BUSCH

• Edwards grabs pole for Nationwide race at Michigan

  
  

  Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - Carl Edwards won the pole for Saturday's Carfax 250 Nationwide Series race at the Michigan International Speedway. The No.60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford driver and defending series champion rounded the two-mile oval in 38.688 seconds (186.104 m.p.h.).

  The pole victory was Edwards' series-leading third of the season and the 10th of his career.

  "It's awesome to be this fast right out of the box," Edwards said. "We always talk about bragging rights here for Ford Motor Company and Roush and everybody.

  This is a really big racetrack for us. Hopefully, this thing will race like it qualified." Edwards became the 15th different pole winner in 17 Nationwide races at Michigan. Qualifying for the 2004 and '05 races was rained out.

  Cale Gale captured the outside pole by posting the second-best time of 38.818.

  Brian Vickers (39.001) and David Stremme (39.137) will start on the second row.

  Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Tony Stewart (seventh), Mark Martin (10th), Clint Bowyer (14th), Marcos Ambrose (21st) and Brad Keselowski (22nd).

  Bowyer enters the race with a 128-point lead over Michigan-native Keselowski, who, in just his first full-year of Nationwide competition, is the closest he's ever been to first place in points in his racing career. The 128-point margin is also the closest any driver has been to Bowyer since May.

  Edwards, 174 points behind Bowyer, is hoping to improve at Michigan, where he has finished 23rd and 28th in the last two races there.

  After picking up his first win at Watkins Glen last week, Ambrose moved up to 10th in points. It's the first time the Aussie has been in the top-10 since he finished eight in the 2007 Nationwide season.

  Stewart will make his final Nationwide start for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No.20 Toyota. He is leaving JGR at the end of the season to serve as both driver and co-owner of the newly-formed Stewart-Haas Racing, starting in 2009. Stewart has scored five victories in eight Nationwide starts this season.

  Mark Martin will compete in just his third Nationwide race this season, driving the No.5 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s J.R. Motorsports. Martin is the series' all-time leader in wins with 48 and poles with 30. He drove the No.5 car to victory in March at Las Vegas.

  He finished 23rd in May at Darlington.

  Today's race is scheduled to start around 3:30 p.m. (et).

  08/16 13:01:47 ET