Carl Edwards is in the right chase position

Edwards Is Where He Needs To Be With Seven Races To Go {{1257791|left|s4

CONCORD, N.C. (October 6, 2011) – With seven races remaining to determine the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, Carl Edwards is right where he needs to be. After two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the first three Chase races, Edwards is currently tied for the lead.

“We led the points I think for 13 or 15 weeks,” Edwards said. “I feel that our team, we know we can lead the points. We know we can finish well enough to stay up front but our strategy hasn't changed much. Right now it's essentially as if we haven't run three races. Those nine guys separated by 19 points I think was the way it ended up at Dover, so nine people separated by that small of a window, it's still as if we're just starting the Chase. All we have to do is keep doing what we've been doing, do the best we can. We got lucky at Dover. We need that luck on our side. But we're tied for the points lead because we've run well enough to be there. If we can just continue that, I think we have a real shot at this. I feel really good about it.”

Of the seven tracks remaining, Edwards has posted wins at three of them. His career records at those seven tracks combine for five wins, 22 top fives and 41 top 10s.

“I do believe that the winner of the championship is going to win a race or two in the Chase,” Edwards said. “I feel you're going to have to run so well, you will win a race or two. We should have won at Dover. I think the more important thing is going to be the bad days. I truly believe that. You're going to have guys run out of fuel, or wreck and take themselves out of that group of nine guys that are all competing. It's going to slowly whittle itself to seven, six, five. By the end of the Chase, you're going to have four guys, three guys going into Homestead with a chance. Then it's going to be who doesn't have that bad race at Homestead.”

Edwards is the defending winner of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Another win at Homestead could be the deciding race that puts Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac team at the head table in Las Vegas.