Carl Edwards (99) nipped Jimmie Johnson by .028 seconds to win the spring race at Atlanta on March 20. Credit: Autostock

Edwards eager to return to site of first checkers

Carl Edwards' return to Atlanta is that of the conquering phenom. He won the March 20 race at AMS in a last-lap duel with Jimmie Johnson, who is the defending champion of the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (noon ET Sunday, NBC).

Since that spring victory, Edwards has gone on to post another win and qualify for the 10-race Chase playoffs. Two wins and a shot at the championship in his first full Cup season is heady stuff for Edwards, but he is focused on the task at hand.

Inside the Numbers Carl Edwards' results on two-race tracks this season Track First Second +/- Daytona 12 33 * -21 California 5 4 +1 Bristol 26 24 +2 Martinsville 38 26 +12 Talladega 32 5 +27 Richmond 21 21 -- Charlotte 3 7 -4 Dover 16 9 +7 Pocono 1 4 -3 Michigan 5 4 +1 Average 15.9 13.7 +2.2 Remaining two-race tracks Track First Second +/- Atlanta 1 TBD   Texas 19 TBD   Phoenix 7 TBD   * -- Crashed; only DNF of 2005.

"I like Atlanta a lot," he said. "It's a really fast track that enables a driver to try different lines and pass relatively easily. I still can't believe I got my first win there earlier this year.

"I remember coming off Turn 4 just determined to do what I had to do to get by Jimmie. It was tough but somehow I got it done."

And if Edwards' record for improving on his finish the second time around a track is any indication, he'll be in contention for the victory again Sunday. Edwards has bettered his finish six times in 10 starts at two-race tracks this year.

But how can he improve on the spring showing?

Edwards made track history by winning both the Busch and Cup races in the same weekend earlier this year in March, topped only by the fact those were his first wins in the series.

In four starts at the track (one Truck, one Busch, two Cup) Edwards has two wins, three top-five finishes and four top-10s. He also has completed 100 percent of his laps on the 1.54-mile quad-oval.

"The entire weekend was really surreal for me," Edwards said. "It's finally sunk in and it was awesome to go out and [then] do it again at Pocono. I think that really solidified us as a team to watch which meant a lot.

"I'm really looking forward to going [to Atlanta] this weekend. We are taking the same car we raced at Kansas and Charlotte which is a really fast race car.

"We didn't get to contend for the win like we should have at Charlotte," he said, "but I think we should be able to run up front this weekend at Atlanta."

Other Chase drivers on Atlanta ...

Tony Stewart: "You just have to constantly adjust your race car. We've led so many laps in the first half of a race there and then been outside the top-five at the end of the day because we didn't stay caught up with the changing track conditions. Atlanta cools off so much and changes so much that you always have to be on top of your setups. You need to make sure that you have enough adjustability as the day goes on. You don't want to get your car so good at the first half of the day that it gets too tight at the end of the day. You almost have to be a little bit on the loose side to really be good at the end of the day."

Inside the Chase Standings entering Atlanta Pos. Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 5,957 -- 2. J. Johnson 5,942 -15 3. R. Newman 5,894 -63 4. G. Biffle 5,874 -83 5. C. Edwards 5,808 -149 6. R. Wallace 5,791 -166 7. M. Martin 5,787 -170 8. Ku. Busch 5,785 -172 9. M. Kenseth 5,785 -172 10. J. Mayfield 5,741 -216 • Point Standings, click here

Jimmie Johnson: "Our test went well for us at Atlanta. We went down for a day and it was a little bit warmer than we would have expected it to be, so I feel since the car drove good in the hot conditions, it will be better in the cooler conditions. There was a lot of rubber down, so I feel it was a well-used test for us. It's a rarity when -- in Turns 1 and 2 -- the groove all the way to the wall was worked in. The No. 8 car [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] was down there and worked it in and spent a lot of time and got it worked in at the top. We were actually able to run a race line there which is pretty unusual for testing at Atlanta."

Ryan Newman: "[We] always take a great qualifying car to Atlanta. I think our five consecutive poles have proven how good our cars are. Qualifying for us is a total team effort and all of the guys put in just as much heart and effort as I do in getting the pole. This Friday night, we're shooting for our sixth straight, which would just be incredible. I don't think that sets any or breaks any records, but it's an important record for the Alltel team."

Greg Biffle: "I like racing at Atlanta, it's wide and fast and it's just good racing. We've had some success there in both the Busch and Cup aeries. We finished third there in the spring and went back for a test last week. Unfortunately, we weren't really happy with either of the cars we took for the test, so we've decided to take the car we finished third with at Charlotte. I'm just happy to have Martinsville behind us and I'm really looking forward to these next four races."

Rusty Wallace: "We're coming up on some tracks that can be very demanding on engines and the mechanical aspects. Atlanta has certainly been one of those tracks through the years, especially since it was reconfigured back in the late '90s [for the Fall 1997 race). Regardless of what happens this weekend, we've had enough great runs and big-time memories at Atlanta to fill a book. Hopefully, we can end our deal there this weekend on a very positive note."

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Mark Martin: "Atlanta is a really cool race track. It's a big, fast race track. The pavement has gotten a little older and it has finally given up and made it a really fun place to race. From top-to-bottom, it's one of the best places that we go to race. It usually makes for a great show and a great race. We had a good run there in the spring and we probably had the best car in last fall's race, so we are excited about get back down there and doing some good racing."

Kurt Busch: "Atlanta is a high-speed racetrack, and I like these high-banked tracks. We've won here before [Oct. 27, 2002], but had issues with tires last time, so I'm looking forward to going back and doing some three-wide racing. We tested here last week and were happy with the results, so we're excited about getting out there and having another strong run. ... Our primary sponsor, Newell-Rubbermaid, is also headquartered in Atlanta, so we'd love to have a strong run in their backyard."

Matt Kenseth: "Atlanta is definitely one of the tracks I particularly look forward to coming to. It is wide and fast and there are multiple grooves that you can run. We had a great car here in the spring but got caught up in an early wreck that ruined our day. I think we'll be competitive this weekend and we'll be looking to regain some points that we've lost over the past couple of weeks."

Jeremy Mayfield: "We certainly didn't expect to be making the trip to Atlanta 216 points behind the leader in the Chase for the Championship. ... The opportunity is still there to move up in the final standings. We don't have to be cautious. That makes us dangerous. Slugger [Labbe, the crew chief] is always aggressive. Expect him to turn things up a click or two. It's time to make something happen. Atlanta is the perfect place to start."