If you are a Carl Edwards fan it’s a race that will be etched in your memory forever. The Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20, 2005.
Carl Edwards was making his 17th career start in the Sprint Cup Series and his second at Atlanta on that cool March afternoon. On Friday he qualified the No. 99 Scotts Ford Taurus in the 4th position and during both practice sessions showed evidence that he would be a contender on Sunday. Saturday afternoon, Carl Edwards scored his first career Busch Series victory in the final ten laps of the race.
Then on Sunday, it wasn’t until the final three laps that Edwards showed he truly belonged with the best of them in the Sprint Cup ranks. He began to use the high line around the race track and began to move away from teammate Greg Biffle who was demanding that he let him by, and was then gaining on the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson. On the next to last lap, Edward pulled to the bumper of Johnson and pulled to the high side and passed Johnson at the start finish to score his first career win. Edwards was speechless in victory lane and the Fox telecast crew were calling the young driver “the real deal.”
Edwards had worked from being a midwestern racer from Missouri who sent business cards around to being a winner in the Sprint Cup Series. He had been chosen to replace Kyle Busch when Busch departed and went to Hendrick and was moved up to the top level when Burton left to go to Childress. Now the Golden Corral 500 is a remembered event by anyone that watched it, an exciting finish that won’t ever be forgotten.
