Edwards and RFR: A Defined winning combination

It was in January of 2002 that Carl Edwards found out he had that chance to step up to the plate and race for a real “high-profile” race team.  Jack Roush had called him to drive the No. 99 Ford F-150 in the upcoming 2003 season after Kyle Busch had departed to race for Hendrick Motorsports.  There are two situations that have come for Edwards like this at Roush Fenway Racing.  His other big call came when Jeff Burton decided to leave in August of 2004 and go race for Richard Childress and the No. 99 Ford Taurus was left with no driver for the remainder of the season.

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch appear to be a lasting rivalry on the track. Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images

Edwards has yet to disappoint his car owner as he has done nothing but drive successfully.  Now we are hearing all the chitter chatter being thrown in the air that Edwards is the hottest free agent out there.  Jack Roush has been a smart business man through the years, and his most successful drivers haved stayed for long periods of time on the Sprint Cup circuit.  In the remarkable runs Roush has had, he has put Mark Martin through his most successful times, Jeff Burton, won championships with Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch, had solid winning seasons from Biffle, but even Jack Roush said it “there’s only one Carl Edwards”  Every team has its marquee driver, and in the last 6 seasons Roush Fenway has had Edwards holding the banner high. 

Look at it this way, don’t look at all the numbers and statistics.  Look at what he can do outside of the race car, Carl Edwards handles himself with pride when he gets in front of the camera for an interview.  Unlike many drivers in the sport when in an interview you will see the sun glasses go off his eyes and he takes every interview with pride and performance.  On the race track, many have compared his driving style to that of Hall of Famer David Pearson; with his stealth like approach while racing.  Edwards has shown it this season that he is very focused on winning a championship and last Saturday night was a performance night that showed this team is set to win a title. 

So now lets get down to the book.  Who wouldn’t be interested in this driver?  He is a “rock star” as Roush has put it, and in all rights deserves to be the lead driver for an operation and at Roush he is.  Yes, his contract should be a top priority for RFR to take care of, but even the driver and owner both agreed that Carl Edwards and his team need to focus on winning a title.

“Carl is a rock star,” Roush said after the win. “He’s the only backflipper in the field and was the first one to crawl up in the stands. Some of the drivers wouldn’t go up in the stands like that after a race, and for good reason, but Carl is well thought of and he’s out there doing things that other people wish they had thought of first, and he drives the hell out of our race cars. He is a cornerstone of our organization today. He is certainly a draw for sponsors, and he’s a rallying point for his team.

And it just isn’t Roush Fenway Racing that Edwards is the marquee man for.  Ford Racing holds a big part of what could happen in the near future with this organization, as Roush is their top organization to compete in racing and in it, they know Edwards is their biggest ticket to success.  You have to look at who are the other drivers that are racing Fords right now.  Matt Kenseth, still winning races, while he is getting up in the late 30s, Biffle has hit his 40s and still winning races, David Ragan has yet to win a cup race, neither has A.J. Allmindinger and Marcos Ambrose have shown little signs of success.

The only major marketable guy that is left for Ford in the near future is sitting on the sidelines with a sickness that no one has been able to figure out – Trevor Bayne.  So you can bet that Ford will play a part in getting Carl Edwards re-signed and get the driver what he wants.  

“I think Carl said it best,” Roush said. “We’re trying to maintain the focus on keeping our season together. We want to put ourselves in the best situation we can to make a championship run, to be in the top 10 and then to make a championship run in the closing months of the year.

“It’s going on behind closed doors. With some accuracy I say I really don’t do the money and I try to stay out of the money part of it, but I will have to pay attention to this deal as it gets closer, but it’s not something we’re gonna debate or discuss in the public. It’s not a media issue, it’s a private business issue that’s ongoing.”

In the last 5 years, there has been no major challenge for the 48 team until this year.  Carl Edwards, Bob Osborne and P.K. have had things flowing in the right direction to be a contender each week for the 48.  Look at the numbers this season, 1 win, 6 top-fives, 9 top-tens, and 2 poles with $3,058,289 in winnings.  That is something that you rarely see this early in the season, and now the hard work is showing up on the track. 

And those that think Edwards needs to hurry and be re-signed need to remember that there is an off-week during the July month that could be when all is done