Roush Fenway Racing finds itself in an enviable position, occupying the top two spots in the Chase standings with four races remaining. Carl Edwards holds the points lead, 14 points ahead of 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth.
Surprisingly, it’s the first time in Chase history that RFR has held the top two spots in the points standings during the Chase. Though most called last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway the wild card of the Chase, for Edwards and Kenseth this weekend’s race at Martinsville might be the deciding factor between a title or “better luck next year.”
If the two can escape this weekend – at a track where both have had mixed results – it could be smooth sailing. Two of the final three races are staged on 1.5-mile tracks, a favorite among the RFR crowd.
But first things first: the Martinsville short track, where RFR’s current stable of drivers remain winless. The team does have four Martinsville wins in all, from current Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin (two), current Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton (one) and current Penske Racing driver Kurt Busch (one).
RFR pins their championship hopes on Edwards and Kenseth. Their outlook for Sunday…
Edwards: In his post-race Talladega press conference, Edwards said he had never been happier about an 11th-place finish. With similar results at Martinsville, he might roll out a similar quote. Edwards has a Driver Rating of just 81.1, which makes the short track his second-worst track in terms of the Loop Data statistic. In 14 starts, Edwards has led just three laps – all of them coming in last April’s 18th-place finish.
Kenseth: Kenseth finished sixth in last April’s Martinsville event, but came into that race with four consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His best finish there is second, back in 2002. Kenseth’s enjoying one of his best seasons since his championship winning 2003 campaign. Through 32 races this season, he has three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s and 721 laps led. Through 33 races in 2003, he had one win, 10 top fives, 23 top 10s and 354 laps led.
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