best finish since he was runner-up at Daytona in July. Michael Waltrip (11th) had his best finish since he was 7th at Michigan in June. Mike Bliss (13th) had his best finish since he was 7th at Bristol in August. Johnny Benson (28th) had his best finish since he was 27th at Daytona in February of 2004 (only 6 races). STREAKIN….Carl Edwards has 5 Top-10’s in the last 6 races.
Tony Stewart has 4 Top-10’s in the last 5 races.
This Week’s Elevator…UP: Operator of the Week is Jeff Burton (+33), followed by Michael Waltrip (+26), Jeff Gordon (+22), and Jamie McMurray (+22). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Martin Truex Jr (-32), followed by Kasey Kahne (-29), Kevin Lepage (-29), Mike Skinner (-28 ), Ryan Newman (-22), and Jeremy Mayfield (-20). This was Op #2 for Burton, while Truex makes his first ever appearance in the “Shaft”.
Tony Stewart’s lead in the “Chase” is now 43 markers. For all practical purposes, the “Chase” is down to the Top-7.
In “Classic” points, Jeff Gordon gains the most spots (15th to 12th), while Jeremy Mayfield (7th to 10th) fell the same number of spots. That vaunted 11th spot is still in Jamie McMurray’s grasp….but only by 42 points over Gordon.(Stock Car Fans)(10-30-2005)
