Smack: What's OK for Johnson isn't OK for others (cont'd)

3. Carl Edwards swept both events last year at Texas, where the tour competes this weekend. Odds of the Roush Fenway driver making it three in a row?

Mark Aumann: I don't know if Carl can do it, but there are a couple of other Roush drivers happy to get away from the short tracks. Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle did not have fun the last two weeks.

Raygan Swan: I think his odds are pretty good, just because Roush is the most successful team owner at the track, and Carl is due for something good to happen after dismal finishes on the short tracks recently.

David Caraviello: The odds makers here at the Caraviello Hotel and Casino have Edwards at 10-1. Sure, he's good at Texas, but it doesn't quite seem like that team has clicked yet this year. They haven't been much of a threat to win races, although that should change soon.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, and it will change in Texas. That track fits Edwards' driving style.

Mark Aumann: Carl was in really good shape at Martinsville until he got tangled up in traffic and clipped by David Reutimann. That flat tire under green was a killer.

Texas two-step

Carl Edwards won both Cup races at Texas last year, but that doesn't mean he's a favorite on Sunday.

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David Caraviello: It's almost like Edwards is coming to the perfect place at the perfect time, just like Johnson did last week at Martinsville. Nobody has forgotten the way he won there last fall, limping home on that long fuel run. Obviously, he's good there. And he has to break through somewhere eventually.

Mark Aumann: I'm wondering if Jeff Gordon finally gets that Texas-sized gorilla off his aching back. A win would end the rumblings about his inability to win there -- or win anywhere. And perhaps put to rest the rumors about his back being the cause for his winless ways.

Raygan Swan: Yes and then he could finally wear the dang hat!

Mark Aumann: There seems to be a bit of a correlation between running well at Atlanta and following it up at Texas. If that's the case, you've got to like Gordon, Edwards and perhaps somebody like Mark Martin.

David Caraviello: I like the way Mark is thinking about Gordon. If driver No. 24 finally gets that long-awaited win at Texas, we might be in for another of those patented Gordon title runs. That would be quite a statement.

Mark Aumann: You know, they should give the hat and guns to Track Smack, the way we're always shooting off our mouths.

Raygan Swan: I guess Gordon has been running much better than the No. 99 team, but anything can happen. And don't forget about Jeff Burton, then.

David Caraviello: Carl did finish third at Atlanta, the last time the series visited a mile-and-a-half track, and was en route to a good finish at Las Vegas when his engine blew up.

Mark Aumann: Yeah, if there's an alignment of the planets, I think Edwards is the best bet. But I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the Hendrick cars right up there with him.

David Caraviello: I think a lot of guys could win this race -- Edwards, Kyle and Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle. There are some guys who are very good at Texas, and others who struggle to figure the place out. And remember, this is the site of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s first win, so seeing that No. 88 in Victory Lane wouldn't exactly be a surprise.

Mark Aumann: I'll throw this name out, because he's just so darned consistent: Clint Bowyer.

David Caraviello: Boy, talk about a guy who was undersold early in the season. Who knew he could carry a new team on his back like this. We're just now beginning to realize how good Clint really is.

Raygan Swan: Seemingly to win at Texas you have to have everything in your favor, strong engine, good aero package, good setups, and like Carl said, even good fuel mileage.

David Caraviello: Edwards proved that much last year. How about this: Edwards nudges Johnson out of the way to win, and then races Kyle Busch down pit road! Just think of how much track president Eddie Gossage would love that!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.