Fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers should fear Carl Edwards this weekend.
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman claims he’s more prepared to tackle Bristol Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (8 p.m. ET on USA) than he was when he led a race-high 276 laps on his way to victory at the Tennessee track in April.
“We’re going back with what we think is a better plan, a better car, and hopefully, we can go qualify well again and put the Stanley Toyota in Victory Lane,” Edwards said.
Showcasing his racing prowess at Bristol is nothing new for Edwards. His four wins at “The Last Great Colosseum” are his most at any track. He also has six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 24 career starts there.
“You’ve really got to plan your passes,” Edwards said. “You’ve got to work traffic. Hopefully, we can start up front, stay up front and play the game the right way.”
Edwards will attempt to become the first driver to sweep Bristol since his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch achieved the feat in 2009. The four current JGR drivers – Edwards, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin – have accounted for 14 wins in the last 22 Bristol races (though some of those victories came while they were with different teams). They will try to snap Joey Logano’s streak of two consecutive wins in the August Bristol night race.
“We’ve been having a lot of fun,” Edwards said. “This race is one of the ones we look forward to as an opportunity to have a good time and win another trophy before the Chase starts.”
Source: NASCAR Wire Service
