Edwards “Mr. Consistent” with three races remaining

With only one win this season, Carl Edwards has been the dominant driver atop the Sprint Cup points standings. Edwards has led a majority of the season, starting in Texas after the Samsung Mobile 500. Now as Edwards returns to Texas Motor Speedway, he is still on top, but by a mere 8 points over Tony Stewart.

After winning the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, Stewart issued a bit of a throwdown to Edwards. “He better be worried, that’s all I am saying,” jabbed Stewart. Edwards retorted and said, “We’ll see what happens in Texas.” This is a promotional dream come true for Texas Motor Speedway head honcho Eddie Gossage, who has already capitalized on the verbal punches being thrown. (Secretly I am expecting Edwards and Stewart to walk out at driver intros with robes and boxing gloves!)

Edwards enjoys this fun side of racing, saying, “I think Eddie always does a great job of making things fun.  At the end of the day that's what racing is about.  We're going to Texas, one of the biggest races we go to, one of the biggest races of the season; they pay as much as any race of the year.  The fans love racing there.  It would be perfect, fine with me if it came down to Tony and I the last lap at Texas.  If we could separate ourselves from the rest of this pack, that would be wonderful.”

Headed to TMS, Edwards plans to on build on his previous success. “We've run really well there.  There could not be a better racetrack for us to be going to.  I feel like we made it through the first seven races of the Chase better than we expected.  Now we just go these last three races and go for broke.”

Edwards was asked during the weekly NASCAR teleconference what it is about Texas and Atlanta that fits his driving so well. “Texas and Atlanta, to me they drive like a big dirt track.  I raced a lot at three-eighths of a mile dirt tracks.  The momentum of the places, the banking, all that stuff makes them really fun for me to drive. Second, I'm lucky to be driving these Roush Fords at these races because they're screaming tracks.  When we go to these mile-and-a-half tracks, one of our cars has a chance to win.  You show up, you know when you're sitting in the garage, during practice, you know if you're not on top of the sheet or the fastest car, there's something you can fix and make it better. That confidence is huge,” said Edwards.

As the battle heats up and the Chase tightens, the gloves are coming off. Edwards has won at Texas three times and looks for a fourth win to further that all-important points lead.