Truex wins wild Nextel Open.

Martin Truex Jr and Johnny Sauter took the top two finishing positions in a wreck-filled Nextel Open and will go forward into the million-dollar All Star Challenge main event.

In a two-part 40-lap accident filled event the 32 starters were whittled down to just 19 finishers after no less than four accidents in 20 laps but even with the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway proving to be just as treacherous as ever when matched with the current extra hard tyre compound, the final 19 green-flag laps culminated in a great grandstand finish.

For 35 of the 40 laps the race looked like it belonged to pole sitter Carl Edwards but after the early flurry of cautions, the final segment ran largely untroubled, which resulted in the #99 Roush-Fenway Ford running into severe tyre troubles. From holding a comfortable lead at the 30 lap mark, Edwards soon found the #1 DEI Chevrolet of Truex Jr and a fast rising Sauter honing in on his rear bumper.

As the trio entered lap 37 Truex Jr dove to the outside of Edwards and with Sauter ducking low at the same time, the crowd held its breath as the leaders went through turns one and two three-wide. Truex Jr forged ahead coming off the corner and with Sauter also completing the pass on Edwards going into turn three, the entire complexion of the race changed in an instant.

On the surface it seemed as if Sauter had the car to pass Truex Jr for the win but instead the driver of the #70 Haas CNC Chevrolet erred on the side of caution and dutifully followed Truex to the chequered flag as the second automatic All Star qualifier.

For Edwards, little could console him in third place after looking so comfortable in the lead for three quarters of the race. Edwards' late troubles completed a miserable race for Roush-Fenway, who saw their cars run 1-2 throughout the first segment. However on the lap following NASCAR's mandatory mid-race break Edwards' teammate David Ragan spun in turn two whilst under pressure from Truex Jr and made enough contact with the outside wall and the following car of Reed Sorenson to end his night.

While Edwards sprinted away following the lap 21 restart Truex Jr quickly established himself in second with Dave Blaney third and Ricky Rudd fourth. Sauter, who had started 20th and spent the first segment dodging wrecks, inherited fifth place after Ragan and Sorenson's departure but was soon on the move, dispatching Rudd and Blaney in short order before beginning his final push for the front.

Blaney held on for fourth place in the #22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota but, like Edwards and the remainder of the field save for the Fan Vote winner, his night behind the wheel was over.

Rudd, Clint Bowyer, Sterling Marlin, Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Raines and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top ten but it was Kenny Wallace, who finished on the lead lap in 18th position who was the recipient of the Fan Vote award and also qualified for the main event.

Among those who failed to finish were Juan Montoya and David Gilliland who only made it as far as turn two before Montoya's overly optimistic move spun them both out in front of the field and resulted in the cars of Jon Wood, Joe Nemechek, Paul Menard and Scott Riggs also being eliminated.

The always popular Boris Said didn't get passed the ten lap mark after he T-boned the spinning car of Mike Bliss while Elliott Sadler also joined the list of those who failed to make the finish after he slapped the turn four wall in his Evernham Motorsports Dodge.