LONG POND — Carl Edwards will never forget his first time at Pocono Raceway.
It was June 2005, and he was a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Jack Roush Racing. Despite having never previously been to the 2.5-mile triangular track, Edwards won the race for his second career victory.
“I guess ignorance was bliss there,” Edwards said.
“I remember preparing a ton for that race. My teammates helped me — Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Matt (Kenseth), Greg (Biffle). It was an awesome race with Brian Vickers, back and forth. Just a lot of fun. Couldn’t believe we won. It’s such a tough race track, it was not what we expected.”
Edwards won again at Pocono in August 2008. He had eight top-10 finishes in his first 16 races there, but in his last four visits, his average finish is 24.8.
Those efforts came when he was still driving a Ford. Now, Edwards is in a Toyota after his move to Joe Gibbs Racing this season. It could lead to a resurgence at Pocono for him.
His No. 19 car has been consistently fast throughout the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 weekend. Edwards qualified second for today’s race at 177.550 mph. He was third in the first practice session Saturday at 175.593 mph and fourth in final practice at 174.897 mph.
“This place is really a pretty good test of your equipment because it’s so fast,” Edwards said. “You have to have a lot of engine power and you have to have good downforce and side force and all those things. Right now, it appears that we’re moving in the right direction.”
So far, Edwards is enjoying the switch to a new team. He said everyone at Toyota and JGR has been very welcoming, and he has been working well with teammates Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.
Hamlin said that Edwards has been a welcome addition.
“Carl’s got a lot of knowledge and he’s real talented,” Hamlin said. “He’s just brought that extra element. More information for me to be able to process. He’s really good at a few races tracks that I feel like I really, really struggle at. So I lean on him for that information.
“He’s just that next guy at JGR who’s going to push you to the next level.”
Through the first 13 races this season, Edwards is 16th in the point standings with two top-10 finishes. One of them, however, was his victory two weeks ago in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
That win likely punched Edwards’ ticket to the Chase for the Sprint Cup over the season’s final 10 races. He said it is nice to not have to worry about that.
“In our position, those points are always in the back of your mind,” Edwards said. “You’re out there racing and you don’t want to make a mistake and put yourself in a deeper hole.
“So it’s a huge relief. It’s the first step toward winning the championship. You’ve got to put yourself in the Chase. It changes everything. Now you can just go race and have a good time.”
Finding his way back to Victory Lane today at Pocono certainly would be a blast for Edwards.
There are a number of other drivers besides Edwards who could contend for the win.
Kevin Harvick has been first in almost everything so far this weekend. He was fastest during practice Friday and in both Saturday sessions. He led the first two rounds of qualifying, but a slip-up in the final round forces him to start fifth in today’s race.
Kurt Busch captured the pole at 177.599 mph in the No. 41 Chevrolet. During practice Saturday, he was ninth in the first session at 175.090 mph and fifth in “Happy Hour” at 174.717 mph.
Martin Truex Jr. will start third after qualifying the No. 78 Chevrolet at 177.522 mph. He has led the most laps (357) in each of the last three races — Kansas (95), Charlotte (131), Dover (131) — but has no victory to show for it. He could be due to finally break through for his first win of the season.
One unknown variable is how much of a factor the bumps that have developed in Turn 2 will play in the race.
Busch seems to think it will be a give-and-take situation.
“(That) is very difficult in this day and age when the cars are developed the way they are with the aero package,” Busch said. “You are going to be trying to get all you can getting down into the Tunnel Turn. You can’t let your day get ruined by taking a risk going into a risky corner. You want a high percentage-type pass and if you are in a position that you are on the outside, the outside guy is going to have to yield.”
The Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 is scheduled to get the green flag shortly after 1 p.m.
If you go …
NASCAR Sprint Cup Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400
Gates: Open at 8 a.m.
Green flag: 1 p.m.
TV: FoxSports 1
Tickets: Available at the Gate 8 ticket office, online at www.poconoraceway.com or via the track’s Mobile Ticket Delivery System app. Tickets start at $45 for adults, $22.50 for children ages 12 and under. There also is a Tricky Track Pack for $98 that includes four grandstand tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas.
Weather: Sunny, high 75 degrees. Winds SSE 10-15 mph. Chance of precipitation: 0%.