Carl Edwards enjoys his on-track debut with Joe Gibbs Racing

February 15, 2015 Greg Engle Main Page, NASCAR News Top Story, Top Stories 0

Carl Edwards finished a strong third Saturday night in his debut with JGR
Carl Edwards finished a strong third Saturday night in his debut with JGR
Carl Edwards finished a strong third Saturday night in his debut with JGR

The newest member of the Joe Gibbs Racing family finally got a chance to show what he will bring to the team in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup series Saturday night.  The 35-year old Edwards raced for the first time in Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited, a non-points race featuring 25 invited drivers at Daytona International Speedway.

Edwards joined the team at the end of last season leaving the only team he has ever raced for in NASCAR’s top series, Roush-Fenway Racing.  Thanks to NASCAR’s ban on testing, Edwards and his new crew chief Darian Grubb had only one short practice session at a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway late last season.  The Sprint Unlimited marked the first time the duo had worked together in a competitive situation.  Edwards started 14th Saturday night. The race had four cautions and only 13 of the 25 starters were still running after several multi-car crashes.  Edwards came home an impressive third behind second place Martin Truex Jr. and his JGR teammate race winner Matt Kenseth.

“Man that was crazy,” Edwards said. “I need to see a replay with the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.). It felt like he just all but wrecked me that one time, but fortunately we got it straightened out and it was a good start for ARRIS and for Stanley and our relationship with Toyota. I’m glad Matt (Kenseth) won that race, but, man, I could taste it there. That was a lot of fun – a cool event. The car is one piece. We can go work on qualifying tomorrow. I learned a bunch, so that will be great for the 500.”  MORE>>>

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Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.