Atlanta is Edwards' gym
More backflips for Carl Edwards at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. Clearly this kid has something for this place, as this is the second straight race he's won there and he did it in convincing fashion.
The track looked pretty good following repairs in the wake of tornado damage from Hurricane Cindy back in July. The same could not be said for some of the Chasers, three of whom are as good as toast after this race.
GLENN'S TEN (4-for-10... I don't like Atlanta much.):
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- Jimmie's car was mediocre and got worse late in the race. He wound up 16th after getting lapped and picking up the lucky dog. Now 46 points behind Tony Stewart.
* Ryan Newman -- 23rd, This place is like a curse. He wins the pole at this track for the seventh time and encounters bad luck yet again. The car became too hard to handle late in the race and he was lapped twice.
* Carl Edwards -- 1st, Carl left little doubt about this one. He was loose and fast from the drop of the green, almost hitting the wall a coulpe of times. That looseness made him unbeatable on the long green runs near the finish. Still needs some work on the backflip.
* Mark Martin -- 3rd, Car looked strongest early, but he was in the thick of it all afternoon.
* Kyle Busch -- 12th, Kyle's biggest problem was that he had to run into the forbidden grass to avoid hitting Greg Biffle during a pit stop. That got him sent to the end of the longest line and he never looked as strong as when he led the race early in the day.
* Tony Stewart -- 9th, This was not a strong race for Tony, but he got a top 10 and had the good fortune that Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle also had tough days. We won't even talk about Flyin' Ryan again.
* Bobby Labonte -- This pick was a bust from the start. Never moved above about 30th and was laps down early.
* Brian Vickers -- 15th, Well, he was in the top 10 briefly. Car faded down the stretch.
* Jeff Gordon -- 2nd, Jeff moved up in a hurry and then settled into the top 5. He briefly looked like he might have something for Edwards on the final green run, but Carl was simply too strong.
* Kurt Busch -- 36th, Dang! I'm not upset Kurt crashed hard when a tire went down and limped home, his title hopes effectively shot -- I'm upset that I picked him.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 4th, Nice run for the Bud boys. Led the most laps, but the guys who finished ahead of him adjusted better on their cars down the stretch.
* Matt Kenseth -- 5th, Got dinged for speeding in the pits, but a nice recovery.
* Jamie McMurray -- 6th, Could be on his way to Roush earlier than expected if a deal gets worked out this week.
* Greg Biffle -- 7th, Three of the drivers on my "also watching" list made the top 10. Foo.
* Jeff Burton -- 8th, So easily forgotten because it's been so long since these finishes were commonplace.
* Elliott Sadler -- 10th, When he blew to the front early I thought this might be a bid day after all. Then he proved my earlier prediction almost correct by barely making the show. At least he didn't crash out.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Michael Waltrip -- 11th, From 37th! And in the top 10 a good part of the race. Way to go, Mikey!
* Kasey Kahne -- 35th, Got an unwanted up-close look at the nose of Reed Sorenson's car.
* Rusty Wallace -- 37th, Game over man. Not his fault that he was in the right place at the wrong time when Mike Skinner's tire blew.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 38th, What the heck are these guys doing changing crew chiefs in the middle of a championship run? OK, so they weren't much in it, but odd nonetheless.
* Mike Skinner -- 43rd, Beware any starting grid that includes Skinner's name. His tire problem was the one that took out Kevin Lepage and caused the demise of Rusty Wallace's race.
Next week: Two-steppin' into Texas Motor Speedway for the inaugural fall race in the Lone Star State.
