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A look back at sports

Edwards holds off Busch to win in Michigan

CHICAGO
Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:15pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Carl Edwards held off NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leader Kyle Busch to win the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan on Sunday.

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Edwards, driving a Ford, survived two late cautions in the 200-lap race before keeping Busch at bay on the final restart to clinch his fifth victory of the season.

Busch finished second in a Toyota, followed by the Ford trio of David Ragan in third, Greg Biffle (fourth) and Matt Kenseth (fifth).

"We're getting to the point I feel personally that we can win at any race track we go to," Edwards, 29, told reporters after closing the gap on Busch in the driver standings.

"Our pit crew has stepped up their game. That was our weakness for a long time and the guys have repeatedly, week after week, worked harder and become better."

Three more races remain in NASCAR's regular season before the start of the Chase for the Championship and Edwards plans to maintain the pressure on the pacesetting Busch.

"He's just so strong," Busch said. "Every time I win and he finishes second, that's really a 20-point spread for us. What we just have to keep doing is going out here and try to win the next three events and go into this Chase on even ground."

Edwards also won the Nationwide Series race Saturday, becoming only the second driver to claim both titles since Mark Martin in 1993.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)



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