Edwards Holds Off Biffle to Win Busch Series Race

Beware of Carl Edwards today in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway in Fontana.

Edwards, who earlier had won the pole for the weekend’s marquee event, warmed up Saturday night with a victory in the Busch Series Ameriquest 300.

Edwards delivered his trademark back-flip off the door of his Charter Communications Ford in victory lane, his fourth victory this season after holding off Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle.

Edwards and Biffle, who will start fourth today in the Cup race, had the field covered most of the night and were deserving of a 1-2 finish. Biffle led three times for 59 laps, Edwards three times for 52 in the 150-lap race around the two-mile D-shaped track. Edwards finished 1.710 seconds ahead of Biffle.

“He was pretty well the class of the field tonight,” said Clint Bowyer, who put owner Richard Childress’ AC Delco Chevrolet on the pole, led the first 11 laps and finished third.

It was the fourth victory in a row at the speedway for a Roush driver. Biffle won both races last year, and Mark Martin won in February.

“Right off the truck, the car was unbelievable,” said Edwards, who announced he would donate his $89,076 for winning to Hurricane Katrina relief. “That was the best car I’ve driven in awhile.”

Edwards, 26, from Columbia, Mo., started fourth and led Laps 44-54, 89-98 and 120-150.

He passed Biffle for seventh place on the restart on Lap 116. Biffle fell off the pace after getting wide, into the marbles, in Turn 2.

With 30 laps to go, Edwards led and Biffle was straggling in seventh place.

“I had to work real hard to pass all those cars and once I got there, my tires were all used up,” said Biffle, who qualified 13th. “I wish with 16 to go we all could have come down pit road and got new tires, then it would have been a different race. That would have been fun.”

Series leader Martin Truex finished 15th and had his series lead over Bowyer shrink from 194 points to 142. Edwards, who has one fewer Busch race than the two leaders, moved past Reed Sorenson for third overall, 358 back. Sorenson finished 12th, Johnny Sauter took fourth and Kasey Kahne, a Nextel Cup regular, finished fifth.