After blown tire, Edwards faces uphill battle

The No. 19 crew pushes the damaged car of Carl Edwards into the garage at Martinsville Sunday. (Greg Engle)
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The No. 19  crew pushes the damaged car of Carl Edwards into the garage at Martinsville Sunday. (Greg Engle)
The No. 19 crew pushes the damaged car of Carl Edwards into the garage at Martinsville Sunday. (Greg Engle)

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – A blown tire late in Sunday’s race almost certainly put Carl Edwards in a win-or-bust position for the next two races in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Edwards was running ninth when the blown tire sent him hard into the outside wall on Lap 358 of 500. Ultimately, Edwards finished 36th, 23 laps down and trails teammate Kyle Busch by 32 points for the final spot in the Championship 4 finale, set for Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The best medicine for the driver of the No. 19 Toyota would be a victory, either next Sunday at Texas or Nov. 13 at Phoenix. Otherwise, Edwards isn’t likely to have a shot at the series title at Homestead.

“We had a really good race going and sometimes that’s just what happens in racing. I think we had a top-three car. I was having a lot of fun, and now we just go to Texas and try to win there and Phoenix – we could win at either one of those race tracks.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
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.