Notes: Edwards starting from rear at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- Forget the backflip. Carl Edwards might have to bust out a gymnastics routine if he can pull off his second straight win at Pocono.

Last month, Edwards was a winner at Pocono and celebrated with his now-traditional backflip off his car. Winning will be a little tougher the second time around at Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 when Edwards starts from the rear of the field because he's skipping qualifying to race in the Busch Series.

"It's going to be tough," he conceded.

	Credit: Autostock
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Maybe, but history shows a sweep is possible. Edwards won the Pocono 500 from the 29th position, the farthest back that a race winner has ever started at the triangle. He was only the sixth driver in Pocono's history to win from a starting spot worse than 15th.

"I know my car is good enough to win the race," he said. "If we're there in the end, we can do it."

Edwards practiced, but Bobby Gerhart will qualify his Ford on Saturday. Edwards is set to race in the Busch series at Pikes Peak.

Six-time ARCA series champion Frank Kimmel was set to qualify for Edwards until he couldn't fit into the custom-fitted seat.

Edwards needs all the strong finishes in the next few weeks he can get as he desperately tries to crack the top 10 in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship. Edwards is only 54 points behind Dale Jarrett, who holds the 10th spot needed to qualify. Jamie McMurray is 33 points ahead of Edwards

"My strategy for the remaining races before the chase is to just go easy, don't damage the car and prepare for the end of the race," Edwards said. "I have this habit of driving like a maniac as soon as the green flag drops. It's great sometimes, but it's usually hit or miss."

Edwards slumped a bit after winning at Pocono and finishing fifth the next week at Michigan. He finished 38th, 33rd and 39th in his next three races before bouncing back with a 12th place finish last Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

He said it was all part of the learning process in his just first full season in NASCAR.

"The expectations changed for me, from the press, from everyone else when we started winning races," he said "It appears from the outside we should not make any mistakes, but still man, every week I'm learning. I'm just glad to be back here at Pocono."

Marked Martin

With Jamie McMurray seemingly unable to join Roush Racing until 2007 because of a contractual commitment with Chip Ganassi Racing, Mark Martin is resigned to the fact that he'll have to delay retirement a year.

Mark Martin Credit: Autostock

"They don't realize I'm too old to be doing this stuff," Martin said.

Maybe, but with a one-year gap until McMurray is eligible to drive for Jack Roush, the owner wanted Martin to come back. Martin, though, was hopeful he could move to the Craftsman Truck series next year.

"My primary focus is still on putting my truck deal together," he said. "I was working on it this morning and we're going to put it together the best we can and we're going to be ready to go racing."

Martin shrugged off reports that Ganassi picked up McMurray's option to drive the No. 42 Dodge for another year.

"I'm not surprised at that, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they changed their mind," Martin said.

Beefy Stewart

Tony Stewart is giving a whole new meaning to capturing the checkered flag.

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Stewart is on one of the hottest streaks of his career, with three wins, a second and a fifth in his last five races. When he won at Daytona, he celebrated by climbing the fence into the flag stand to claim the checkered flag and repeated the feat last Sunday at New Hampshire.

Stewart had joked he needed to get in better shape before climbing another one, but said he hasn't sized up the fence to grab the flag at Pocono.

"I've got a lot of work to do before I worry about that," he said.

Stewart finished 29th here in June before he started the tear that catapulted him from 10th to third in the standings. While the Allstate 400 at his beloved and famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway looms, Stewart acknowledged he can't look too far ahead at what a win there would mean.

"I'm a lot more confident than I was six weeks ago, for sure," he said. "But you look at guys who were on top of their game at the beginning of the season and some of those guys are struggling right now in that situation. It can turn in a week, so you can't get lazy, you can't be complacent with what's going on.

Pit stops

Erin Crocker had an accident during ARCA qualifying. Crocker will be the eighth woman to drive in NASCAR or ARCA at Pocono. She hoped to get a tryout in a Busch car soon.

"We're supposed to be starting sometime in September," she said. "I'm not sure I'm prepared enough. We'll soon find out. We're going to test a bunch."