Carl Edwards won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Able Body Labor 200 at Phoenix International Raceway after leading the most laps which left him only 190 points behind series points leader Kyle Busch after the checkered flag was waved.

195 was the number Busch needed to clinch the 2009 championship a week before the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he fell five points short. Busch needed to finish 7th if Edwards won and led the most laps in order to keep the necessary points lead but he finished 9th and those two spots made all the difference.

Edwards, still healing after breaking his foot late in the summer, did a somersault on the front stretch rather than is signature back flip after the win, his 25th in the Nationwide Series before heading to Victory Lane.

“That’s what we came here to do was win this race,” Edwards said.

He did just that.

Disappointed in the outcome of the race, Busch refused a post-race interview and stalked away from the cameras.

Meanwhile, the race itself was a rough one. There was a record breaking 15 DNFs, did not finish, at the end of the race, and there were multiple wrecks including one that caused a red-flag period involving Cup regular Paul Menard.

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin also brought out a caution late in the race when Keselowski got into Hamlin’s left rear and spun the No. 20 out. It was discovered that Hamlin had hit Keselowski only minutes prior to the incident.

“I was gonna return the favor,” Keselowski said after the race. “When he did it to me I saved it and when I did it to him he didn’t save it.”

Keselowski claims he will not hold a grudge against Hamlin in the future, but Hamlin feels just the opposite.

“I can sit here and bash him for the next 20 seconds or so,” Hamlin said of Keselowski. “But I’m just happy I signed up for next week’s nationwide race. There are a lot of guys that owe him, that have a lot of chips to cash in and I’m just going to be the first at the pay window.”

He was then asked if NASCAR should step in and handle Keselowski’s rough driving habits.

“No, I’ll take care of it,” Hamlin responded. “I got him.”

Bad Brad Keselowski versus Dangerous Denny Hamlin looks like it will continue next weekend in Florida, or tomorrow during the Sprint Cup race.

Keselowski finished 5th today while Hamlin ended up 12th.

Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Sorenson and Clint Bowyer finished behind Edwards in 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively followed by Keselowski.

David Ragan and Matt Kenseth finished 6th and 7th while Mike Bliss, Busch and Steve Wallace completed the top-10.

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