Carl Edwards enjoys near flawless run with runnerup finish at Atlanta
Carl Edwards scored an impressive second-place finish at Atlanta.
// LaDon George, NASCAR Illustrated
Sometimes, being great just isn’t good enough.
Carl Edwards had a stellar run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing second, but still lost a spot in the point standings.
The Roush Fenway Racing driver fell from fourth to fifth as Emory Healthcare 500 race winner Tony Stewart streaked up the standings – going from sixth to fourth.
Nevertheless, Edwards, who clinched a spot in the Chase For The Sprint Cup, is confident heading into NASCAR’s playoff in two weeks.
“I felt like we had a car as good or better than we have had all season,” Edwards said. “When you run up front like that, you kind of get in that mode of racing for the win, and that is good for everyone.
“I feel like we have scored a ton of points the last seven or eight races (Edwards has seven top-10s in the last eight races). We have performed probably better in that stretch than we ever have, and it makes me really excited. I’m really looking forward to the Chase. It’s going to be fun.”
Edwards qualified fourth at Atlanta, led 32 laps and never dropped out of the top 10. He did, however, lose spots during some of the early and mid-race pit stops.
Fortunately, his team got it right heading down the final stretch. Edwards came into the pits third but left first during the seventh caution period and didn’t lose a spot – leaving in second – during the eighth and final caution period.
“The last pit stop was spectacular,” Edwards said. “That’s probably the best pit stop I’ve ever had.”
Edwards was also in the thick of some of the best battles up front in the 500.5-mile race. He enjoyed fights with Johnson, Stewart and Kasey Kahne in the last 30 laps.
“When Jimmie, Kasey and I were racing, you know, two‑ and three‑wide for the lead there for a few laps, I mean, there’s one point where I was laughing going down the front straightaway,” Edwards said. “It was just fun. That’s what racing’s about – having some fun.”
With his spot in the Chase secure, Edwards can hit next week’s race at Richmond with both barrels.
“We’ll just go for it,” Edwards said. “We’ll probably just go there and go for the win and don’t have too much to be concerned about. So for me, it will just be a fun race.”
