Fifteen years in the past, Iowa Speedway hosted one of many wildest and strangest finishes in NASCAR historical past.
On 6 August 2011, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence contested the U.S. Mobile 250 at Iowa Speedway. The race was dominated by Roush automobiles, with Carl Edwards and teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. combining to guide 134 of 250 laps.
Issues obtained a bit tense between the teammates, and so they even made contact whereas battling side-by-side late within the race. On the time, they had been preventing over third place. A subsequent warning allowed each drivers to regroup and refocus on the chequered flag.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 6) and Roush teammate Carl Edwards (No. 60) battle
Photograph by: Jason Smith by way of Getty Photographs
On the following restart, they resumed their side-by-side battle instantly behind chief Elliott Sadler. And with 22 laps to go, Sadler slid up the monitor, permitting Stenhouse to tug up alongside. Edwards additionally seized the chance, diving beneath Stenhouse because the trio went three-wide for the lead.
As soon as once more, contact was made, however Edwards backed out to keep away from an incident. The very last thing Jack Roush wished to see was each of his automobiles torn up after they had been in place to convey dwelling a 1-2 end.
They in the end managed each: destroying the automobiles whereas nonetheless ending first and second. Nevertheless, it was not a case of teammates overdriving and operating into one another. No, it was a lot weirder than that.
Stenhouse pulled away because the laps ticked by, and he held practically a second lead on the white flag. However in a second that felt prefer it was plucked straight out of a Hollywood film, Stenhouse was exiting the ultimate nook with the checkered flag in sight — after which, increase.
The engine detonated on the No. 6 Ford, spilling fluid and billowing smoke all over the place. Edwards quickly approached, however was each struggling to take care of management within the oil slick and blinded by the smoke. Mere toes from the end line, Edwards slammed into the again of Stenhouse’s automobile, lifting the rear off the bottom and satirically giving him the momentum he wanted to cross the end line.
Stenhouse crashed to the precise and Edwards to the left, with each broken Roush automobiles spinning throughout the road as the group erupted. Stenhouse climbed out of his destroyed automobile, stood on the roof and celebrated the wild win. He then rode a security truck again to Victory Lane.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 6) and Roush teammate Carl Edwards (No. 60) crash whereas battling for the win
Photograph by: Jason Smith by way of Getty Photographs
“I assumed, no huge deal, I will drive round him,” stated Edwards after the race. “After which he began to show slightly bit and once I tried to show extra, the entrance tires simply had been sliding. I hoped by the point I obtained to him, that he could be out of the way in which. That was my solely hope to win the race, however I do not assume anybody has ever completed 1-2 with two torn up race automobiles like that.”
Stenhouse centered extra on the tense battle that preceded the dramatic end, saying of the duel along with his teammate: “I used to be aggressive there on the finish. You gotta do what you gotta do to win. I wasn’t going to let one other one slip by us. He form of ran us up the race monitor there at Flip 4. After I obtained by him, he crossed us over and ran us up the race monitor, so I wasn’t about to again down.”
The official margin was solely 0.066 seconds, however that quantity barely begins to clarify one of the vital extraordinary finishes in NASCAR historical past. The entire ultimate lap might be watched beneath:
Watch: Wild end: Edwards’ slam pushes Stenhouse to 2011 Iowa win
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