In the final laps of the 3M Performance 400 on Sunday, Edwards had series leader Kyle Busch in his rear view mirror. The only thing going through his head was not to get beat on a restart, something the Busch can easily do to any driver. He got a strong restart, took off from the field and drove his way to his fifth Sprint Cup series victory of 2008. The victory comes after battling his way through the pack from his 27th starting position. Edward's victory on Sunday is an example of the strong performance he and his team has had all season. All of Edward's victories have shown that he has what it takes to become a Sprint Cup Series Champion and could accomplish that feat this season.
Despite his incredible success, Carl Edwards' performance this season has been overshadowed by the dominance of Kyle Busch in his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. As the 26 race "regular season" winds down, all eyes should be watching for Carl Edwards, who has the skills and the equipment necessary to compete with Kyle Busch, or any other driver, for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series Championship.
Edwards' performance this season has not been so different from Kyle Busch's. So far in 2008, Edwards has had 17 top 10 finishes, including ten top 5 finishes. Kyle Busch only has 15 top 10 finishes, but has more top 5 finishes than Edwards. Edwards has five wins compared to Busch's eight. And like Kyle Busch, 2008 has been the best season in Edward's career.
Going into the Chase, Edwards has an advantage over most of the other Chase drivers, including Kyle Busch. Throughout his career, Edwards has dominated in the 1.5 - 2.5 mile "cookie cutter" tracks, which make up half of the Chase schedule. In addition to the mile and a half tracks, Edwards has also performed well at other tracks in the race, capturing the victory in the 2007 Chase race in Dover and having solid runs at the other tracks.
So if the equipment is there and the skill is there, what is going to be the deciding factor that separates Edwards and Busch from a championship?
The greatest thing that Edwards has going for him at this point of the season is his maturity. Edwards knows when to he can drive hard and when he has to let off. One of the biggest concerns with Kyle Busch this season has been that he has too aggressive of a driving style. Even though, in recent weeks, Busch has learned to be much more patient on the track, Edwards still shows much more control and maturity in each race.
Kyle Busch is the favorite to win the Sprint Cup Championship going into the Chase, however, Carl Edwards has proved that he has the talent necessary to overcome all obstacles and compete for a championship.
Edwards put it best in the post-race interview on Sunday: "We're getting to the point I feel personally that we can win at any racetrack we go to. Our pit crew has stepped up their game. That was our weakness for a long time, and the guys have just repeatedly, week after week, worked harder and become better." The only question now is if all that effort was enough.
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