 | | Carl Edwards has three top-fives and five top-10s through 10 races. Credit: Autostock |
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
May 9, 2006
03:06 PM EDT (19:06 GMT)
RICHMOND, Va. -- Carl Edwards wasn't sure what to think when owner Jack Roush replaced crew chief Bob Osborne three weeks ago. After all, Edwards and Osborne were coming off a tie for second in points, only 35 behind champion Tony Stewart, in Edwards' first full Nextel Cup season.  |  | | Credit: Autostock |
| |
| Crown Royal 400 |
| Official Results |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Make |
| 1. |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Chevy |
| 2. |
Denny Hamlin |
Chevy |
| 3. |
Kevin Harvick |
Chevy |
| 4. |
Greg Biffle |
Ford |
| 5. |
Kyle Busch |
Chevy |
| 6. |
Tony Stewart |
Chevy |
| 7. |
Carl Edwards |
Ford |
| 8. |
Ryan Newman |
Dodge |
| 9. |
Sterling Marlin |
Chevy |
| 10. |
Clint Bowyer |
Chevy |
|
|
 |
They won four races and two poles. "Honestly, I thought it was going to be a huge deal,'' Edwards said. It has been, but not in the negative way Edwards thought was possible because he wasn't sure how his personality would mesh with new crew chief Wally Brown. Edwards finished seventh in Saturday night's race at Richmond International Raceway, giving him three consecutive top-10s since the shuffle. He moved up two spots in the points to 13th, nine spots better than he was before Roush made the change following the April 9 race at Texas in which he finished 36th. "I didn't see it coming,'' Edwards said of the change. "But now, looking back, it's a natural progression.'' Now, Edwards is excited about a season that appeared going nowhere for seven weeks with three finishes of 36th or worse and only two top-10s. He knows some of it has to do with the crew chief change that had as much with trying to improve Roush Racing teammate Jamie McMurray's team -- Osborne replaced Jimmy Fennig -- as it was to help his. He knows some of it also has to do with luck, which all seemed to go bad with freak incidents such as the pit road accident he had at Atlanta, leading to a 40th-place finish on a track where he won twice last year. Saturday night might have been an indication that Edwards' luck is changing. Instead of being badly damaged when rookie Clint Bowyer spun him out on Lap 186, he stayed on the lead lap and rallied for a strong finish on a track where he was 21st twice a year ago. |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Carl Edwards in 2006 |
| Site |
Start |
Finish |
Rank |
| Daytona |
5 |
43 |
43 |
| Fontana |
22 |
3 |
21 |
| Las Vegas |
21 |
26 |
23 |
| Atlanta |
18 |
40 |
30 |
| Bristol |
3 |
4 |
22 |
| Martinsville |
15 |
16 |
19 |
| Texas |
37 |
36 |
22 |
| Phoenix |
5 |
4 |
16 |
| Talladega |
3 |
8 |
15 |
| Richmond |
9 |
7 |
13 |
|
|
"I was attempting to come onto pit road,'' Edwards said as he explained the spinout. "I think Clint Bowyer was watching the guy next to him or something. He got me bad, but Clint's a great driver and I'm sure that won't be the first time we run into each other. "Yeah, that could have cost us a lot. Maybe that's a sign that things are turning for the better.'' Edwards said the team has regained the confidence it lost early in the season. He also said he's matured as a driver, not turning a good day into a bad one because of greed. "When I look back to Texas and Atlanta where I really stepped on my, whatever you call it, it's because I wasn't satisfied with running in the top-five,'' Edwards said. "I wanted to win. "All days you can't be thinking about that. I'm learning. It just took time. ... If we can keep knocking down top-10s the next eight or 10 weeks, we'll be great.'' | 
