Edwards Hoping to Extend Points Lead at Phoenix

Carl Edwards will be looking to duplicate his performance from last season

Carl Edwards
Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne
Chassis: RK-782 This car last raced at Loudon in Sept., finished eighth

QUOTES

Carl Edwards on racing at Phoenix: “Phoenix is really a big unknown. I would say this first trip will be more of a crew chief/engineer race. You’re going to have to pay attention to tire wear. The setup is going to be very important. The track is very smooth and easy to drive. I don’t know that you’ll be able to go there and manhandle the car and hustle it around there like you could at the old Phoenix, at least not this first time.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Phoenix: “I still like Phoenix a lot. There are definitely some issues that are going to have to be overcome this weekend for track grip and multi-lane racing. Right now it is a one-lane race track and that is not going to bode well for racing. It is going to be a little scary if they don’t get two lanes at least going there.”

FAST FACTS

* THE CHASE IS ON…Carl Edwards enters Phoenix leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings by three points over Tony Stewart. He has earned one win, 17 top-five, 24 top-10 finishes and two poles this season.

* DEFENDING WINNER…Edwards won last year’s Phoenix race in November after leading 93 laps. He broke a 70-race winless streak for his first Sprint Cup win there.

* FOR THE RECORD… In 14 starts at the one-mile track, Edwards has one win, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His average start is 11.0 and finish of 13.0. Edwards has completed 93.5 percent of laps in Cup competition attempted at Phoenix.

* IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 14 races at Phoenix, Edwards has turned 252 of the track’s fastest laps (third most), spent 2,827 laps in the top 15, and has led 201 laps. He has a driver rating of 99.6 (fourth best).

* ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 Aflac crew will unload RK-782 at Phoenix. This car was new at Loudon where Edwards finished eighth with it.

* REWIND, PHOENIX, NOVEMBER 2010… Carl Edwards dominated the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway by winning everything he could including three practice sessions, qualifying, the Nationwide race on Saturday, and most importantly he broke a 70-race winless streak by taking the checkered flag in the Kobalt Tools 500. Edwards led 93 of the 312 laps en route to his 17th-career Sprint Cup Series win.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release