BRISTOL, Tenn. --- Carl Edwards won another race Saturday night, fans saw Kyle Busch get roughed up, and a new rivalry was born amid all the smoke and confusion that usually accompanies a race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Edwards and Busch have distinguished themselves as the two most-successful drivers in the Sprint Cup Series season, but they took their rivalry to a new level in the final 31 laps of the Sharpie 500.

Busch led 415 consecutive laps and looked as if he was going to win his ninth race of the season until Edwards used his front bumper to knock him out of the way.

Most of the 168,000 fans at Bristol roared in approval as Edwards sped away to his sixth win of the year.

Busch slammed into Edwards on the backstretch during the cool-down lap; Edwards retaliated by spinning Busch out. Neither apologized, and both said they are willing to stand toe-to-toe during the upcoming Chase for the Championship.

"We'll race him like that in the Chase if that's what he wants," Busch said.

"I'm sure it will be exciting," Edwards said. "He was mad, and I can completely empathize with his anger. I probably would have done the exact same thing.

"But let me make one thing clear: I'm not apologizing for it, and that's the way it is."

When Edwards restarted behind Busch after a late-race caution, he asked himself whether he should knock Busch out of the way. The answer was found in a memory of a Nationwide Series race this year at Richmond.

"Listen, if I could have passed him without running into him, that's what I would have done," Edwards said after winning $344,625. "I just had to look at his back bumper and decide, 'Would he do this to me?' He did it to me before, so it was real simple. ...

"I'd do it again."

J.D. Gibbs, the company president for Busch's team, found Edwards in Victory Lane and offered a warning.

"He told me you reap what you sow, which I believe," Edwards said. "The score's even, and it just cost him more than it cost me at the time."

Edwards and Busch have combined to win 14 of 24 races. Busch's for Joe Gibbs Racing and Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing had eight of the top 12 finishers at Bristol.

Busch and Edwards combined to lead 499 of 500 circuits around the half-mile track.

Kasey Kahne was involved in an early-race crash, and he finished 40th. That dropped him three spots to 14th, 56 points out of the 12th and final spot in the Chase.

David Ragan rallied from starting 43rd to finish 10th. He's now 13th in the standings, just 12 points from 12th-place Clint Bowyer.

Reach Don Coble at don.coble@morris.com.