Commentary

NASCAR Cup

Carl Edwards can finally be a Sprint Cup champion

Leaving Roush-Fenway Racing was the best decision Carl Edwards could make.

Nick DeGroot

Edited: Feb 12, 2015, 11:29 PM

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Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Daniel Suarez and Kyle Busch

Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Race winner Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Harsh, I know. I have nothing against Roush-Fenway or Jack Roush however. He is an incredible owner that will one day have a place inside the NASCAR HOF. With that being said, his team hit a rut a few years ago and that rut has turned into a massive hole that they are having some trouble digging themselves out of.

Carrying RFR

Roush is a good team and a great place for Greg Biffle, who is a good driver. For Carl Edwards though, the team is doing nothing but holding him back. I've noticed since 2009 what Edwards could be but can't yet become due to his current situation.

He's carried this team, winning multiple races when he should have won none. Just look at the variation in race tracks he's triumped at as well ... Sonoma, Homestead, Bristol, Phoenix, Texas, Dover, Martinsville, Pocono. He is arguably the best driver in NASCAR right now, based off of those facts alone.

We've seen this story before

Kevin Harvick is another example, just a different team. I've stated for years that RCR, which again, is a great team, was holding him back. When he left for SHR, I predicted he would be a champion within three years and so far in 2014, he seems to be one of the most formidable opponents in the field. That car is one of the strongest no matter where we go.

And just like Kenseth, he's already turned his stats upside down since joining Stewart-Haas. I am sure that we will see the same kind of turnaround from Carl Edwards. All three of these drivers have something in common and it's that they spent their entire career with a single organization before jumping ship. The first two have enjoyed the euphoria of newfound success as a result of their decision to leave. They didn't know anything else and were unable to realize their true potential with their original situations.

He is already a champion

It's baffling to think that Carl Edwards is not a Sprint Cup champion yet. With JGR, he can finally achieve that goal. He is the kind of driver, like Mark Martin, who although they don't have the trophy to solidify it as fact, are already champions in a way. We're just waiting for them to collect the hardware they've already shown they deserve.

I truly believe Edwards will be the strongest driver at Gibbs next year, just as I thought Harvick would be the flagship driver for Stewart-Haas this season. That's a bold statement with teammates like Busch, Kenseth, and Hamlin; but look at Harvick. He is teammates to Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch and they can't hold a candle to his 2014 performance.

Edwards wasn't going to win a championship any time soon with Roush. I'm sorry but that's the unfortunate truth. He had a good run but a switch of teams has long been overdo for the driver of the No. 99...and soon to be No. 19.

From the editor, also read:

It's official -- Carl Edwards and Daniel Suarez join JGR

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