Redemption in the Rain

After a rough weekend in Martinsville, Carl Edwards found himself on the ropes for the remaining two races in this segment of the Chase.  While not (yet) a mathematical necessity, realistically he would have to win one of those two races if he wanted to stay alive in the championship hunt.  The first of his two chances was slated to take place at Texas Motor Speedway.

Things started promising with a 2nd fastest time in the first practice.  He finished each of the three qualifying rounds in 9th, 2nd, and 9th, earning a top ten starting position and a good pit stall selection.  In the second practice session, he was only 22nd fastest, but running the fastest speed in the ten-lap averages showed solid long-run speed.  The third and final practice continued to show speed:  8th fastest, 5th in ten-lap averages.

The Texas weather was fine . . . until they played the national anthem just before the start of the Sunday Cup race.  Sprinkles turned into a steady rain that delayed the start of the race for more than five hours.

 

But once the weather cleared and the race got started, Carl ran well.  Other than during green-flag pit stops, he maintained a spot in the top ten throughout the race.  It took him only 25 laps to climb into the top five, and then he maintained that for the rest of the race.  All of tonight's pit stops were spot-on, with the 19 crew maintaining his position or gaining him a spot on every single stop.
 

The tension really ramped up on lap 255 when an accident brought out the caution.  Most of the cars, Carl included, came down pit road for a critical pit stop.  In a clutch moment, his pit crew gained him one spot, sending him back onto the track in the lead.  He restarted strong, pulling away to lead the race for all of one lap.

But then another accident and another caution set up another restart.  This time the leaders did not pit.  When they dropped the green flag, Carl had another strong restart, grabbing the lead and driving away from the rest of the field.  Nobody could reel him in.

Every Carl Edwards fan on the planet was pacing, praying, and chewing on their fingernails for the next 19 laps.  That is exactly how long it took for the clouds to open up and resume raining on the track.  It did not take long before the track was lost and the cars were directed down pit road for a red flag.  Knowing how long it took earlier to dry the track, NASCAR called the race.

Immediately after the disastrous Martinsville race, Carl called it.  He said his team would simply go to Texas and win, because that is what they had to do.  And that is exactly what they did.  Carl won at Texas.  With everything that was on the line, he stepped up and willed his Sport Clips Toyota into victory lane.
 
This sweet victory earned Carl one of the final spots in the last round of the Chase, ensuring that he would be one of the four drivers competing for the championship in two weeks at Homestead.  In the current Chase format, this is the first time Carl has made it all the way to the final round.  He currently sits 2nd on the Chase grid and 7th in the drivers' standings, 25 points behind the leader.

When you have the courage to call your shot, when you have a car with proven speed, when you have a crew who consistently puts down lightning fast pit stops, when you have a history of running well at the final racetrack on the schedule, then you know you have what it takes to be a contender for the championship.  Good luck to the 19 team!

But before any of this week's track activities got started, I had the most incredible thing happen to me.  Arris arranged for Carl to film a shoutout to me, acknowledging this blog that I write each week.  I wonder if he realizes just what these gestures mean to his fans.  I still have not been able to wipe the smile off my face.  Arris and Carl, you ROCK for taking the time to do this!

My employer posted the video on our intranet for my colleagues to view, and sent it off to our local newspaper.  As a result, I discovered that one of my colleagues is a Carl fan, and he shared with me several photographs from a pit road encounter nine years ago.  You see, I do not live in an area with a lot of devoted NASCAR fans.  We are few and far between.  So this has given me the opportunity to show people just how special NASCAR drivers are, how they connect with their fans, how they are really fun people to cheer for.

By the way, could someone tell Carl that I was not a Matt Kenseth fan?  I had not even heard of him before I started following Carl in NASCAR.  Not that Matt does not seem like a fun fellow.  Watching a Packers game with him could be a lot of fun.   But it was the Aflac duck and backflip that got me here.  And it is Carl Edwards that keeps me here.