Is veteran next driver to change teams, thrive?
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — By the time late January rolls around, most people have long since abandoned their New Year’s resolutions, an apathetic tone clear as they think to themselves, “I guess there’s always next year.”
Carl Edwards is not like most people.
In addition to a new sense of rejuvenation so apparent it was practically dripping from the sleeves of his crisp, navy blue suit, the freshly minted driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is taking the popular New Year’s resolution phrase “New Year, New You” to a new level, tossing new team, new teammates, new manufacturer and new crew chief into the mix — and he couldn’t be more thrilled.
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“This year’s a little bit different,” Edwards said Monday during the Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Media Tour presented by Technocom. “It reminds me of my first year full time in the Cup Series. I feel like I’ve really got to prove myself. I feel a little anxious; a little nervous about it. It’s nice. I haven’t had that feeling for a long time and it’s a motivator. I’m as focused as I’ve ever been and I’m excited as I’ve ever been. This is a neat opportunity for me.
“I’m just excited to get to learn from these guys and get to race under the JGR banner for Toyota. We had a great test at Charlotte and I’m really ready to go. I’ve been wearing my driver’s suit a lot.”
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The veteran sounds like a kid itching for the first day of school, right down to wearing his new clothes before he even has to.
Edwards has every right to be excited for the 2015 season. After spending his entire premier series career with Roush Fenway Racing, his racing tenure seemed to hit a high mark in 2011 when he finished runner-up to Tony Stewart, stalling somewhat in the years since.
The 35-year-old was ready for a change of scenery, but needed some assurance that making such a landmark move would be the right choice.
Seeing the success of the sport’s newest champion, Kevin Harvick, switch organizations to helm a newly formed team and create a four-car organization — sound familiar? — certainly didn’t hurt.
“To make this decision, it’s obviously the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my life, period,” Edwards said. “But I looked around and all these guys were making changes and doing very well. … Kevin and Ryan (Newman) this year basically switched teams and (finished) one-two. … Even if you take Tony Stewart‘s change, when he left Joe Gibbs Racing, I thought that was crazy. That didn’t even seem like it made any sense, but it spurred great performance. Joey Logano, he made a change; huge performance. At the same time, (former Roush teammate and current JGR teammate) Matt Kenseth came over and filled Joey’s seat and his performance went through the roof.
“I didn’t understand that until we first made the announcement. I got that feeling … of ‘Man, I’ve got to go prove myself.’ That little bit of insecurity that every driver walks around with for a long time. I hadn’t had that feeling for a while and I’m curious to see if that’s it. But either way I hope I can do the same thing that those guys have done and have a great year.”
With Harvick being the ultimate example of what a change of scenery can do, Edwards perhaps will identify a little closer with Kenseth’s situation of two seasons ago.
After Kenseth made the jump to from Roush to JGR following the 2012 season, the he came out and won a career-high seven races in 2013 to lead the series and finish runner-up to Jimmie Johnson.
That said, Kenseth doesn’t know if the transition will come as easily to Edwards.
“It’s probably a little bit different of a situation because it’s starting a whole new team for Carl, but he’s a guy who’s been in one place for a while and is making a jump,” Kenseth said. “That’s never easy to do, to leave some place where you’re comfortable and you understand how it works and you’ve won some races. I know what it feels like.”
Even if the No. 19 team stumbles out of the gate, it’s something for which Edwards is prepared.
He also feels that the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format plays to the benefit of newly formed teams, much like his own.
With a ban on private testing and limited seat time thus far (just a short tire test at Charlotte in December), Edwards is almost expecting to have some bugs to work out in the early going.
“It was possible that we were going to go to Daytona and not have any practice in the car. That was a little scary,” he said. “But if you look at the Chase format, it allows for some growing pains. You can go 20 races and then hit your stride and still be a championship team. We feel like with this new format, there’s not a lot of pressure to start. We can go out and find our way.
“I believe the Chase format favors guys that have made changes. If you look across the board, people are probably more likely to make driver and crew chief changes, team changes really all that stuff with this format because really you can go 15 races or 20 races and figure things out and still be in the Chase and win the championship. That 4 team (of Harvick) proved it last year. Brand new team. They worked out all the bugs all year and they went and (won the championship).”
So, given that Edwards appears to be in the prime of his career, with a crew chief in Darian Grubb that he touts as a “genius” and the stars aligning the way they did for Kenseth two years ago and Harvick last season, does this mean that Edwards will finally break through for his first title? Is he the driver to beat?
“I hope so,” he said. “If I take a look as objectively as I can, Darian Grubb is an amazing crew chief. He’s just amazing. … I feel like I have experience and I’ve learned a lot and I feel like I’m in the best form I’ve ever been as a driver.
“We should have opportunities to go and perform at a high level. I’m excited to be a part of a four-car team that is this stout. These guys are amazing.”