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Edwards Wins at Memphis - Closes In On Bowyer For Points Race

Carl Edwards, No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion

Kroger 250/Memphis, Tenn./October 25, 2008 - Carl Edwards - Race Recap

[MEMPHIS, Tenn.] — Carl Edwards and the No. 60 CitiFinancial team headed to Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend for the last NASCAR Nationwide Series "stand alone" event of 2008. With the Sprint Cup Series in Atlanta and Edwards sitting fourth in points in that series, the team elected to not bring Edwards to Memphis until race time so he could focus on his Cup program. Bobby East stepped in to practice and qualify the No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion. Edwards' first laps in the car were under green when the race began. After 250 laps Edwards and team found themselves in victory lane for the fifth time of 2008.

Since he wasn't able to qualify the car, Edwards had to drop to the back of the field to start the race. Edwards' goal was to get to the front of the pack as quickly as possible, hopefully avoiding any cautions along the way. Edwards began weaving through traffic and was up to 19th when the caution flew on lap 27. He told crew chief Drew Blickensderfer the car was "just a little snug in the center and just a little free off." Blickensderfer elected to bring Edwards down pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. Edwards restarted 21st and when the field went green, it became clear that Blickensderfer's call was the right one. The No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion broke into the top 10 on lap 47 and Edwards said he was "better off."

Edwards took the lead on lap 69 and never looked back. The No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion led the next 185 laps en route to his fifth win of the season, holding off a late charge by David Reutimann. Edwards remains second in Nationwide Series points, 116 behind leader Clint Bowyer with three races to go in the season.

"It was fun all day," said Edwards. "I had a great time. It was just classic short track stuff, a little bit tight in the center and a little free off. We did some air pressure and got it as good as we could. That sure says a lot of Bobby East to be able to run that whole race and not turn a screw on the car, really. We just made a couple of air pressure adjustments. I'm so happy for Drew and these guys. It's great to get a win for everyone at CitiFinancial."

Edwards and the No. 60 team head to Texas Motor Speedway next week. Texas is one of Edwards' favorite tracks and the whole team is determined to gain more points on Clint Bowyer for the lead. They will be running the Save-A-Lot paint scheme. Edwards maintained second place, but made a huge gain in the points standings. Edwards is currently only 116 points behind Nationwide Series leader Bowyer.

World Financial Group
World Financial Group is a financial services marketing organization whose affiliates offer life insurance and a broad array of financial products and services. Through its independent associates in the United States and Canada, World Financial Group strives to help individuals and families who are often overlooked by the financial services industry to plan for their financial futures and work toward their goals.

World Financial Group is a member of the AEGON Group, one of the world's largest life insurance and pension companies and a strong provider of investment products.

World Financial Group's Headquarters is located at 11315 Johns Creek Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097-1517; phone: 770-453-9300. For more information, visit our website www.worldfinancialgroup.com.

About Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 14 motorsports teams, five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Todd Kluever, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Danny O'Quinn Jr.; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Edwards, Peter Shepherd, Travis Kvapil, Erik Darnell and T.J. Bell; and one in the ARCA/REMAX Series with Colin Braun and Darnell. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

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