| | | | | |  | | CIA Stock Photo | Edwards' win at Texas, as well as two others in the opening seven races of the season, has many drivers asking themselves 'How do we stop him?' | | | | BACKFLIPS ARE FUN TO WATCH | Despite penalty, poor finish
at Atlanta, Edwards in 9th | |
| | By Jim Utter / The Charlotte Observer AVONDALE, AZ -- If not for a 100-point penalty and a blown engine, the NASCAR world might well be wondering: How do we stop Carl Edwards?
Actually, there are many Sprint Cup Series drivers who already are asking that question and remain keenly aware of his three wins in the seven races this season.
Yet the 100-point penalty assessed following his Las Vegas win and a blown engine while leading the race at Atlanta sent him plummeting in the series points standings – the most visible indicator of success.
Following his win last weekend at Texas, Edwards has rallied to ninth in the Cup driver standings entering Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. But since he isn’t holding down a position at the top, there is a tendency to overlook his early season dominance.
Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are one and two in the points race, respectively, yet they have one win – Burton won at Bristol, Tenn. – between them.
Burton called Edwards’ No. 99 Roush-Fenway Racing team “incredible.”
“Honestly, I thought they had Atlanta won, too,” he said.
“They had a problem and they’ve been the best car on the 1.5-mile and 2-mile race tracks.
“At times in those races, they’ve been where nobody can run with them. They’ve been dominant, and that’s hard to do at this level.”
Another scary thought for Edwards’ competitors: He has also been without regular crew chief, Bob Osborne, who was suspended size six races for the Las Vegas infraction.
“It’s amazing the little nuances of that relationship that I didn’t really value, but now I do.
"Having different people on the (pit) box, it takes twice as long to communicate now than it used to because we knew each other so well,” Edwards said.
“I didn’t really realize what value it had until it’s gone. We were able to win without him, but we’ll be better with Bob back.
"Not because of the talent level, but just because of the relationship we have.”
Although it is easy to start adding 100 points back to his total and wonder what might have been, Edwards said he has no interest in looking back on things he cannot change.
“I don’t play the ‘what if’ game. I think all you can do is focus on what’s ahead. You can’t live in last week. This thing changes so fast,” the driver said.
There is certainly no indication currently that Edwards is likely to miss the top-12 cutoff in points to remain eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The only remaining hiccup from his penalty is that he will not get 10 bonus points from his win at Las Vegas to start the playoffs.
At his current pace, that may not even be a factor.
“Our Fords are so good right now that it’s really a joy to drive them, but if there’s one thing that’s certain this season, it’s there’s going to be change,” Edwards said.
“Things are going to happen throughout the season. People are going to change things, and, hopefully we can stay on top of that change and be just as fast at the end as we are now.”
| | Posted April 12, 2008 , 4:18 pm EST
Last Updated April 12, 2008 , 4:19 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
