Edwards is media's choice for '09 Cup Series champ

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The media have spoken, and it predicts Carl Edwards will end Jimmie Johnson's championship stranglehold.

In a NASCARMedia.com poll asking members of the media to forecast 2009's final top 12, Edwards received almost twice the first-place votes as Johnson. Edwards finished with 70 first-place votes, compared to Johnson's 37.

"It is an unreal compliment for 70 of [the media] to think that," Edwards said. "It's just great. What Jimmie has done is spectacular. For the media to say they think that I might be able to stop that, is pretty neat."

Despite his proven dominance in winning three consecutive Sprint Cup Series titles, Johnson could not muster a majority of the support from the 198 voters who cast a ballot.

"Frankly, I don't see how he can be ranked as the top seed," Johnson said last month. "I mean that in kind of a joking way, but he finished second. We won. So I don't understand that part. But Carl is going to be tough. I would expect that the 18 [Kyle Busch] would be tough as well.

"I think we've shown over the last three years that we can win on all types of tracks. We can be out to lunch last year like we were at the start and still come back and win the championship. Last year really shows the strength of our race team, and I'm excited, and I know Carl is going to be tough. There's no doubt about it, the guy is going to be tough."

The voters believe the rest of the 2009 top 12 will look much like the final '08 version -- with one notable exception.

In their opinion, Mark Martin's return to full-time competition with Hendrick Motorsports will shake up this season's Chase. The media picked Martin to finish eighth. Clint Bowyer, who must adapt to his new No. 33 Chevrolet crew in 2009, is the only '08 Chase participant who the voters feel will fail to make it this year.

In Raybestos Rookie of the Year balloting, voters believe Joey Logano will live up to expectations. Logano, who takes over the No. 20 Toyota from Tony Stewart, garnered 53 percent of the media vote. Scott Speed finished second with 44 percent and Max Papis finished third with 3 percent. A total of 185 votes were cast in the preseason rookie of the year ballot.