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Carl Edwards relieved to record fast-enough speed

 
Carl Edwards joined Joe Gibbs Racing for 2015 and needed to make the 500 on speed because he didn’t have 2014 owners points on which to fall back for a provisional spot.
Carl Edwards joined Joe Gibbs Racing for 2015 and needed to make the 500 on speed because he didn’t have 2014 owners points on which to fall back for a provisional spot.
Published Feb. 16, 2015

DAYTONA BEACH — Carl Edwards walked into the media center, raised both hands over his head and said, "I'm in the show."

In NASCAR's biggest show, to be more precise.

Edwards, who moved from Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing after last season, locked his No. 19 Toyota into next weekend's Daytona 500 by recording the third-highest speed during pole qualifying Sunday.

It was a huge relief for Edwards. He finished ninth in points last season for Roush Fenway, but because his JGR team is new, he didn't have owners points to fall back on if his qualifying speed wasn't up to par.

"A little nervous, to say the least," Edwards said. "We had not really talked about it much publicly. There were a lot of meetings and a lot of anxiety over the fact that we could possibly miss the Daytona 500. I think we've had four or five meetings trying to come up with a strategy for qualifying."

By then, Edwards had already turned a lap that averaged 202.315 mph. Only Aric Almirola of Tampa and Ricky Stenhouse were faster during the three qualifying rounds. Jamie McMurray also qualified for the Daytona 500 on speed. Those four, unlike top two qualifiers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, don't have a specific starting spot yet, just a guarantee that they'll make the field.

Edwards, 35, is a two-time Sprint Cup runnerup who has 23 wins since 2004. He moved to JGR after more than a decade at Roush Fenway, joining a driver lineup that features former Cup champion Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Gibbs could have worked out a deal to secure Edwards carry-over points for the season opener, but the team opted to take its chances in NASCAR's premier event.

The gamble worked.

"We spent I can't tell you how much time going through all this and the rules, how you qualify, what could happen if you rain out," Gibbs said. "There were some questions, to be quite truthful, I'm not sure anybody had the answer to. You can wind up with all kinds of things going on."

Back to the back: The cars of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hamlin failed inspection after qualifying and will start at the rear of their qualifying races Thursday. Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet did not meet NASCAR's minimum height. Earnhardt responded on Twitter, saying the car was an eighth of an inch too low: "That's a shame. The boys will figure out why. Makes the duels a lot more interesting," The track bar in Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota did not meet specifications. He also tweeted, jokingly: "Crash damage.. It was the wreck I say!!! Lol."

National pride: U.S. soccer star and former Florida Gator Abby Wambach will serve as an honorary starter for the 500. Fellow U.S. national team players Christie Rampone and Kelley O'Hara will help wave the green flag Sunday. Wambach is the leading scorer in international history with 177 goals and is a six-time U.S. Soccer female athlete of the year. Actor Vince Vaughn will serve as grand marshal, Kid Rock will perform a prerace concert in the infield, and former American Idol winner Phillip Phillips will sing the national anthem.