Visit back 'home' for Roush more meaningful in victory (cont'd)

"Jimmie lost it on that restart because, well, Kyle is great on restarts. That's just a fact," Edwards said. "I just didn't want to have to go through that pain, so I did everything I could to have the best restart I could -- and it worked out great."

If it sounds like Edwards had no doubts that it would, that's because he didn't.

"My psyche and mentality is pretty much fixed on I'm the greatest racecar driver to ever live," said Edwards, laughing. "You know what I'm saying? ... That's what David Pearson told me once. If you don't believe that, you don't belong in the racecar.

The Roush Museum

The oldest car in Jack Roush's collection is a 1913 Rauch & Lang Electric Brougham, but it goes by another name.

• To find out, click here
• Inside the Roush Museum

"I'm sure Kyle feels the same way. It's just that when we beat him, it's a 20-point spread. And it goes the other way, too. I've finished second to him a few times this year, and that's frustrating."

It's doubly frustrating because Busch is the only driver who has consistently out-driven Edwards all year. Three times -- at Darlington, in the second Daytona race in July and at Dover -- Busch was the one celebrating in Victory Lane while Edwards was forced to be content with the second-place consolation prize.

More Josie Rose?
With his eight race wins, Busch entered Sunday's event having already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. But Edwards is not far behind after claiming his fifth Cup win of the season.

Edwards also had to give back 10 of his Chase bonus points for a victory following a rules violation earlier in the season, meaning he currently has a total of just 40 bonus points to Busch's 80 (10 for each regular-season win). But he's clearly closing the gap quickly not only in pure mathematical terms, but more importantly in terms of momentum and confidence heading into the Chase.

And there will be others to contend with once the Chase commences, of that Carl is certain.

"Somebody said, 'Oh, it's coming down to you and Kyle.' I said, 'Man, I hope it's just me and Kyle.' It would be nice to just have to beat one other guy," Edwards said. "But I have a feeling that this Chase is going to be spectacularly competitive."

If so, it's obvious what Edwards and Roush must do. They must start bringing Josie Rose McClenaghan on the road more often.

Asked if Josie Rose was busy next week, Roush smiled as only a proud grandfather and winning race team owner can and replied: "I think next week she's going drag racing with her mother. Her mother is a drag racer and she hasn't had quite the success we've had with the stock cars. But she knows what the smell of victory is, and she really looks forward to coming to the races when she can."

Ah, the smell of victory. Roush loves the smell of victory himself on a Monday morning.

So while Josie Rose might not be at Bristol this Saturday night, you can bet Roush will put her perfect race record on the line again if it becomes necessary during the Chase. Meanwhile, he will bask in the memory that is Michigan.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.