Is the NASCAR second place curse for real or what?

Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Subway Ford, is interviewed on camera as his crew works on the #99 Subway Ford after he wreck and was forced out of the race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 2, 2012 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)
Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Subway Ford, is interviewed on camera as his crew works on the #99 Subway Ford after he wreck and was forced out of the race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 2, 2012 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)

Carl Edwards bubble is losing air; it hasn’t burst, but it’s nearly deflated. Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Edwards’ shot at making this year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup went up in smoke on lap 264 during the Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when the engine in his Ford imploded. The end came after Edwards had fought his way inside the top ten from his 12th starting spot and was in position for at least a solid top five.

Edwards came into the Atlanta race 12th in the standings, on the bubble to make the Chase, but winless on the season. With three victories at Atlanta on his resume, the Roush-Fenway Racing driver had a decent shot of breaking a winless streak dating back to the spring of 2011 and making a bid for at least a Wild Card spot in this year’s Chase.

Those hopes ended in a cloud of smoke Sunday night.MORE>>>

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.