Late Pass Gives Edwards NASCAR Nationwide Series Win
Edwards passed Bowyer for the lead through Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 223 at the .75-mile track and retained the top spot through three subsequent cautions to win his fourth NASCAR Nationwide race of the season and the 17th of his career.
With Bowyer’s Chevrolet getting loose in the closing laps, Scott Wimmer passed his Richard Childress Racing teammate for the second position on Lap 225 and trailed Edwards across the finish line.
Bowyer held the third position, and Denny Hamlin and David Ragan ran fourth and fifth, respectively.
“Clint was doing such a good job, but he was just a little free," said Edwards, who climbed to second in the points standings but trails Bowyer by 207 points. “He wiggled that one time (on Lap 223), and that was all I needed."
For Bowyer, it was an unwelcome case of déjà vu. Two weeks ago at Bristol he dominated the race, only to lose in the closing stages to Brad Keselowski.
“Just got a little loose," Bowyer said. “Had a good day. That was a bummer, but what can you do?"
Keselowski fought an ill-handling car throughout the race, which was postponed from Friday night because of rain and the threat of Tropical Storm Hanna. Keselowski finished 21st and dropped to third in the standings, 279 points behind Bowyer.
Notes: Austin Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, finished 26th, two laps down, in his NASCAR Nationwide debut. … Polesitter Joey Logano came home seventh to record his ninth top 10 in 12 NASCAR Nationwide starts. … Wimmer posted his ninth top-10 finish in 12 races at Richmond. … Landon Cassill (12th) was the highest-finishing rookie.