Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 3 in Hampton, Ga. Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR via nascar-assets.americaneagle.com
Carl Edwards won. The Nationwide Drivers combined for only eight laps lead. It was a typical Cup filled Nationwide Race. I've spoken at length about Sprint Cup drivers ruining otherwise exciting Nationwide Races. I don't think I need to go into it any more.
The three man race for the Championship seems to be losing a member. Stenhouse and Sadler both are within 10 points, but Reed Sorenson's accident has hurt him this week. He has time to mount a comeback, but Stenhouse isn't going down easy. I contest that this is the best fight in NASCAR right now.
Results and Points after the jump!
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Fastenal Ford | 195 | Running |
| 2 | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Z-Line Designs Toyota | 195 | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Blackwell Angus Ford | 195 | Running |
| 4 | 8 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Rheem.com Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 5 | 7 | 38 | Kasey Kahne | Great Clips Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 6 | 14 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Brandt Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 7 | 2 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | 195 | Running |
| 8 | 11 | 88 | Aric Almirola | Hellmann's Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 9 | 16 | 30 | Jason Leffler | Great Clips Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 10 | 9 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | OneMain Financial Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 11 | 4 | 20 | Ryan Truex # | Schick Xtreme3 Toyota | 195 | Running |
| 12 | 19 | 11 | Brian Scott | Boise State Broncos Toyota | 195 | Running |
| 13 | 13 | 66 | Steve Wallace | 5-hour Energy Toyota | 195 | Running |
| 14 | 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Clements Racing Engines Chevy | 195 | Running |
| 15 | 15 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports Chevy | 194 | Running |
| 16 | 18 | 01 | Mike Wallace | G&K Services Chevy | 193 | Running |
| 17 | 23 | 39 | Matt Carter | Carport Empire Ford | 193 | Running |
| 18 | 17 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | DAB Constructors Toyota | 192 | Running |
| 19 | 20 | 09 | Kenny Wallace | G-Oil Toyota | 192 | Running |
| 20 | 24 | 62 | Michael Annett | Pilot Travel Centers Toyota | 191 | Running |
| 21 | 10 | 7 | Jamie McMurray | GoDaddy.com Chevy | 190 | Running |
| 22 | 36 | 40 | Josh Wise | ThermaCote.com Chevy | 190 | Running |
| 23 | 27 | 81 | Blake Koch # | Daystar.com Dodge | 189 | Running |
| 24 | 42 | 28 | Derrike Cope | MAXelence.com Chevy | 189 | Running |
| 25 | 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | ABLE Chevy | 188 | Running |
| 26 | 35 | 23 | Robert Richardson | North Texas Pipe Chevy | 187 | Running |
| 27 | 29 | 50 | T.J. Bell | Pinnacle Rubber Mulch Chev | 187 | Running |
| 28 | 26 | 14 | Eric McClure | Hefty BlackOut Chevy | 184 | Running |
| 29 | 34 | 13 | Jennifer Jo Cobb # | HipChixFundraisers.com Dodge | 183 | Running |
| 30 | 39 | 52 | Kevin Lepage | American Red Cross Chevy | 183 | Running |
| 31 | 31 | 72 | John Jackson | CrashClaimsR.US Toyota | 178 | Running |
| 32 | 12 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Dollar General Chevy | 169 | Accident |
| 33 | 6 | 16 | Trevor Bayne | Ford Drive one. Ford | 169 | Accident |
| 34 | 40 | 70 | Dennis Setzer | Anderson's Pure Maple Syrup Chevy | 104 | Handling |
| 35 | 43 | 71 | Clay Greenfield (i) | Lilly Trucking of VA Ford | 94 | Suspension |
| 36 | 22 | 15 | Timmy Hill # | Lilly Trucking of VA Ford | 76 | Transmission |
| 37 | 28 | 44 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports Chevy | 17 | Vibration |
| 38 | 30 | 03 | Scott Riggs | North Texas Pipe Chevy | 15 | Parked |
| 39 | 33 | 42 | Tim Andrews | Key Motorsports Chevy | 10 | Suspension |
| 40 | 32 | 46 | Chase Miller | Key Motorsports Chevy | 6 | Overheating |
| 41 | 38 | 75 | Carl Long | Rick Ware Racing Ford | 6 | Transmission |
| 42 | 37 | 49 | Mark Green | Jay Robinson Racing Chevy | 4 | Handling |
| 43 | 25 | 41 | Johnny Chapman | Rick Ware Racing Chevy | 1 | Overheating |
With five Cup drivers taking Top Ten spots, Elliott Sadler was not able to close in on Ricky Stenhouse. Stenhouse showed he can run with the big dogs. Richmond will be another important race. If Sorenson wrecks again, he may be out of the hunt. If Stenhouse faulters, it could be Sadler who makes a run. Make sure to watch next week. Just eight races remain in the 2011 Nationwide Series Season. Here's how the points standings look heading into the home stretch:
| POS | Car # | Driver | Points | Wins |
| 1 | 6 | RICKY STENHOUSE JR. | 909 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | ELLIOTT SADLER | 896 | 0 |
| 3 | 32 | REED SORENSON | 869 | 1 |
| 4 | 88 | ARIC ALMIROLA | 845 | 0 |
| 5 | 31 | JUSTIN ALLGAIER | 840 | 1 |
| 6 | 38 | JASON LEFFLER | 811 | 0 |
| 7 | 09 | KENNY WALLACE | 747 | 0 |
| 8 | 66 | STEVE WALLACE | 737 | 0 |
| 9 | 11 | BRIAN SCOTT | 724 | 0 |
| 10 | 62 | MICHAEL ANNETT | 711 | 0 |
| 11 | 19 | MIKE BLISS | 624 | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | TREVOR BAYNE | 611 | 0 |
| 13 | 01 | MIKE WALLACE | 601 | 0 |
| 14 | 87 | JOE NEMECHEK | 594 | 0 |
| 15 | 7 | JOSH WISE | 583 | 0 |
| 16 | 51 | JEREMY CLEMENTS | 515 | 0 |
| 17 | 15 | TIMMY HILL | 490 | 0 |
| 18 | 81 | BLAKE KOCH | 435 | 0 |
| 19 | 14 | ERIC MCCLURE | 433 | 0 |
| 20 | 28 | DERRIKE COPE | 432 | 0 |
Check back very soon for a preview of the Richmond Race. Enjoy!
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