Carl Edwards did what most diehard race car drivers just hate to do and that is to pull out of any event. Edwards, who was displeased with how his car has been running in both practice and qualifying for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 tomorrow, did just so. In 2009, Kyle Busch dominated in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, yet he struggled in the Sprint Cup Series and failed to make the Chase. If Kyle had pulled out of more Nationwide races to focus on his cup program, would it have made a serious dent in the championship picture?
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[/media-credit]Yes, I did lose a lot of respect for Edwards after the incidents with Brad Keselowski, but instances like this prove to all the fans of the sport that Carl is indeed a man that is dedicated to his job and will not leave his team in a pile of trouble. Edwards said, “In the end, this puts us in the best position with both teams to perform well, so I’m grateful to be able to make the change and I feel like we are doing the right thing.”
I think we would all feel the same way. If I were in that position, I know for a fact that I would have to think really hard. Road course racing doesn’t appear too often during the NASCAR season and I love road courses, but does that love go too far? I would hate to leave my team in a state of confusion and I admire Carl for his action on this issue.
Now, we have the race on Sunday. I think the two big favorites for this race have to be Marcos Ambrose and Kurt Busch. Ambrose wants redemption after last years gaffe. Kurt Busch has been taken out by both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon the past couple of seasons and his results from practice show that he is a true contender with his avg practice result of 2.3. Watch out for the 9 and the 22, but don’t forget about Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Juan Montoya.
