Edwards shows demeanor of champion in, out of car

To those of you who are in the dissent on the question of "does Carl Edwards have it all?" I encourage you to stop reading now. The next few paragraphs will only serve to irritate you.

However, if your eyes function and your ears still pick up sound then it's altogether possible you bore witness to the same unalloyed performance in Dover that I was treated to. For a Delaware weekend that started off in a frightening and nearly tragic way -- the heroics of one Carl Edwards proved once again to be a saving grace.

Beau Estes co-hosts the Jack Daniel's Post-Race Show with Nikki Alexander. It can be seen following every Nextel Cup race live on NASCAR.COM.

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I began thinking of this as a Carl for President of NASCAR piece, but I'm afraid Carl wouldn't take the pay cut and NASCAR couldn't afford him. With those economics in mind, let me explain why Carl is so valuable -- not just as a driver, but as a representative of NASCAR. It all began on Friday afternoon ...

Carl qualifies in 15th, but who cares? -- that's not the point. During his interview following his trip around the Monster Mile, Mr. Edwards has the presence of mind not only to mention the weekend's race, but to recognize the more significant story unfolding across the street. Two students were shot at Delaware State University on the morning of qualifying and Carl was the first driver I saw to include those who were no doubt suffering at the time in his thoughts.

Following a sixth-place finish Saturday in the Busch race, Carl is an in-race reporter for the broadcast on ESPN Sunday. That is all well and good, but as the race winds down Carl is winning. One would think the Worldwide Leader would let the race leader focus in on winning the race, but for some reason ESPN keeps going to Carl and Carl keeps responding. Can you imagine Bobby Knight doing an interview during a tie game with one minute left in the second half?

At one point I was hoping he would say, "I don't know if you guys were aware of this, BUT I'M WINNING THE DAMN RACE!!! I'll catch up with you later." But noooooo. Cooler than a polar bear's toenails, Carl does two interviews as the race winds down.

The first interview I saw -- when it was patently obvious that he had the best car and barring a disaster he'd win the race -- Carl somehow receives a message from the deepest recesses of his mind reminding him to mention the trophy he would donate to a child with a disability in upstate New York. I'm not kidding. During one of the six cautions in the last 45 laps when drivers are hanging onto their steering wheels tighter than Teresa hangs on to the 8, whilst drivers are sweating in amounts measured by the keg -- cucumber cool Carl is thinking of a kid in New York. The guy is uncanny!

In his other interview during the last few laps of the race, a Chase race no less, the question of tires comes up. Driver's tires had been getting punctured and Rusty Wallace asks Carl if he is considering going in for a tire change. How does Carl respond? He asks Rusty what Rusty would do. So all the intelligence in the world and a sense of humor.

Finally, he wins the race -- the 100th victory for Jack Roush as an owner -- and it's all punctuated in typical elan by King Carl's trademark backflip that is only slightly less famous than the tumbling skills of Mary Lou Retton.

It was a weekend that displayed the consummate Carl Edwards: His mastery of his profession as a NASCAR driver as well as his composure and unswerving loyalty to the sport by gracefully interacting with the announcers on the road to victory. It was a window in time that provided a view of an emerging giant in the sport and perhaps -- just perhaps -- a future champion.

The Real Champion
I must admit the prospect, however contrived it might be, of having six drivers within 18 points of each other immediately following Dover's race is quite appealing from a storyline perspective.

Still, if you look at the standings overall -- based on the old system where a dominating driver isn't penalized by cutting him off at the knees with the reset of points at the Chase -- the drive for five would be signed, sealed and all but delivered for Jeff Gordon.

Chat Room Chatter
The garage veiled tete-a-tete between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Petty turbo-charged the Jack Daniel's Post Race Show chat room moments after the race (watch video). NASCAR.COM would have needed a new server if Denny were able to get to Kyle when he hopped out of his car. Since most of the comments centered on a potential steel cage match between Petty and Hamlin I'll limit this to a one-and-done segment.

Kyle Petty showed an uncharacteristic lack of class! He should not use his status amongst the drivers to accost Denny like that. Any other driver would not have been allowed to approach the car!!!
-- Alan from Alberta

Surprised at Kyle Petty -- one of the classiest drivers who has suffered great loss in his life. I guess stress can get to the best of them.
-- Allie from Scottsdale Ariz.

For starters I think we should judge Kyle Petty on his life's body of work and not this one incident. He grew up the son of the King. He lost his son Adam. Still, by all accounts, he manages to be a normal, well-adjusted and very likeable guy. Additionally, for my money, he was the breakout star in the TNT announce booth lending wonderful insights to the broadcasts.

Regarding the incident -- simply put, Kyle was wrong to slap Denny on several levels. I have no problem with drivers talking or even yelling at each other. Things get heated at 150 mph and livelihoods are at stake. It is imperative that the Chase drivers respect the other teams going for the top 35 and vice versa. I understood Kyle's point.

However, to slap a man strapped in a HANS device wearing a helmet is akin to punching a man in a coma who is outfitted in body armor. A) What are you accomplishing? And B) who can feel a slap while wearing a helmet?

More important than the practical matter of "what the hell was Kyle thinking" is the fact that NASCAR really doesn't need this type of behavior out of one of its well-established veteran leaders on the track.

Kyle deserves a pass on this one because he's earned it. He a good spokesman for the sport and for my money this should be considered an anomaly.

We are 20 percent of the way through the Chase and things are actually tighter now than they were when the Chase began. It's nearly impossible for things to stay this close for much longer so expect a lead pack to begin to emerge in Jayhawk (and Wildcat) country this week.

Enjoy the race.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.