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It’s been a quiet season for Carl Edwards, who was pursuing reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson this time last year.
The 2008 series runner-up, Edwards won a series-high nine races, eventually finishing 69 points behind Johnson in the Chase standings.
This season? No wins for Edwards, who’s also had a very quiet Chase. He heads into Sunday’s Dickies 500 in 10th place in the standings, with a Chase-best finish of sixth at Auto Club Speedway four weeks ago.
But here comes Texas Motor Speedway, where Edwards swept both events in 2008.
Instant turn-around? Could be.
His win in last year’s season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the last time he visited a Victory Lane. Drought makes good motivation, not that the upbeat Edwards requires it, but Texas has emerged as a special place for the 30-year-old, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on him on Sunday.
If you require proof, Edwards also leads all drivers with three wins at Texas, more good karma. But just flipping ignition switches isn’t sufficient preparation.
“It takes a really, really good race car to win at Texas,” Edwards said. “That’s the bottom line. You have to have a very powerful engine and you’ve got to have a great aerodynamics package.
“Your crew chief and engineer have to have the car put together really well and sometimes you need great fuel mileage on top of that. It takes a lot to win in Texas.”
He finished 10th in this year’s spring event at Texas, with the three wins, three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 13.4 in nine series starts there. Auto Racing Daily
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