Catchfence

2010 NSCS Carl Edwards - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-702    This is a new car

QUOTES

Carl Edwards on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

“I can’t wait to go to Atlanta.  It’s in Aflac’s backyard and the track is great. It’s multi-grooved, fast, fun and has a lot of history.  I got my first win there back in 2005 and sure would like to get another one this weekend.  We need a solid run to get locked into the Chase at Atlanta so we can go to Richmond next week and just focus on winning the race.  We’ve got a sizeable lead on 13^th place which is what we need with just two races remaining before the Chase.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

“Atlanta has always been a very good track for Carl, and that would be a great place to get our first win of the year.  We seem to be getting closer every week.  Our goal this weekend is to have a solid run and clinch our spot in the Chase before we get to Richmond next week.  That would really take the pressure off at Richmond so we could just focus on winning.  We’re taking a brand new car to Atlanta that should be very competitive.”

FAST FACTS

• CARL EDWARDS enters Atlanta fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 408 markers behind point leader Kevin Harvick, but 293 points ahead of 13^th.  He has earned five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes this season, along with one pole.

• THE CHASE IS ON…With two races remaining until the Chase, Edwards needs a 32^nd-place finish in Atlanta to all but lock up a berth in the Chase this weekend.

• FOR THE RECORD… In 12 starts at the 1.54-mile Atlanta track, Edwards has three wins, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes. His average start is 10.9, and his average finish is 15.2.  Edwards has completed 3668 of 3925 (93.5%) laps attempted at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Atlanta, Edwards has turned 291 of the track’s fastest laps which is a series high, spent 2,629 laps (73%) in the top 15 and led a total of 299 laps. Edwards’ driver rating is third best among active drivers.

• ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 will carry the silver Aflac paint scheme at Atlanta this weekend. The No. 99 crew will unload RK-702 which is a brand new Ford Fusion.

• REWIND, ATLANTA, SEPTEMBER 2009… Having a broken right foot did not slow Edwards down at Atlanta.  He was hoping to end his night in victory lane, but instead he spent part of his night in the garage after debris damaged the oil cooler and radiator early in the race.  Edwards was able to finish the race, but with a disappointing 37^th-place finish.

• This Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Aflac Racing welcomes Mike Ferguson, a machinist from Rockford, Ill., who is being honored by Carl Edwards as the Aflac All-American Worker. Ferguson is the winner of Aflac’s nationwide Finding the All-American Worker contest and received a trip for two to the Emory Healthcare 500.  Ferguson was selected after his step-daughter nominated him on the Aflac Racing page on Facebook.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release