EDWARDS WINS RACE, BUSCH MUST WAIT

Local Sports

November 17, 2009

Monticello — Carl Edwards dominated on the way to winning Saturday's Nationwide race at Phoenix, denying Kyle Busch the championship, but now all Busch has to do is start next week and he will win his first Nationwide championship.

While Busch has enjoyed the kind of Nationwide campaign that most of his competitors would envy, he hasn't enjoyed finishing second so often. As far as he's concerned, his series-high eight victories have been somewhat tainted by the fact that he has finished second a whopping 11 times.

"I've wished that we would have been further ahead than where we are right now," Busch said of the points standings. "I would have liked to have wrapped the championship up a few weeks earlier, but we are where we are.

Given the 11 second-place finishes, it's tough, and it's frustrating when you get those, but you know it's a good points day. You know after you recognize it on the plane ride home Š it was a good day, but you're still mad you didn't get to take the trophy home."

Top-10 leaders after 34 of 35: 1. Kyle Busch-5487, 2. Edwards-5297, 3.

Keselowski-5242, 4. Leffler-4431, 5. Bliss-3960, 6. Allgaier-3946, 7. S.

Wallace-3860, 8. Keller-3831, 9. Gaughan-3784, 10. Annett-3498