Martinsville Speedway, April 9-10, 2005
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series:
Advance Auto Parts 500, Sunday at 1:20 pm (ET)
Carl Edwards
Team: No.99 Scotts Ford Taurus
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne
Chassis: RK-248 (also raced at the second Richmond and Phoenix race in 2004)
Carl Edwards on racing at Martinsville:
"I sat on the pole there in 2003 and I've finished pretty well there in the truck series so I guess you could say I like the track. It's a lot of fun to race there. It's probably one of the toughest tracks for me in the Cup car. After last week's run at Bristol I'm really ready to go to Martinsville and do awesome in the Scotts Ford. Last weekend was so frustrating for me, I want to go to Martinsville and not hit anything."
Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Martinsville:
"Martinsville is definitely one of the more challenging tracks on the circuit. You have to qualify well so you don't go a lap down early in the race. Plus pit strategy and tire management are huge factors that can make or break a team in 500 laps. We didn't have the run we were hoping for in Bristol so we're hoping to redeem ourselves this week at Martinsville and maintain our position in the points."
Fast Facts:
Carl Edwards currently sits fourth in the overall NEXTEL Cup point standings. He's just one point out of third and 157 points out of first.
To date, Edwards has completed 100% of his race laps run at Martinsville Speedway (1,404/1,404). In the truck series Edwards has claimed two top-five and four top-10 finishes in just four starts. He was also the pole winner in the fall of 2003 in the truck series.
The No. 99 team tested RK-248 in Phoenix last week with success. Edwards raced this car to a sixth place finish at the second Richmond race in 2004. RK-248 also served as the primary car for the Phoenix race in 2004.
Edwards will focus solely on the NEXTEL Cup race this weekend as the Busch Series takes the week off.
The No. 99 Scotts team will celebrate National Gardening Month during the month of April when they carry a special TV panel decal for the Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix races.
