NASCAR 2015 Episode 12 Recap: Charlotte

NASCAR 2015 Episode 12 Recap: Charlotte

What went down: On auto racing's greatest day of Formula 1 at Monaco and IndyCar racing the 99th Indianapolis 500, NASCAR held up its end of the bargain with a long overdue fuel milage race to the finish of the Coca-Cola 600.

In a race that annually features three parts (essentially) of day, dusk, and night, it was Kurt Busch continuing to show that he can lead every frickin' race that he enters this year, as it was he who led for the majority of the day and dusk segments of the race, leading 118 laps in total.

As night fell upon the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was Martin Truex Jr. in his all-black car who surged to the front and began to dominate, just as he did the last time the series had a points race at a 1.5 mile track, Kansas, just a few weeks ago. Only Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin could momentarily usurp Truex for the lead over the last 200 laps, that is until the final 20 came around.

On the final caution that came out on lap 338, several drivers including Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a few others came down to top off on fuel, but would have to stretch it a pretty insane 62 laps to the finish. 

As the final 20 laps came around, all of the night's dominating cars of Truex, Busch, etc. all began to trickle down pit road, surrendering the lead to Edwards, who had managed to get ahead of the rest of the fuel milage gamblers.

Somewhat surprisingly, Edwards didn't even show signs of sputtering during the final laps and was able to make it to the finish, celebrating with his traditional backflip off of his car and going into the stands to join the fans. 

What it means for Edwards: It wasn't a stylish win by any means, but Edwards now has one for the season and his first with Joe Gibbs Racing, shaking that monkey off of his back. He is now locked into the Chase for the third consecutive year and this win marks his first at Charlotte and his 24th career win.

What it means for everyone else: After finishing 5th, it was close but no cigar yet again for Truex, who has still only finished outside of the top-10 once this season. It seems to be a matter of time before he's in victory lane, but little things here or there keep tripping him up, which is the story of his career.

Greg Biffle scored Roush Fenway Racing's best finish of the season so far, finishing runner-up to Edwards. Though fuel milage helped him score the good finish, it wasn't a fluke as Biffle ran in the top-10 all night, something Roush has sorely missed.

In his first real race back since breaking his leg and foot, Kyle Busch ran great and finished 11th, beginning the process of trying to crack the top-30 in points. It's astounding that Busch recovered from his injuries after just three months and is back and good as ever.

After spending the morning in Indianapolis to be the honorary pace car driver for the 500, Jeff Gordon jetted back to Charlotte for the race that evening. But after living somewhat of a childhood dream earlier, Gordon's 600 was less than stellar, struggling to be in the top-10 and ultimately finishing 15th.

What’s next: The Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover, Delaware to take on the Monster Mile on Sunday.