The U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway finished with a 0.066‑second margin after an engine detonation sent both Roush machines across the line, a spectacle that remains one of NASCAR’s most bewildering conclusions.
Dominant Roush showdown narrows the field
Roush’s No. 60 Ford and No. 6 Ford, driven by Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., led a majority of the 250‑lap event, together capturing 134 laps before a late caution bunched the field for the final restart.
Stenhouse and Edwards engaged in a close battle inside the top five for the last half of the race, but an earlier side‑by‑side touch left both cars bruised and ready to fight for the checkered flag.
Teaming up, then trading damage
On the decisive restart, the duo barreled three‑wide behind Leader Elliott Sadler, forcing the trio into a blistering duel between 22 and 12 laps remaining.
Sadler’s stride up the track opened the door for Stenhouse, who slipped behind leading into the final corner, while Edwards capitalised by diving beneath Stenhouse, pushing the trio into a three‑wide scramble.
Edwards, wary that the two Roush cars could shatter each other, backed away after contact, a decision that preserved both vehicles for a 1‑2 finish.
Explosion, oil slick, and a dramatic carry‑over
With the white flag looming, Stenhouse pulled ahead by nearly a second before his engine detonated, releasing a flume of fuel that forced his car to crash and the No. 6 Ford to spin across the finish line.
Edwards, fighting for control in the sticky slick and blinded by smoke, slammed the rear of Stenhouse’s damaged vehicle moments before the white flag, lifting the back of the machine and pushing it past the line.
Both Roush cars were riddled, collisions turned the finish into a wreck, yet Stenhouse emerged from his crumpled chassis and stood on the roof to celebrate, the triumph staged by the exhausted, smoke‑filled track.
Edwards later said, “I hoped by the time I got to him, that he would be out of the way. I didn’t think anyone had finished 1‑2 with two torn‑up race cars like that.”
Stenhouse countered, “I was aggressive there at the end. You have to do what you have to do to win. I wasn’t going to let a slip‑by.”
Watch: Wild finish: Edwards’ slam pushes Stenhouse to 2011 Iowa win
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