Carl Edwards Advance
Talladega Superspeedway
Sep. 29 – Oct. 2 2005 Nextel Cup Series
Talladega 500, Sunday, 2:30PM
Carl Edwards
Team: No.99 World Financial Group Ford Taurus
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne
Chassis Number: RK-232 (competed in all restrictor plate events in 2005)
Edwards on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“I know it seems strange but I do like Talladega. The last two times I’ve raced there we have not had the best of luck. Last fall we were running up front when a mechanical failure ended our day early. Then in the spring we had a few problems but unfortunately got caught up in the ‘big one’ and that all but ended our day early. I would really like to redeem myself this weekend. I think I’ve learned a lot in the races since then, mainly I’ve learned to be more patient. It’s been difficult but I’m starting to understand ‘big picture’ racing better and that’s what will make us a better team. We had a decent finish at Dover last week which we knew would be a big hurdle for us in the ‘Chase’. I think if we can avoid wrecking this weekend we might be ok. The World Financial Group team is awesome and I think we have the ability to finish a lot better than most people think we will."
Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“Talladega is a tough track. It’s one of those places that you could win or you could wreck out, it’s that extreme. RK-232 was rebuilt over the summer after wrecking it there in the spring and I think we should have a pretty good race car. I think Carl has grown a lot as a driver and that will definitely work to our advantage. We just need to be patient and avoid the ‘big one’ and we should be fine.”
Fast Facts
In 28 Cup starts, Carl Edwards has accrued two wins, one pole, eight top five and 11 top-10 finishes. He currently sits eighth in the overall point standings with 5,259 points. He’s 103 points back from first place Jimmie Johnson, 80 points back from fifth place Tony Stewart and a mere 22 points out of seventh place which is currently held by Jeremy Mayfield.
RK-232 is the same car the No. 99 team raced at Talladega earlier this year. On lap 169 Edwards was involved in a 23 car pile up but several laps worth of repairs enabled Edwards to get back on the track and finish the race.
The No. 99 Ford will carry the World Financial Group (WFG) paint scheme this week. The WFG paint scheme was also carried on the No. 99 Ford earlier this year in Las Vegas.
