RICHMOND, Va. — Carl Edwards says if there’s a reversal of roles from Richmond in April, he knows exactly what to expect.
Speaking to the media just after the first practice session for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway yesterday, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was asked if he would have any reservations about making his race-winning move from April again if circumstances dictated.
“I can still feel Coach (Joe) Gibbs’ (team owner) presence here from last time I was sitting here after the race,” Edwards said. “Kyle (Busch) and I talked. We actually talked about it last night – Denny (Hamlin) was nice enough to give me a ride here and we joked around about it a little bit, but I think right now both of us having wins I think we all know that right now this is an opportunity for us to go race, have as much fun as we can, race each other as hard as we possibly can, so I don’t know.”
This past April in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, Edwards tapped the rear bumper of Kyle Busch in turn 4 on the last lap to score the victory. Edwards said in victory lane that, while it was a big question for him, he decided to give Busch a nudge since Busch took the line he was going to take.
“Well, yeah, it was a huge question,” he said after the race in April. “Kyle’s (Busch) an amazing teammate and it’s like he got really slow there at the end. Something happened that last lap. It was like his rear tires went off or something. He went down into (turn) one and I dove it in and I got to him and I thought, ‘Man, I’ve got something.’ And he went to get down to the bottom and park it in three and four and I had already decided to go down there so I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to give him a little nudge,’ and we both have got wins and we’re racing for fun getting these trophies and just an awesome day.”
He acknowledged that he knows what’s coming if the circumstances dictate.
“I know if I were put in the position and the roles were reversed, I know exactly what to expect tomorrow night, but I plan on racing as hard as I can for the victory,” he added.
