“It’s amazing how much things change,” he said. “Five years ago, I was living at my mom’s house. [Now] it’s cool to be here having a lot of fun racing at the highest levels of our sport. I’m a better points racer at twice the pace.”
Edwards, hardly one to stay “inside the box” personality-wise, pointed out that at times it’s best to color within the lines.
“(Team owner) Jack (Roush) says you have [to know the] edge of your box,” Edwards said, outlining a box with two index fingers. “For me to figure out how hard I can go and still do the right thing in the long run has taken me a little while but I feel pretty good about that now.”
Case in point: last Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway he stayed patient during the caution-filled event and came away with his first win of the season and the 10th of his series career.
Early on, Edwards had the better car yet resisted the temptation to move pole winner Steve Wallace (No. 66 HomeLife Communities Dodge) out of the way. Instead, he worked through his spotter to urge the younger Wallace to yield and went on to take the lead and ultimately capture the win.
“You can’t have any wounds that are self-inflicted,” he said. “If you have a 10th-place car that day you need to run 10th.
“That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned and it’s paying off a lot.”
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