Carl Edwards falls short in bid to win title in final year at Roush Fenway
Carl Edwards' pursuit of a championship in his final season with Roush Fenway Racing ended Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, where the veteran racer finished 15th and running last among the eight drivers in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Edwards, who has spent his entire NASCAR career with team owner Jack Roush, moved to NASCAR's top series with RFR in late 2004. He has won 23 Sprint Cup Series races and recorded two runner-up points finishes for the venerable organization based in Concord, N.C.
Roush Fenway announced in late July that Edwards would not be part of the company's driver lineup for 2015, and, as widely expected, Joe Gibbs Racing revealed in September that Edwards would join the organization next season in a fourth Sprint Cup Series car.
Despite competing as a lame-duck driver for nearly half a season, Edwards has on multiple occasions vowed his commitment to finishing his time with Roush on a strong note and not focusing on the future beyond 2014.
Edwards demonstrated that focus by advancing beyond the first two rounds of the Chase and into the Eliminator Eight. But his quest to be among the four championship finalists ended Sunday in the Valley of the Sun.
Now, Edwards hopes that fellow Ford driver Joey Logano can deliver a title for the manufacturer in Sunday's winner-take-all Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway
"We tried every trick that we could," Edwards said. "We just didn't have a lot of speed all weekend. The car actually drove pretty decently at the end, so I thought Jimmy (Fennig, crew chief) did a great job with it. We just didn't have enough speed, so that's how it goes."
Even with Sunday's disappointment, Edwards is thankful for the effort his team displayed throughout the season -- even once they knew he was headed elsewhere in 2015.
"These guys dug deep and worked hard," Edwards said. "I've never been a part of something like this where everybody just doesn't give up. This means the world."
VIDEO: Carl Edwards discusses Sunday's 15th-place finish in Phoenix
