Edwards Makes Budweiser Shootout Debut

Carl Edwards is back on the track for an old-fashioned 70 lap shootout

CONCORD, N.C. (February 8, 2006) – Carl Edwards and his No. 99 Office Depot team will kick off their 2006 season with a good old-fashioned 70-lap shootout. Edwards joins three other drivers making their first Budweiser Shootout appearance. Thanks to poles received at Fontana and Homestead, Edwards is invited to race against some of the best in the 2006 Budweiser Shootout. Right now, Edwards is riding a wave of momentum carried over from the 2005 season. He capped off a tremendous season in 2005 with eight top-10 finishes in the final nine races.

Edwards and the No. 99 Office Depot team will prepare for their first non-points race of the 2006 season. This will be the first on-track performance of the Ford Fusion which is set to make its season debut at the Budweiser Shootout. During the Preseason Thunder testing in Daytona, the Ford Fusion was among the top 10 in both drafting and non-drafting practices.

“It is really hard to believe that after my first full season in the Nextel Cup series I would be invited to run in the Budweiser Shootout,” said Edwards. “I am really thrilled about getting our new Ford Fusion on the track at Daytona for a little extra testing. This will help me and the entire No. 99 Office Depot team to have a better understanding of the Fusion heading into the 500. I just hope I can go out there under the lights of Daytona and put the Office Depot team back in Victory Lane. We have an awesome team this season and look forward to starting out on the right foot.”

Edwards has been busy these last two weeks with both Cup and Busch testing in Las Vegas, as well as an appearance on the FOX television show “24.” Edwards and the team are looking forward to the coming weeks’ events; the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade 150’s and the Daytona 500. Edwards, who decided to run double duty again this year is preparing his No. 60 Ameriquest Ford Fusion, which will make its debut on February 18 for the Hershey’s Kissables 300.