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Sprint Cup
CUP: Edwards Hottest Driver In NASCAR
No one has amassed more points over the last six Sprint Cup races than Carl Edwards...
Carl Edwards is currently in sixth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. (Photo: Getty Images)
With two victories, a runner-up finish and four top fives in the past six races — not to mention a 293-point lead over second-place Jeff Gordon — Kevin Harvick surely is the hottest driver in NASCAR at the moment, right? Right?
Wrong.
With victories at Daytona and Michigan and a sensational second-place run at the Brickyard 400, Harvick has deservedly captured the lion’s share of the fan and media attention in the last month or so. In the last six races, Harvick has amassed an impressive 911 points.
Carl Edwards, on the other hand, has earned 966 points in that same period, 55 more than Harvick.
Yes, that Carl Edwards.
The guy who won eight races in 2008 and none in the 59 races since. The guy who had just one top-five finish in his first 17 races of this season, but hasn’t finished worse than seventh in his last six starts, averaging a 4.00 finish in that time.
And that illustrates what Harvick, Edwards and 10 other drivers will face when the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins next month in New Hampshire. What happened during the regular season really doesn’t count for any more than the 10 bonus points drivers earn for each race victory. Right now, Edwards has zero bonus points, but none of his competitors have more than 50, making the field oh-so-close.
Once the Chase starts, it will be all about who can do what Edwards has over the past six races — string together top-five finishes without making any mistakes. Edwards knows all about those mistakes. Two years ago in the Chase, he had two of them that cost him a chance to dethrone Jimmie Johnson.
One was an ill-timed bump draft of teammate Greg Biffle that triggered The Big One at Talladega, the other a phantom ignition problem at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Edwards lost 62 points to Johnson at Talladega and 96 more at CMS, a total of 158 points in two races. Despite winning three of the final four races in the Chase, Edwards lost to Johnson by 69 points.
This year, the same thing could happen again — as few as one or two really bad races could torpedo a very, very fast driver. And consistency well might prove to be even more important than finding victory lane.
In fact, the reason that Edwards has earned more points than Harvick in the last six races — despite Harvick’s two race victories — is that Harvick had two finishes outside the top 10, to none for Edwards. Thus, Harvick’s 34th-place finish at Chicagoland hurt him more in terms of points than his victories helped him.
It’s getting to be that time of year when those sort of things matter.
Asked if his team is championship ready after his recent hot streak, Edwards allowed as how he thinks it is.
“We're close,” Edwards said after finishing third in the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. “We didn't have a dominant car, but we had as fast a car as anyone. That's about all you can ask for at this level of the sport right now. It's pretty amazing how competitive it is.”
Peaking at the right time has gotten Edwards excited.
“If we can run like this every week, we'll win our fair share of races,” he said. “We just have to keep doing this. We have to understand why we're faster, it's not just good enough to be faster, and apply these things going forward. The Chase could be really good for us.”
This week, Edwards and the rest of the Sprint Cup teams head to Bristol Motor Speedway, where he has two race victories and has enjoyed some success.
And the goal is going to be the same as every week: Race hard, try to win, and if you can’t win, get as many points as possible. And with Edwards moving from 12th in points to sixth in the last five races, he knows he could be a player in the championship battle.
“I think going into the Chase, I don't think there's a favorite,” said Edwards “If we can come on and continue gaining like we have been, I think we'll be right there. Can't count the Hendrick bunch out. It's going to be a heck of a battle.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
Wrong.
With victories at Daytona and Michigan and a sensational second-place run at the Brickyard 400, Harvick has deservedly captured the lion’s share of the fan and media attention in the last month or so. In the last six races, Harvick has amassed an impressive 911 points.
Carl Edwards, on the other hand, has earned 966 points in that same period, 55 more than Harvick.
Yes, that Carl Edwards.
The guy who won eight races in 2008 and none in the 59 races since. The guy who had just one top-five finish in his first 17 races of this season, but hasn’t finished worse than seventh in his last six starts, averaging a 4.00 finish in that time.
And that illustrates what Harvick, Edwards and 10 other drivers will face when the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins next month in New Hampshire. What happened during the regular season really doesn’t count for any more than the 10 bonus points drivers earn for each race victory. Right now, Edwards has zero bonus points, but none of his competitors have more than 50, making the field oh-so-close.
Once the Chase starts, it will be all about who can do what Edwards has over the past six races — string together top-five finishes without making any mistakes. Edwards knows all about those mistakes. Two years ago in the Chase, he had two of them that cost him a chance to dethrone Jimmie Johnson.
One was an ill-timed bump draft of teammate Greg Biffle that triggered The Big One at Talladega, the other a phantom ignition problem at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Edwards lost 62 points to Johnson at Talladega and 96 more at CMS, a total of 158 points in two races. Despite winning three of the final four races in the Chase, Edwards lost to Johnson by 69 points.
This year, the same thing could happen again — as few as one or two really bad races could torpedo a very, very fast driver. And consistency well might prove to be even more important than finding victory lane.
In fact, the reason that Edwards has earned more points than Harvick in the last six races — despite Harvick’s two race victories — is that Harvick had two finishes outside the top 10, to none for Edwards. Thus, Harvick’s 34th-place finish at Chicagoland hurt him more in terms of points than his victories helped him.
It’s getting to be that time of year when those sort of things matter.
Asked if his team is championship ready after his recent hot streak, Edwards allowed as how he thinks it is.
“We're close,” Edwards said after finishing third in the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. “We didn't have a dominant car, but we had as fast a car as anyone. That's about all you can ask for at this level of the sport right now. It's pretty amazing how competitive it is.”
Peaking at the right time has gotten Edwards excited.
“If we can run like this every week, we'll win our fair share of races,” he said. “We just have to keep doing this. We have to understand why we're faster, it's not just good enough to be faster, and apply these things going forward. The Chase could be really good for us.”
This week, Edwards and the rest of the Sprint Cup teams head to Bristol Motor Speedway, where he has two race victories and has enjoyed some success.
And the goal is going to be the same as every week: Race hard, try to win, and if you can’t win, get as many points as possible. And with Edwards moving from 12th in points to sixth in the last five races, he knows he could be a player in the championship battle.
“I think going into the Chase, I don't think there's a favorite,” said Edwards “If we can come on and continue gaining like we have been, I think we'll be right there. Can't count the Hendrick bunch out. It's going to be a heck of a battle.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
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