Edwards Coasts to the Championship

So, yesterday I stepped back and was willing to retract all of the nasty things I said about Jimmie Johnson during the 2007 season en route to winning his second Nextel Cup Championship. Well, I cannot do the same when it comes to Carl Edwards.  Why?  Oh boy, let’s get me started …

First off, no matter what arguments are thrown my way, I still don’t see how anyone can condone a guy like Carl running a full schedule in the Busch Series. He may only have four full season of Busch Series racing under his belt, but he also has three and a half years of Cup racing to his credit and ran full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series as early as 2003. Oh, not to mention the fact that in his three full years in Cup, he hasn’t finished the season worse than twelfth. I’ve said it a hundred times, I know, but I’m going to say it again … quit hogging the track in the minor leagues and leave those spots for the guys that still need to be there. Basically, get your Cup Series practice in during Cup Series practice sessions.

Second, this wasn’t even Carl’s best season in the Busch Series. This year, Carl finished with 4 wins, 15 top fives, and 21 top tens. Okay, well he’s had 15 top fives for three years in a row now, he had five wins in 2005, and 25 top tens in 2006. His average finish and average start were even the same last year as they were this year, but last year he finished only second in points – 824 points behind yet another Cup Series regular (Kevin Harvick).

Finally, while one of my biggest ovations for Johnson was the fact that he could’ve backed his way into the Championship this year, the same definitely cannot be said for Carl Edwards. For a guy that won four races on the season and finished with a 618 point lead, does anyone else find it ironic that his last victory came on July 29th? In fact, Edwards had only three top five finishes in the final thirteen races of the season. Decent, sure … but, not what I’d expect from such a dominating “champion”.

Basically, Carl … no big congrats, no kudos, and no high fives for you. You stole candy from a baby, just like Harvick did last year. It’s long overdue that NASCAR step in to stop the “will never win the big one” guys like you from holding the future of this sport down.

Shove “this” down pit road …