Edwards hopes past AMS success carries into Sunday (cont'd)

The key to running well at Atlanta, according to Edwards, is being able to work your way through traffic on old tires.

"It seems like the tires are gonna fall off quite a bit, which I think is great for the racing," Edwards said. "We talk about how hard it is to pass and how many passes you don't see. Well, if the tires don't fall off, you're gonna see passing because there will be guys who gamble and stay out and guys who get new tires and come through the field."

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Four years ago, Edwards had had some success in the Truck ranks, but was still an unknown entity at the Cup level. But winning at Atlanta earned him deserving attention -- and validated his own aspirations.

"That day in 2005 here in March, that was a career-changing day for sure," Edwards said. "The idea that you cross the finish line, and I try to explain this to people, but up until that point I didn't really think of winning the races at this level. It was a goal, but I didn't think of it as a realistic thing.

"I don't know why. We crossed that finish line and I thought, 'Man, I think the race is over and I think I beat him.' I guess that's it. That's winning a race. I kind of went through my mind, 'Why did I win? Did something happen? Did we get lucky? No, we just had a good race and we won.' That was a whole big shift in thinking for me."

After his 17th-place finish at Las Vegas, Edwards is ninth in the points -- and perhaps more telling, has only led three laps this season. That's not the start most people envisioned for a driver expected to seriously challenge for the championship. But Edwards said there's a lot of time left.

"It's still so early," Edwards said. "This weekend, next weekend, if we can have a couple good runs, it'll be great.

"Jimmie [Johnson] sure didn't get off to a stellar start last year. It only matters to get into that Chase and then to be good in that last 10 races. We've got our heads up. I would have loved to have won the last three races, but that's just the way it is."