Carl Edwards Texas Preview: Looks to Recapture Past Success and Another Cowboy Hat

Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-705    Last raced at Dover, Sept. ‘10 – finished fifth

Carl Edwards on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: “We’ve had great success at Texas and I love racing there.  Everything is bigger in Texas – they have a huge crowd and a huge purse.  If you win you get a cowboy hat and two pistols so it doesn’t get much better than that.  It’s a great place to race and a great place to win.  At this point in the season we’ve got three races left to finish strong and Texas is one we feel like we have an opportunity to go get a win so this race couldn’t come at a better time.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: “Texas is a great track for Carl, and it really seems to suit his driving style.  His record there is very impressive and I’m hoping we can add to those stats this weekend.  We’re taking the same car we raced at Dover which was new then and it performed quite well.  It would be great to get a win before the season ends, and I think Texas is one of our best chances.”

Fast Facts

• Carl Edwards will make his 12^th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend in the AAA Texas 500.
• FOR THE RECORD… Edwards has accumulated three wins at the 1.5-mile Texas track, the most of any active Sprint Cup driver, and is the only driver to win both the spring and the fall races in the same season.
• Edwards’ average NSCS start at Texas is 17.3 and his average finish is 17.5.
• IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics, Edwards ranks second in laps led with 476 in the past 11 races.  He has also turned 268 of the track’s fastest laps, which is third best. He has a driver rating of 97.8, fifth best among active drivers.
• REWIND NOVEMBER, 2009… While running 11^th, Edwards had a good run on the outside line and was passing Juan Pablo Montoya.  At the same time Montoya got loose and hit the left rear of the Aflac Ford.  The contact sent Edwards into the wall with irreparable damage. He was unable to continue and after only 174 laps of competition he was scored in 39^th place by the end of the race.
• ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 team will be unloading chassis No. RK-705 at Texas this weekend. This Ford Fusion most recently raced at Dover in September where it started 10^th and finished fifth. It was a new car at Dover.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release