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Carl Edwards hopes change leads to fast results

 
Carl Edwards leans in the car window as he talks to Tony Stewart after a practice session for the Daytona 500 Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. [AP photo]
Carl Edwards leans in the car window as he talks to Tony Stewart after a practice session for the Daytona 500 Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. [AP photo]
Published Feb. 21, 2015

DAYTONA BEACH — Carl Edwards was nervous.

The 35-year-old driver has won 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and been the series' runnerup twice. But he entered Daytona International Speedway last month without a guaranteed spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 and as the new face at Joe Gibbs Racing.

"I believe that change in itself is good because it puts a lot of pressure on you," Edwards said. "I feel that right now, and I'm actually nervous, and I think that's good. That's a motivator, and for me it's an opportunity right now. I'm way outside of my comfort zone, and that's good. Hopefully it yields good results."

Edwards and his new team both need them.

From 2005-11, Edwards won 19 Cup races and had four finishes in the top four in points. Since then, he has won only four times and has finished outside the top eight every season.

Joe Gibbs Racing was down last year, too, with Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch combining for only two checkered flags. The expectation is for Edwards' change of scenery to provide an immediate jolt for himself and the garage.

"I think certainly the way that (Gibbs) and everybody wanted to do that deal was to get somebody in there that can win right away and put all the pieces in place to perform right now, not looking five or 10 years from now," Kenseth said. "I think that certainly on paper, the group we have assembled, I think for teammates and for crew chiefs and car chiefs and all that stuff, everything looks like we should have four strong teams."

The early results have been positive for 2015. Kenseth won last week's Sprint Unlimited exhibition, and Edwards' No. 19 Toyota made the Daytona field easily and will start on the outside of Row 3 Sunday.

Chemistry doesn't seem to be an issue, either, despite previous dust-ups. Edwards spun Busch out at Bristol in 2008, and Busch acknowledged that there was a time when Edwards would have been the last driver in the series he'd want as a teammate.

"I think that could be said probably for about anybody," Busch said.

Edwards' smoother transition will be with Kenseth. The two were teammates at Roush Fenway Racing, where Edwards spent the first 11 seasons of his career. Edwards said the former Cup champion has already been a big help in his adjustments away from the only team he ever knew.

"Matt kind of does things under the radar," Edwards said. "He put together some meetings early on and some things I needed to be very aware of and really helped me a lot. He'll be a guy I lean on a lot."

But Edwards doesn't expect to need too much support this year.

He's a veteran with plenty of previous success on a team that expects to contend for championships. The addition of a fourth team to Joe Gibbs Racing wasn't designed as a project; it was done to help rejuvenate Edwards and his new garage.

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"We're not all learning together," Edwards said. "I'm the only new guy really on my team, so that's good. I do feel like I'm starting over again and it's interesting. I didn't expect that and it's a neat feeling and I think it's motivating."

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.