Edwards glad to bear Ford name on his back at MIS

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Carl Edwards insists he is ready to carry the Ford manufacturer's banner in Sunday's LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

As defending champion of the Sprint Cup Series race, he appears to be in perfect position to do so. But hold on. There are others who may have something to say about which manufacturer gets to celebrate in the only Victory Lane in the sport that essentially is in the backyard of what is known as the Big Three -- Detroit-based manufacturers Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet.

The wild card this year is the one manufacturer not based in Detroit. That would be Toyota, which owns more Sprint Cup victories than each of the others this season.

Edwards and several other Ford drivers arrived in Michigan early and made a side trip to the manufacturer's headquarters in Detroit. There they met with Jim Farley, the company's group vice president of marketing and communications.

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The meeting left a lasting impression with Edwards, who sees making a stand Sunday in Michigan as more than simply an attempt to win a race or move up in the point standings.

"Jim Farley laid out everything, said this is the bottom line," Edwards said. "It was really a straightforward, brutally honest meeting."

What Farley laid out was that Ford needs to use its racing program to make potential customers realize that its brand, including the one modeled after the Fusion that Edwards and other Ford drivers pilot on Sundays, is strong and competitive in today's tough automotive market.

"What we have to do is focus," Edwards said. "Me, in my job, I need to make people realize that the products that the Ford Motor Company makes are definitely competitive and probably better than some of the other manufacturers -- some of the other products that are being bought.

"So I have to go out and make sure to educate people and make them understand that if they buy these products from Ford Motor Company or General Motors or Chrysler that they're really helping keep the sport the way it is."

The fact is, though, that Toyota's entry into the Sprint Cup Series has had an impact that appears to indicate the sport is not the way it was, nor is it ever likely to be that way again.

And for that, Toyota drivers such as points leader Kyle Busch, who owns a series-high four Cup victories this season, do not apologize. Busch said he yearns to earn a win in the backyard of the other manufacturers.

"That would be awesome," Busch said. "It would definitely be pretty cool to not only just win here because we want to get another win, but to win in a manufacturer's backyard. It would be pretty cool."

Of course, others besides only Edwards could have a say in who gets to Victory Lane -- including Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle and David Ragan. They were among the quickest in the Saturday's morning practice session practice session. In final practice, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth also added to the top performers for Roush.

Biffle has two Cup wins and two Truck Series wins in as many tries in his career at the Michigan track, and has to rank amongst the favorites Sunday.

Asked why he runs so well at MIS, Biffle shrugged and replied: "I don't know. It's odd. I love the racetrack and we run so well here as a company. So that's good for us, being in Ford's backyard."

Then he pumped up the product he's driving, and his manufacturer is attempting to sell to the public.

"It's really exciting right now to be able to drive these cars," he said. "We've got a great car for Sunday. I'd encourage anybody that gets an opportunity to go drive one of these Fords. They're pretty fun to drive."

They would be especially fun to drive if one could be wheeled into Victory Lane on Sunday.