CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – YOU SAY YOU HAVE A PRETTY FAST RACE CAR THIS WEEK. “The key to racing is having a fast race car, and it seems like it’s pretty good. We weren’t real fast on the sheet (18th), but I feel racing-wise we’re pretty good.”
THIS RACE ALWAYS SEEMS A LITTLE WILDER THAN THE SEASON-OPENING DAYTONA 500. IT’S SHORTER, IT’S HOTTER… “It’s a night race, a little bit shorter. At this point in the season there’s guys that are frustrated, guys that have nothing to lose points-wise and want to go here and win, and I think there’s something about the Fourth of July weekend. There’s an intensity in the air that’s pretty wild. So, hopefully, I’m not part of any wildness; hopefully, we’ll just have a good race. That would be cool.”
IT’S THE SAME RACE TRACK, BUT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR. DOES THAT MAKE THE RACING MORE SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT? “They’re different. There’s a little more grip in the race track, shorter event, and, like I said, it’s not the first race of the season so there’s guys that have got nothing to lose and they’re going to race that way.”
YOU HAVE 10 TOP-10 FINISHES IN YOUR LAST 12 STARTS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COME TO THE TRACK EVERY WEEK AND KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE VERY COMPETITIVE? “It’s huge to be able to come to the race track and know that you’re fast. The guys have been working really hard. I feel like this has been the strongest we’ve been in my Cup career, so I’m enjoying it. We’ve got some things we can work on, all of us, I can do a better job, the pit crew’s been working really hard; they’re getting better. Man, it’s fun. It’s just fun to come here and race and know that you can finish in the top 10 and have a chance to win every week.”
DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO LOOK A FEW WEEKS DOWN THE ROAD INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING SOLELY ON THE RACE AT HAND? “Oh, yeah. If we can make it through this race and maybe the next one, and still gain points on 13th [place in the standings], then we can go into all-out win-at-all-costs until the Chase starts, and that will be fun.”
