I think Sunday in Las Vegas showed what we all expected from Carl Edwards when the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season began.
We all felt he was going to be in contention to make a lot of noise where the Chase for the Sprint Cup is concerned. He had a great run and a second-place finish at Daytona International Speedway. Unfortunately, bad luck caught up with him at Phoenix and we never got a chance to see whether he was as strong as we all thought he was going to be that day.
Sunday in Las Vegas was a great bounce back, not only for the team, but for Carl. He was really frustrated after the misfortune at Phoenix.
Collectively as a team, the No. 99 bunch felt they let one slip through the cracks two weeks ago. I’ve spent a lot of time with Carl. He is very focused and very energized. He very much believes this could be his year.
Carl is, by far, the highest-profile free agent out there come the end of the season. He is so talented and so personable. He has so many pluses that make him very desirable to any car owner and any sponsors. He continues to put himself in the best light to do what is right for him and his family.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
We’ve seen situations in the past where winning drivers for Roush Fenway Racing have pulled up stakes and left. I think it’s somewhat of a crossroads for Roush Fenway Racing. Can it put together a lucrative enough package to keep Carl in the family?
Obviously, this is a high priority for Roush Fenway. Among its three lead drivers, Carl, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, Carl is the youngest. The organization clearly knows the future is extremely bright for Carl. The sooner both sides can lay this to rest, the better it will be.
You don’t need the distraction of contract negotiations getting in the way of winning on the racetrack.
I love what I have seen these first three races of the year. With Daytona and Phoenix, we had surprise winners with Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon. Based on the way he finished 2010 with victories in the last two races, Carl’s winning on Sunday in Las Vegas really wasn’t a surprise.
Tony Stewart clearly had the dominant car Sunday. It was his race to lose, and, unfortunately, he did. A costly pit-road penalty upset the flow of his Stewart-Haas Racing team's race, and the best they could come up with was a second-place finish.
You heard the frustration in Tony’s voice during the cooldown laps when he came over the radio and said, “Someone please explain to me how we lost this race.”
So we’ve had a unique start to the 2011 season, with a lot of intriguing storylines to follow. It makes you wonder where it will go next.
These drivers are clearly up on the wheel more than they were a year ago. The urgency is on winning this year, not a good points day. I think you are hearing it in the driver interviews and seeing it on the racetrack. The mentality now is, “I have to go get it.”
Sure, we just put only the third race of the year in the record books, but everyone is feeling that energy and sense of urgency more than ever in our sport. We have the new points system to thank for that. As a driver, if you have a run of bad luck and aren’t in the top 10 in points after the Richmond race in September, you can still qualify for one of the two wild-card spots based on how many wins you have this season.
That is why winning now is so clearly important. It gives you that sense of security come September.
