DOVER, DE -- A late race accident by Kurt Busch who hit the outside wall exiting Turn 2 set off a chain reaction that took out or damaged about 8 cars brought out a red-flag with 17 laps to go today at Dover.  When the green flag waved Carl Edwards and his No. 99 Office Depot car held off his teammate Greg Biffle to win Sunday's Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover International Speedway, his second win on a concrete track after an earlier victory this season at Bristol.

Edwards managed to escape a wreck-filled race that knocked many of the championship contenders out of the second event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the most sought title in American motorsports today.

A record 13 caution flags kept the field slowed on a sunny day before a huge crowd that saw former NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth lead 191 laps before the engine in his Ford went up in smoke near the end.

Edwards, one of the Chase contenders, drove away from runner-up Greg Biffle in a five-lap sprint following the day's final caution period to take the checkered flag.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., battled back from being a lap down to finish third. Veteran Mark Martin was fourth and Kyle Busch was fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Casey Mears, Chase contender Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Chase contender and former champion Tony Stewart, and former Formula One Champion Juan Pablo Montoya.

A 12-car pileup on the main straightway sidelined a host of cars, including Chase contender Kurt Busch, who triggered the accident when something on his car broke. Busch's car veered into the outside wall and careened back across the track in front of most of the field.

Cars involved in the accident included defending champion Jimmie Johnson, Chase contender Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan Newman, Jeff Green, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, J.J. Yeley, Kyle Busch, Scott Riggs, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorensen.

Other Chase contenders had problems, including Denny Hamlin, involved in a wreck with Kyle Petty that relegated Hamlin to a 38th place finish. Kenseth wound up 35th. Kurt Busch was 29th, Kevin Harvick, 20th, Johnson, 14th, Jeff Gordon, 11th and Clint Bowyer, 12th.

Sunday's action tightened the point battle with just four points separating the top four drivers, Gordon, Stewart, Edwards and Kyle Busch.

Hamlin took up where he left off Saturday by taking the lead at the start of the race. Hamlin dominated things in winning the Busch Series event.

Johnson was right behind him. Kenseth showed early signs of being competitive, as did Kurt Busch, who said Saturday night he thought his Dodge would be good in the race.

Cautions littered the first half of the race and pit road had to be closed to attend to an injured Michael Waltrip crew member during one of the caution periods. Mark Harris, the gas man for Waltrip, was transported to a local hospital for further observation after being knocked down during a pit stop.

When green flag racing continued, Kurt Busch took the lead with Biffle in tow. Mears was third, followed by Edwards, Kenseth and Hamlin.

Kenseth had moved ahead again by lap 112 with Busch second and Edwards third. Earnhardt served notice he planned to contend for the win when he moved into the top five before the halfway point.

Last week's winner Clint Bowyer had also moved into the top 10, after starting from the back of the pack.

Kevin Harvick lost two laps changing a flat tire at Lap 170. Harvick had been running with the leaders in the top 10 at the time. Defending champion Johnson suffered the same fate several laps later, losing two laps while his crew changed a flat right rear.

Just past the halfway point, Hamlin got into the rear of Kyle Petty coming off turn four. Petty spun, bringing out the sixth caution of the afternoon. Bowyer's car also suffered some minor front end damage. Hamlin's car was seriously damaged, sending him to the garage.

On the restart at Lap 208, Kenseth was in control with Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman in the top five. Rounding out the top 10 at the time were Casey Mears, Truex, Jr., Mark Martin, Edwards and Earnhardt.

Jeff Gordon assumed the lead in the points battle followed by Tony Stewart (two points back), Carl Edwards (three points back), Jimmie Johnson (four points back) and Kyle Busch (10 points out of first).

Results

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