Catchfence

Aflac Racing

Carl Edwards – NSCS ADVANCE

Team:           No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief:   Bob Osborne

Chassis:       RK-639    A brand new Ford Fusion

Carl Edwards on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“It takes a really, really good racecar to win at Texas.  That’s the bottom line.  You have to have a very powerful engine and you’ve got to have a great aerodynamics package.  Your crew chief and engineer have to have the car put together really well and sometimes you need great fuel mileage on top of that.  It takes a lot to win in Texas, but I feel like Roush Fenway has the best people building our racecars and that’s why we have the best racecars out there.  I think it shows up at these mile-and-half tracks.

“Texas is just a really fun track, we swept the races there last season and because of that I am the recipient of the ’Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year Award.’  It’s an honor to be recognized for that, but the coolest part about winning at Texas is you get guns when you win there.  You get to stand there in victory lane and shoot guns.  It’s a lot of fun and the Berettas they give away are great.  It would be really cool to add more guns to my case.”  

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“I’m really looking forward to racing at Texas. We ran very strong there last year and were able to sweep both races. Texas is a great track for Carl.  It really suits his driving style and I hope to have the continued success there.  We are taking a brand new car this weekend – RK-639 and we feel like it’s a really good piece. I am hopeful that the stars all line up for us this week and come home with a win. 

“Last weekend was a huge disappointment for the entire Aflac team. We had a really good car – a car capable of winning, but we cut a tire and lost two laps in the pits. We weren’t able to recover after that. So this weekend we’re looking to redeem ourselves.”

Fast Facts

• Carl Edwards will make his ninth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend in the Samsung 500. 
• FOR THE RECORD… Edwards has accumulated three wins at the 1.5-mile Texas track and is the only driver to win both the spring and the fall races in the same season.
• Edwards’ wins at Texas are the only top-five and top-10 finishes he has scored there. His next best finish is 12^th place.
• Edwards’ average NSCS start at Texas is 18.9; his average finish is 13.9.
• IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics, Edwards has turned a series-high 254 of the track’s fastest laps over the past eight races at Texas. He also ranks first in laps led with 467.
• REWIND 2008… Edwards was able to rebound from a disappointing starting position to pick up the win at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2008, giving him the sweep of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races there.  It was the first time a driver has accomplished the feat, and it gives Edwards the most wins at the 1.5-mile speedway with three victories. 
• ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 Aflac team will be unloading chassis No. RK-639 at Texas this weekend. This is a brand new Ford Fusion.
• Edwards is currently eighth in Sprint Cup point standings. He trails the leader, Jeff Gordon, by 209 points.

To hear Carl Edwards give you his take on racing at Texas Motor Speedway, please visit www.AflacRacing.com

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release