Motorsports

Rookie Edwards hits double flip

His landing is shaky but his move to pass Jimmie Johnson is solid, giving him a weekend sweep of Atlanta.

By BRANT JAMES
Published March 21, 2005

HAMPTON, Ga. - Forgive Carl Edwards if he didn't have his legs quite under him.

Five hundred miles of pedal-mashing at one of NASCAR's fastest tracks will do that to you. End it with a bold, fendering-banging pass through a space barely a car width and a wall out your right window. Beat one of Nextel Cup's superstars to the checkered flag in the last 200 yards for your first win in NASCAR's top series.

It's a wonder the 25-year-old could even stand.

So Edwards' traditional backflip off the door of his No.99 Ford did not have quite the spring as those six times in the Truck series or when he won his first Busch series race on Saturday race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But when the dynamic Missourian landed hands-down on the gray asphalt track, he had leaped from NASCAR's future into its present.

Like the journey itself, it wasn't easy.

"I almost didn't make it around on that one," said Edwards, who edged Jimmie Johnson by 0.028 seconds in the Golden Corral 500 to become the first driver to earn his first Busch and Nextel Cup wins in same weekend. "I was a little wore out and excited."

The 2003 Truck series rookie of the year and replacement for Jeff Burton at Roush Racing late last season, Edwards has proved to be the type of refreshing, genuine personality the sport needs. He also has proven an incredibly quick study, producing a top five and five top 10s in 13 races last season and entering the fourth race of 2005 fifth in points.

Edwards rose to third in points, 87 behind Johnson, and teammate Greg Biffle is second, 82 back, after finishing third.

"I said it a couple of times last year," Johnson said of Edwards. "That's your next superstar."

Johnson led 156 laps, Biffle 151 and Edwards nine. Edwards led on a restart with 26 laps left but Johnson blazed back in front on the backstretch when Edwards lost grip on fading tires and nearly went sideways. The top three broke away the rest of the race until Edwards found better grip along the wall and made a move on the leader after the white flag. Biffle faded in dirty air as Edwards attacked Johnson.

"There wasn't anything in the world that was going to make me take that foot off the throttle - nothing," Edwards said. "So whatever happened happened."

Edwards made his final push coming out of the tri-oval. Johnson attempted to block by working Edwards' outside groove, but Edwards caught a draft to pull alongside, then touched front fenders with the No.48 Chevy.

"Around 3 and 4, I knew I needed to be on top because the momentum would carry me down the frontstretch," Johnson said. "Even if he got by me, I was willing to give it up. I just wanted to slingshot by and he still found a little spot there next to the wall and he got by me."

"I'm really glad (Johnson) was leading the race with 10 to go rather than me," Edwards said. "Having not won a race, I would have been really, really nervous leading."

But he seemed quite comfortable - if a bit humbled - as winner. University of Missouri-educated, Edwards was a substitute teacher and construction worker as he raced sprint cars and waited to be discovered by a NASCAR team. He did so when he started outqualifying Roush's drivers for Mike Mittler's underfunded Truck series team in 2002. Now the future of a team that has won consecutive Nextel Cup championships, his grin suggests he remembers from where he came.

"This is something all of us in here have worked to get to do," he said. "I think it would be a shame not to enjoy it a little bit. I try to have a good time, but I take it very seriously and when I'm out there racing, I do my best. But I can't help but feel bad for people who can't have fun doing this. This is as good as it gets."

Edwards' infectious personality can even enough turn team owner Jack Roush, whose mood sometimes flits between lemon and lime, into a jokester.

"I told Carl he's my retirement," Roush said. "I'm 62 now. If I can do this thing as long as he can do it, maybe that'll be enough for me."

Edwards is more than willing to be his boss' 401(k). And now that he has that first Nextel Cup win out of the way, he guarantees he'll be ready for a better celebration next time.

"I was a little off," Edwards said of Sunday's leap. "I'll make it up to them."

[Last modified March 21, 2005, 01:51:06]