Edwards keeps hopes alive for 2nd Nationwide title

Carl Edwards held off David Reutimann to win the Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 in Millington, Tenn., on Saturday, keeping alive his hopes for a second straight NASCAR Nationwide Series title.

Edwards, who missed qualifying at Memphis Motorsports Park because of practice for today’s Sprint Cup race in Atlanta, started 34th in his No. 60 Ford but made an early stop for fresh tires and gained ground quickly. He took the lead from Mike Bliss on Lap 69 and never trailed after that.

Reutimann kept his Toyota on Edwards’ rear bumper for the final two laps but couldn’t overtake him for the lead.

Edwards pulled to within 116 points of series leader Clint Bowyer, who finished 16th. There are three races remaining on the schedule.

Kenny Wallace finished third, his best series finish since 2005 and the best finish ever for team owner Jay Robinson. He was followed by Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress who was making only his second Nationwide Series start.

Earlier in the day, 18-year-old James Buescher, in only his sixth career Nationwide Series start, grabbed the pole with a lap of 117.591 mph in the Braun Racing Toyota. He is the third-youngest pole-sitter in series history (18 years, 214 days), behind only Casey Atwood and Joey Logano. He finished 19th in the race.

Newman victorious

Ryan Newman passed Ron Hornaday in Turn 2 on the last lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., to win in his first Truck Series start.

Newman and Hornaday, both driving Trucks for Kevin Harvick Inc., traded the lead twice in the final eight laps of Saturday’s race. The two raced side-by-side for a lap, with Hornaday coming out front on the next-to-last lap.

Newman then grabbed it back and Hornaday, locked in a battle for the series championship, couldn’t afford to push the issue.

“I don’t know if I can say it, but second stinks,” Hornaday said. “I just missed the corner a little bit, that one corner off of [Turn] 2. If you miss it, you miss three-tenths to a half a second. He ran me down and he got the momentum.”

Norton triumphs

R.J. Norton Jr. of Indianapolis took the lead from Eddie VanMeter on Lap 133 to win the NASCAR Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 West Coast Championship one-hour feature race at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale. Steve Stewart of Long Beach finished seventh to win his second straight Outlaw Figure 8 division championship.