Edwards loving life as Roush Fenway lead dog

DOVER, Del. -- Carl Edwards doesn't need to do the math to understand how well he's competed the past two months of the Sprint Cup season. His smile says it all.

"It feels really good to be running the way we're running," Edwards said on Friday morning at Dover International Speedway. "What we have to do is run that way over the next nine [Chase] races. If we can do that, then it's gonna be really good."

Inside the Numbers

Chasing the championship

Pos.	Driver	Pts.	Behind
1	Denny Hamlin	5,230	--
2	Kevin Harvick	5,185	-45
3	Kyle Busch	5,168	-62
4	Jeff Gordon	5,155	-75
5	Kurt Busch	5,144	-86
6	Jimmie Johnson	5,138	-92
7	Carl Edwards	5,135	-95
8	Greg Biffle	5,122	-108
9	Jeff Burton	5,118	-112
10	Tony Stewart	5,106	-124
11	Matt Kenseth	5,094	-136
12	Clint Bowyer	5,045	-185

Bold denotes Roush drivers

When Edwards looks at the way he's run of late, finishing second twice in his last nine races, it almost makes him forget his last Cup victory came two seasons ago -- in 2008, when he won the season finale at Homestead and led the league in victories.

Edwards has averaged a 6.1 finish during the past 10 races compared to a 16.6 average the 10 previous races. He also has the best 10-race total of any driver -- and he's out-pointed Chase leader Denny Hamlin by 334 points during that stretch.

Edwards has led 131 laps the past three races, including 95 at Richmond. The total might not seem like much until it's compared to his season log: six laps led in only four of the other 24 races.

Edwards came out of New Hampshire only 95 points out of first. So he easily agrees timing might be everything for the way he's running.

"Loudon has been our worst track, statistically, and if I didn't mess up and slide up into Denny, I think we would have had a pretty good day there," Edwards said. "So going forward, I think here at Dover, Kansas, California and all these places we've got a lot to look forward to."

But Edwards knows there are no promises in racing, even with his run from 10 races ago when he was 12th in the standings and on the verge of falling out of the Chase, to as high as fourth two races before the Race 26 cutoff.

"The only thing that will stop us is making mistakes or having failures," Edwards said. "Mistakes are easy, especially with the way everybody is racing. Everyone is racing so hard.

"You've got to raise your game and then parts failures and stuff like that, you've just got to try to live right and say all your prayers before the race and then hope for the best."

At Dover that's not really been a problem for Edwards, who has eight top-10 finishes in 12 starts and the best average finish of all time (7.9). He won the second new car race here, in 2007 and his worst finish here in seven starts in the current car is 11th.

Even though Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle has the last of 24 Ford victories at Dover, in this event two years ago, that was a significant one as RFR finished 1-2-3, with Edwards third behind Matt Kenseth.

"Greg won the first two races of the [2008] Chase," Edwards said. "Matt finished second and I finished third here at Dover -- that felt pretty good [and] I remember getting out of the car and thinking, 'This is all right. One of us is gonna win this championship.'

"I know we're not up there leading the points right now, but we're all close enough that if we can have that form again -- if we can get back to that -- I'd say we have just as good a chance this year. So that does feel good and I like running here at Dover, for sure."

Edwards said that after only five Chase contenders finished in the top 10 at New Hampshire, that might mean consistency would count for more this season.

"I remember, maybe it was 2008 and some other years, but it felt like the top-10 or 12 guys finished in the top 10 or 12," Edwards said. "I didn't realize [five non-Chasers finished in the top 10 at New Hampshire], but I guess the fact that there are so many cars running well, guys that aren't in the Chase, that can fill up some of those top-10 spots. It might be more important just to be consistent than it has been in years past."

Edwards said there's a little time to go before the complexion of the Chase will really come into focus.

"I think we've got to get about five races in, to see who has a shot at the championship," Edwards said. "You're gonna find out after five or six races. There are gonna be guys that weed themselves out and there are gonna be guys that stand above the rest.

"I think until five or six races in, I don't know who is gonna be leading the thing. Heck, this week in the middle of the week we shook up the points because NASCAR made a ruling [penalizing Clint Bowyer's second-place team], so you just never know what's gonna happen."

It makes Edwards more ready to accept his 11th-place finish at New Hampshire.

"If before Loudon you would have offered up 11th for me and our team, we probably would have taken it instead of running the race," Edwards said. "We ran really well in the race -- we ran top two or three most of the day, so being 11th was a little bit disappointing. But looking back on it, that's OK.

"Yeah, it's frustrating to see other guys finish in front of you and know they got a little leg up on you [but] when I saw Tony Stewart run out of fuel [leading and coming to the white flag at New Hampshire], that changed my perspective on the day.

"Here I was thinking, 'Man, Tony is gonna come out of this thing with the points lead by winning the race,' and then he runs out of fuel 60 seconds from winning the thing. That made me realize that it's not over until it's over. You just count your blessings."