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Carl Edwards was 2-for-2 at Nashville last season.By the Numbers: Nashville
Edwards returns to Tenn. track still looking for first win
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Where has Carl Edwards gone?
It's a fair question to ask of the defending Nationwide Series champion as this is not the season he was expecting after cruising to the title in 2007. His performance the first part of his championship season was almost perfect -- and at this time last year, he all but had the championship locked up.
Carl Edwards
2007 and 2008 Nationwide results
| Race | '07 Finish | '07 Ranking | '07 Margin | Race | '08 Finish | '08 Ranking | '08 Margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytona | 3 | 3 | -20 | Daytona | 10 | 10 | -56 | |
| Fontana | 4 | 2 | -15 | Fontana | 5 | 3 | -96 | |
| Mexico City | 4 | 1 | +40 | Las Vegas | 14 | 4 | -57 | |
| Las Vegas | 6 | 1 | +68 | Atlanta | 4 | 2 | -25 | |
| Atlanta | 4 | 1 | +144 | Bristol | 14 | 3 | -50 | |
| Bristol | 1 | 1 | +197 | Nashville | 3 | 2 | -11 | |
| Nashville | 1 | 1 | +321 | Texas | 13 | 2 | -57 | |
| Texas | 3 | 1 | +403 | Phoenix | 2 | 2 | -24 | |
| Phoenix | 5 | 1 | +424 | Mexico City | 4 | 2 | -9 | |
| Talladega | 10 | 1 | +433 | Talladega | 31 | 2 | -27 | |
| Richmond | 13 | 1 | +402 | Richmond | 7 | 2 | -9 | |
| Darlington | 3 | 1 | +433 | Darlington | 43 | 3 | -150 | |
| Charlotte | 17 | 1 | +423 | Charlotte | 13 | 3 | -176 | |
| Dover | 1 | 1 | +472 | Dover | 2 | 3 | -144 | |
| Nashville | 1 | 1 | +662 | Nashville | ? | ? | ? |
To be fair, Edwards has been in the top three in points for all but two weeks of the season -- and those came in the first three weeks. But, his average finish isn't anywhere near where it was in '07 -- 5.06 in 2007 compared to 11.6 in 2008 -- and by the time the Nashville race was over, Edwards was in Victory Lane celebrating his fourth win on the season -- this year he is still searching for his first.
And that first victory could easily come Saturday in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). This is Edwards' fourth full-time season in the Nationwide Series, and Nashville ranks as one of his best tracks.
Carl Edwards
Best tracks in the Nationwide Series (by average finish)
| Pos. | Track | Races | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s | Poles | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | New Hampshire | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10.7 | 1.7 |
| 2. | Nashville | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7.3 | 2.5 |
| 3. | Phoenix | 7 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 9.9 | 4.4 |
| 4. | Mexico City | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9.0 | 4.8 |
| 5. | Las Vegas | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
Nashville is the only track on the Nationwide Series schedule that Edwards has won at multiple times and Edwards has more top-fives at Nashville than any other track. Edwards has led 247 of the 1350 laps run in the six races at the 1.33-mile concrete track, for a percentage of 18.2 percent.
Unfortunately for Edwards, there is one driver who can claim he runs just a little bit better at Nashville -- points leader Clint Bowyer.
Bowyer has eight top-fives in eight races at the track, and while he only has one win, he has an average finish of 2.6 thanks to four consecutive second-place finishes following his victory in 2005.
Still, Edwards feels this is the perfect time for him to rebound from some tough finishes and start cutting in to the points deficit.
"It will be great to head to Nashville this weekend," Edwards said. "We have a lot of momentum from Dover. Nashville Superspeedway is awesome and we fell short earlier this year. My goal is to get us back into Victory Lane and chip away at the points lead."
Just the facts ma'am
3The three cautions in March's race were the fewest for a Nationwide event at Nashville. The 20 caution laps were also the fewest in Nashville history.
5Number of drivers entered in this week's race with an average finish at Nashville inside the top 10: Carl Edwards (2.5), Clint Bowyer (2.6), Scott Wimmer (8.8), Burney Lamar, (9.5) and Kelly Bires (10.0).
7Seven drivers will be pulling double-duty this weekend, racing in Saturday's Nationwide race at Nashville and Sunday's Cup race in Pocono: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Jason Leffler, Kyle Busch, David Ragan and David Reutimann.
7.21Average starting position of the winners in 14 Nationwide races at Nashville. In those 14 races, seven have been won from inside the top five, but the last five races have been won between the seventh and 14th starting position.
7.28Average number of cautions in 14 Nationwide races at Nashville for an average of 37.85 laps.
12.07Average number of lead changes in 14 Nationwide races at Nashville.
233Number of laps Bobby Hamilton Jr. has led at Nashville, third among all drivers and tops among drivers without a win at the track. In 10 starts he has three top-fives and six top-10s but his last top-five came back in 2003.
Also
- D4D Combine begins fifth year of driver competition
- Reaction positive from LMS testing of new N'wide car
- Bliss to drive No. 00 Toyota for MWR at Martinsville
- Burton new threat for Cup; Busch back to old tricks
- Martin's consistency proof he's a 2009 Cup contender
- Johnson upset about losing spots, points late at LMS
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Nashville Superspeedway
Nationwide Series winners
| Year | Winner | Start | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Greg Biffle | 4 | Ford |
| 2002 | Scott Riggs | 3 | Ford |
| Jack Sprague | 5 | Chevrolet | |
| 2003 | David Green | 7 | Pontiac |
| Scott Riggs | 3 | Ford | |
| 2004 | Michael Waltrip | 22 | Chevrolet |
| Jason Leffler | 2 | Chevrolet | |
| 2005 | Reed Sorenson | 1 | Dodge |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | Chevrolet | |
| 2006 | Kevin Harvick | 7 | Chevrolet |
| Carl Edwards | 13 | Ford | |
| 2007 | Carl Edwards | 8 | Ford |
| Carl Edwards | 7 | Ford | |
| 2008 | Scott Wimmer | 14 | Chevrolet |
Nationwide News
- Reaction positive from LMS testing of new N'wide car
- Nationwide Series' new car to test at Lowe's this week
- Busch posts ninth N'wide win to reach 20 overall
- Unilever to sponsor No. 5 car for 10 races in 2009
- Too young in May, Logano eager for first start at LMS
- Vickers, Lamar to share Braun's 32 car in 2009
Nationwide Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Clint Bowyer | 2028 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Kyle Busch | 1907 | -121 |
| 3. | -- | Carl Edwards | 1884 | -144 |
| 4. | -- | David Reutimann | 1862 | -166 |
| 5. | -- | Brad Keselowski | 1816 | -212 |
| 6. | +1 | Mike Bliss | 1772 | -256 |
| 7. | -1 | David Ragan | 1740 | -288 |
| 8. | -- | Jason Leffler | 1634 | -394 |
| 9. | -- | Mike Wallace | 1624 | -404 |
| 10. | -- | David Stremme | 1619 | -409 |
Updated: Monday 5:07 pm
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