Carl Edwards Wins Charity Dirt Race

Thursday, June 7th 2007, 7:38 am

By: News On 6

ROSSBURG, Ohio (AP) _ After taking the lead on the 12th lap in a short charity race on dirt, Carl Edwards held on just long enough to hold off fellow NASCAR Nextel Cup stars Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.

Edwards edged Busch by 0.3 seconds Wednesday night to capture the third annual Nextel Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway, a 30-lap charity race organized by driver Tony Stewart.

Edwards has extensive experience on dirt, but for Gordon, who finished a close third, it was his first race on a dirt track since 1991.

``I was definitely amazed at Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon,'' Edwards said. ``It's unreal to see how talented these guys are on dirt.''

Edwards started in the No. 2 position and quickly passed Ken Schrader. Gordon took the lead on the 11th lap but was almost immediately overtaken by Edwards, who never trailed again.

``I was right in the middle there, and Carl got back by me on the bottom,'' Gordon said. ``I just lost a little bit of momentum there and just wasn't able to get it back.''

The event on the oval, high-bank track featured 26 drivers, each driving a 2,300-pound late-model stock car packing more than 800 horsepower.

It was the first time racing on dirt for stock car rookie Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia, the former Formula One driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000.

Montoya hit the wall during a qualifying heat, crumpling his front fender. His crew was able to repair the damage, but he had to start in the 25th spot. However, he worked his way through the pack and finished 15th.

``I picked up a lot of respect for the guys that run in dirt,'' Montoya said. ``It's very hard to appreciate how tough it is. It takes a lot.''

Other big names included Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Bill Elliot.

About 20,000 people jammed the small grandstand, surrounding stands and grassy hillsides at the 53-year-old track carved out of farmland in western Ohio about 40 miles north of Dayton.

Before the race, fans clogged the rural roadways around the small track and choked the entrances to see the event, which was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View. A sea of trailers, vans and buses camped in parking lots.

Stewart bought the speedway in 2004 from Earl Baltes, who built it in 1954.

Stewart, who finished 22nd in Wednesday's race, was involved in an accident on the 17th lap when Bobby Labonte hit the wall, causing Stewart to hit the back of Kasey Kahne's car and then the wall.

``I got to watch a really good race in front of me,'' Stewart said. ``And then, when I got in the crash, I got to watch a good finish from the infield. I was smiling, and I wasn't even in the race anymore.''

Proceeds from the race go to the Tony Stewart Foundation and the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., which serves children ages 7 to 15 with life-threatening health issues. The camp was formed by NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Kyle Petty and wife, Pattie, to honor the life of their late son, Adam.

Stewart said he reassured Gordon several weeks ago that racing on dirt would be like putting on an old pair of shoes, that he would quickly remember what it feels like.

``And he almost wins the race,'' Stewart said.