Rick Minter's OBSERVATIONS
Key story lines as NASCAR heads to Atlanta.
Hot Edwards hits AMS

MARTIN

Carl Edwards heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track where he got his first Cup victory in 2005, with a good chance to extend his Sprint Cup winning streak to three.

Edwards' victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday was his second in six days and evidence that Roush Fenway Racing has caught, and possibly surpassed, Hendrick Motorsports as the team to beat on intermediate-sized tracks like Las Vegas, AMS and California, where Edwards began his streak.

But the Hendrick cars aren't far off the Roush pace. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second to Edwards at Vegas, and Jimmie Johnson was runner-up at California.

Edwards also leads the points standings for the first time in his Cup career.

His teammates also had strong runs at Las Vegas. Greg Biffle finished third, and David Ragan was sixth. Matt Kenseth was racing for second place in the closing laps when contact from Jeff Gordon caused him to fall to 20th at the finish.

Gordon slammed into an opening in the wall, a hit he described as his hardest ever and one that led him to call on track owner Bruton Smith to make the necessary changes to the wall to prevent another similar crash.

Apology before celebration

Sometimes even the most skilled drivers make mistakes. Mark Martin admitted as much after he inadvertently spun Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski from the top two spots late in the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Martin went on to get the victory, extending his series-leading total to 48.

"I've got to apologize before we do any celebrating,"

Martin told TV reporters in Victory Lane. "I hate for that to happen. I didn't intend for it to turn out that way. But I couldn't stop it, once it started. I feel real bad for Brad, because he was so close to getting his first victory."

Edwards and Keselowski were gracious in their comments to reporters afterward.

"I guess Mark just misjudged or something there and got us," he said.

"Mark and I race really well together, and I'm sure it was just a mistake."

Said Keselowski: "It is what it is, but we're showing a lot of promise.We're about there. This is about the happiest I can be wrecking out of race."

SPRINT CUP STANDINGS

1. Carl Edwards
491; leader
2. Kyle Busch
470; behind: -21
3. Ryan Newman
450; behind: -41
4. Kasey Kahne
444; behind: -47
5. Kevin Harvick
428; behind: -63
6. Greg Biffle
427; behind: -64
7. Jeff Burton
421; behind: -70
8. Martin Truex Jr.
371; behind: -120
9. Elliott Sadler
368; behind: -123
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
361; behind: -130
11. Tony Stewart
355; behind: -136
12. Kurt Busch
348; behind: -143