Carl Edwards looking to keep positive momentum going in California
Coming off a big win at Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards heads to California this weekend looking to keep the momentum going.
“We’re hoping to run well at California,” Edwards commented. “As a group, we didn’t run really well at Vegas and we talked a lot about the things we possibly missed, so hopefully California is a turning point for us.”
At the first mile-and-a-half of the season, Edwards and the Roush-Fenway Racing group struggled, not running well as Edwards only pulled off a fifth place finish out of strategy. Teammates Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ended up finishing 22nd and 27th. As a result, Edwards says this weekend will be a big test for him and the team.
“If we can go there and do well, I think it’s gonna bode well for the rest of the season,” he commented. “But that mile-and-a-half at Vegas threw us for a loop. That was not good.”
The struggles weren’t anything new or surprising, though, as RFR struggled last year on the mile-and-a-half tracks as well.
“We basically changed everything and worked really hard, and that’s what was so scary about struggling at Vegas because it was like, ‘Hey, this is the problem we’ve been addressing’,” Edwards commented. ” Now, once we went back and looked at the race and thought about it a little bit, towards the end of the race on that last restart I had the fastest car on the track for eight or 10 laps. We just kind of lost the balance there and I think we need to understand that, so there’s a big glimmer of hope and some evidence that we can do it, we just have to understand a couple of things the car is doing a little bit better.”
While the RFR group struggled at Las Vegas, Team Penske had their Fords at the front with Keselowski winning the race while Joey Logano finished fourth.
“They have been spectacular,” Edwards commented. “I think what they’ve been able to do this year is really amazing. That’s good for us in that it drives us and it makes us ask questions. We know that Doug Yates’ engines can go do the job and we know that the Ford Fusion can do it, we just have to figure out what part we’re missing as a group here at Roush Fenway and catch up with those guys. I think it’s a case where their success right now is gonna drive us. It’s kind of a sibling rivalry and makes us compete harder, so that’s good.”
There were discussions spread that Penske’s success has been a result of satellite teams doing some testing for them and sharing information across the board. With RFR having a technical alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports, you’d think they’d be doing the same thing – but Edwards says they haven’t so far.
“If that’s what they’re doing, then we need to be doing that too,” Edwards added. “But whatever they’re doing it’s working well. The interesting thing is if you look at the last couple of years it’s about peaking at the right time. We’re just a few races in and I have a feeling that 20 races in or 30 races in it’s gonna be completely different.”
JR Hildebrand to run Indianapolis 500 for Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that they’ve hired J.R. Hildebrand to drive the No. 21 for them in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
“I’m extremely excited to join Ed Carpenter Racing for this year’s Indianapolis 500,” Hildebrand said. “Ed’s team has been very strong on the ovals the past two years, including winning at Fontana and taking the pole position at last year’s ’500.’ Working with Ed and his staff at Indy gives me a lot of confidence going into the world’s biggest race. I can’t wait to jump into the No. 21 Chevy and get back to the Speedway.”
The 2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year will return to the Verizon IndyCar Series for the first time since Auto Club Speedway in 2013. Hildebrand did not run a full schedule lat year, only running seven of the 19 races. Hildebrand has had success at Indianapolis, scoring a second place finish in 2011.
“JR has been the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and an Indy Lights champion, so his credentials are very impressive,” Carpenter said. “It is great to have another American driver in the 500 this year and competing with ECR. We believe a second car at Indy will assist us in preparing for a strong performance in this year’s Indy 500.”
This marks the first time that ECR will have a second entry for the biggest race of the season.
As previously announced, team owner Ed Carpenter will drive the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka car in six oval races in 2014, including the Indianapolis 500, while Mike Conway will pilot the entry in the remaining races on street and road courses. Last year, Carpenter put the car on the pole for the Indianapolis 500.
Practice begins May 11, with qualifications on May 17-18. Race Day for the 98th Running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race will be May 25.
K&N East Preview – Rhodes, Gaulding Hold Advantage Heading To Greenville Pickens
The NASCAR K&N East Series heads to Greenville, South Carolina this Saturday to perform the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 100 at Greenville Pickens Speedway (GPS).
While many drivers competing this weekend are new to GPS, the track has had a dominant history since it’s opening around 60-years-ago. It began as a local dirt track where famed drivers like Ralph Earnhardt and David Pearson scored championships. The track also hosted 29 Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series events during its early years, but quickly lost exposure after the Cup Series shifted their schedule away from Greenville.
Despite it falling on the NASCAR Touring Series schedule, the K&N East Series and Whelen Modified Southern Tour began visiting the historic track. This weekend’s race will mark the 12th time that the K&N East machines have taken to the speedway. Joey Logano, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Dylan Kwasniewski are among the few drivers who’ve taken victories in the K&N Series at GPS.
Brandon Gdovic stole the checkered flag in this event last season, and he’ll hope to repeat that performance this season. However, Ben Rhodes – who won a Late Model Stock Car event at GPS last season – is also a main contender to score the victory after finishing sixth in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 100 last year.
“It’s just too bad we couldn’t get the win (at Bristol), but we’ll head to Greenville and try to get a win there,” Rhodes said after finishing third in Bristol, Tennessee.
While Rhodes and Gdovic seem to be the favorites, Lee Pulliam and Gray Gaulding aren’t out of the question either. Pulliam, 2-time NASCAR Whelen All-American champion, has prior knowledge at GPS, and the format of the track suits his driving style greatly. Gaulding on the other hand, is the current K&N point’s leader, and has prior K&N knowledge at GPS – he finished third and 10th in the events held at this racetrack last season.
Qualifying could be the key factor in this weekend’s event, as the average starting position of the victor is 3.18 – which shows how critical qualifying up front will be. And if prior history repeats itself, you can expect the winner to qualify inside the top five.
The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 will air on Fox Sports 1 at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, March 28th – and it’s surely expected to be a nail bitter. However, considering the race isn’t streamed live, you can always follow live updates at @MarshallGabell on Twitter.
