SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Carl Edwards takes umbrage at the notion that the health problems of former crew chief Bob Osborne were merely a convenient excuse to usher in his replacement.
“I know a couple of you guys have insinuated and have thought this health thing is not as big a deal as it seems,” said Edwards, who declined to go into specifics about Osborne’s health issues during a Saturday media session at the speedway.
“I can’t overstate enough that Bob is a very, very dedicated guy to our sport, and he is going through something right now that would be tough for anyone, and for him to have done what he has done at this level and to have kept it quiet, he is just a tough, tough man.”
According to Edwards, Osborne initiated the conversation that led to his replacement as crew chief by Chad Norris. Edwards said he had very little impact on the decision, which was announced July 17, after a meeting that included owner Jack Roush, general manager Robbie Reiser, engineer Chip Bolin, Osborne and Edwards.
“No, I didn’t have much impact in it,” he said. “I haven’t worked with Chad, so I didn’t know much about him. We sat there, Jack, Robbie, Chip and Bob, and they all said it was the best thing, and this was what we were going to do. We discussed it and talked to Chad and brought him in the office and talked to him a little bit.
“If you look out there across the sport, this looks like the best thing we could do — maybe not for the long run — but for right now, this was as simple of a change with as much blue sky in front of it that we could make.”
Norris faces an uphill climb. Edwards hasn’t won in 52 races and is 11th in the standings, 46 points out of 10th, the last position guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Edwards has seven events to make up the deficit — or to win a race and put himself in the conversation for one of two wild-card spots.
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.
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