If Edwards is holding back as some say, then look out (cont'd)

"I knew the 99 was holding back and not showing everything he had," Busch said. "He probably could have led how many ever laps there were. He didn't show his full hand."

Again, Edwards did not disagree with this assessment. He admitted he could have gone faster, but that might have put unnecessary stress on an engine that he had doubts about at the start of the race. So he played it coy and bided his time before taking over the race.

He also stressed that he does not agree with Busch and others who constantly are bashing NASCAR's new Cup car and how it works -- or doesn't -- with the tires currently being supplied by Goodyear. (Busch took the time to do so again following Sunday's race).

Edwards said he knows his perspective may be skewed because of all the winning he's been doing lately -- but he was quick to add that he shouldn't have to apologize for it.

"It's just my opinion when I say I like this type of racing, and the difficult tires and all that. I like it and it's my opinion and that's where I stand," Edwards said. "If I was running 15th, I might have a different opinion. But right now we are running very well, and it's good.

"We work real hard -- and when we run like this, it's fun. I don't know what else to say. I really have zero issue with it."

His kind of track
The irony of the new car becoming Edwards' kind of ride is that last year, team owner Jack Roush, by his own admission, misinterpreted NASCAR's rules concerning testing and initially fell far behind other teams that were more aggressive in their approach to it. It's safe to say that now they're not only all caught up but even out front of the others, especially at the intermediate 1.5-mile tracks like Texas Motor Speedway.

Edwards said he likes the combination of this car on this type of track because, as a driver, he thinks more of the team's destiny lies in his own nimble hands.

"The part that I do like -- that I can say specifically that I love -- is that I feel that I can make a difference out there lap-to-lap at a racetrack like this," Edwards said. "I can picture the car sideways here or play with the throttle here or there and change what that stopwatch says every lap.

"That's cool. That's what it's about. That's what I grew up doing in Missouri on the local dirt tracks, being able to make a difference by pushing those pedals and stuff."

So let the others complain about the new car or whatever else they want to complain about. The Carl and Captain Jack appear to be growing ever more comfortable with it. Roush couldn't even find much to complain about in the aftermath of Sunday's latest triumph.

"I've heard people say that the races are boring, and if the [new car] is too hard to drive that you don't get enough side-by-side racing," Edwards said. "The fact is, these are the 43 best drivers in the world, the cars have 900 horsepower, drive 200 miles an hour, and the tracks and tires are slippery, and that's a spectacle. That's what it's supposed to be.

"It's not supposed to be easy for everyone and it's not supposed to be like taking a drive down the interstate. I'm tired of hearing people complain and the media making up stories about how terrible it is and stuff. This is auto racing. There are going to be people that are faster and days when we won't be able to keep up because the car is too hard to drive, and somebody is going to win. That's racing."

Right now no one is doing it better than Edwards in particular and Roush Fenway Racing in general. And if Edwards is holding anything back, look out.

That means there is about to be lots more complaining coming from the other guys scrambling to catch up.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.