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BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Not everything was different Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Carl Edwards performed his traditional back flip after winning but little else was as it has been at this high-banked half-mile track. Blame or credit the new concrete surface installed since March's race.

Edwards scored his second NASCAR Nextel Cup victory of the season and sixth of his career. Kasey Kahne followed his Busch victory Friday night with a runner-up performance Saturday, making this by far his best weekend in what has been a difficult season for him.

"That is the coolest win of my life,'' Edward said.

Clint Bowyer finished third with Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart completing the top five. Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed sixth and was followed by Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, March winner Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle.

Fans saw a Bristol night race unlike any in recent years. Two- and three-wide racing replaced that single-file show that had encouraged the beating and banging fans enjoy.

That extra lane of racing meant drivers could get by a slower car instead of knocking them out of the way. Many of the cars didn't feature the trademark doughnuts on the side from the tight racing. The cars looked as if they had raced at Michigan, where the series was Tuesday, not a short track.

Drivers relished the new concrete surface. During the drivers' meeting, Dale Jarrett thanked the construction crew for their work.

Also, Saturday's result lessed the pressure on Dale Earnhardt Jr. to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He's so far back, the only thing he will worry about is winning the next two races. Even that won't guarantee he will make the Chase.

Kevin Harvick slid back to the final transfer spot.

While each Bristol race leaves an impression, few have left the memories fans took away this time. The multi-lane racing kept most drivers out of trouble. They looked as if they had finished a session with Miss Manners before climbing into their cars.

The race opened with 126 caution-free laps.

What fans missed in spins and crashes, they saw in some remarkable driving. Denny Hamlin was the biggest mover. He started at the back of the 43-car field for an engine change and climbed to seventh before the first caution.

"Well, that was fun,'' Hamlin said during that caution on the radio to his crew.

While he went forward, a driver trying to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup went backward.

Martin Truex Jr. exited the pits sixth but NASCAR ordered him back to the pits because not all five lugnuts were tightened. Truex re-entered the pits and restarted 26th. He wouldn't return to the top 10 until about 200 laps later.

Hamlin's fun would end. A blown engine ignited a smokescreen that covered turns 3 and 4 as Hamlin slid in his fluids on lap 211.

"We knew it was coming,'' Hamlin said of the engine woes, which dropped him to 42nd.

It marked only the second time Hamlin has failed to finish a race in 67 career Cup starts.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dlong@news-record.com

Sharpie 500

At Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol, Tenn.

Lap length: .533 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (6) Carl Edwards, Ford, 500, 89.006 mph.

2. (1) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 500.

3. (15) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 500.

4. (23) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 500.

5. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 500.

6. (19) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 500.

7. (7) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 500.

8. (22) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 500.

9. (20) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 500.

10. (34) Greg Biffle, Ford, 500.

11. (25) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 500.

12. (10) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 500.

13. (40) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 500.

14. (36) David Stremme, Dodge, 500.

15. (29) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 500.

16. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500.

17. (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 500.

18. (11) Scott Riggs, Dodge, 500.

19. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500.

20. (24) Robby Gordon, Ford, 500.

21. (9) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 499.

22. (30) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 498.

23. (16) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 498.

24. (41) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 498.

25. (26) Bill Elliott, Ford, 498.

26. (3) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 498.

27. (39) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 498.

28. (42) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 498.

29. (21) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 497.

30. (27) David Gilliland, Ford, 497.

31. (5) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 496.

32. (32) Kenny Wallace, Dodge, 496.

33. (14) Ward Burton, Chevrolet, 494.

34. (33) Dale Jarrett, Toyota, 494.

35. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 491.

36. (35) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, 485.

37. (31) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, 481.

38. (8) Ricky Rudd, Ford, accident, 478.

39. (12) Matt Kenseth, Ford, accident, 452.

40. (28) John Andretti, Dodge, electrical, 416.

41. (4) David Ragan, Ford, accident, 414.

42. (38) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 280.

43. (37) Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, engine, 209.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 59 minutes, 39 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.405 seconds.

Caution Flags: 9 for 72 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K.Kahne 1-36; C.Edwards 37-64; K.Kahne 65-330; C.Edwards 331; K.Kahne 332-334; C.Edwards 335-357; D.Earnhardt Jr. 358; Ku.Busch 359-360; R.Newman 361-362; Ky.Busch 363-365; J.Gordon 366-367; R.Gordon 368-370; C.Edwards 371-500.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kasey Kahne 3 times for 305 laps; Carl Edwards 4 times for 182 laps; Robby Gordon 1 time for 3 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 3 laps; Jeff Gordon 1 time for 2 laps; Ryan Newman 1 time for 2 laps; Kurt Busch 1 time for 2 laps; Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points Standings

1. J.Gordon 3,582. 2. T.Stewart 3,233. 3. D.Hamlin 3,229. 4. M.Kenseth 3,163. 5. C.Edwards 3,160. 6. J.Johnson 3,059. 7. J.Burton 3,054. 8. Ky.Busch 3,024. 9. C.Bowyer 2,944. 10. K.Harvick 2,888. 11. M.Truex Jr. 2,887. 12. Ku.Busch 2,879.