A 'Flippin' Good Time in Texas for Edwards
For the second time in two weeks, Roush driver Carl Edwards has parked his #99 Nextel Cup Ford Taurus in victory lane. Last week it
was at Atlanta, and this week, Edwards drove forward from sixth place, after a late race yellow, to overtake teammate Mark Martin for the win. Behind Martin came Matt Kenseth, making it a Roush sweep of the top three.
What could be the most important move at Texas was Jimmie Johnson passing points leader Tony Stewart for fifth in the dying laps - keep an eye on those five points.
Now, this 'chase' has turned into something that I don't believe NASCAR was counting on. You see, last year - the first year - there were huge swings in the points positions due to luck, which kept the chase interesting down to the final lap of the final race. This year, the main problem has been that all the 'chasers' have consistently been at the front,
except for Kurt Busch - despite a good finish this weekend and Jeremy Mayfield, who has fallen off the face of the earth since the chase started.
With the top six positions at Texas held by five chasers, the problem becomes that there aren't the big swings in the points that make the chase interesting. Seeing a driver go from 76 behind to 56 behind is not exactly what the fans want. They want to see it go down to the final race, final lap if need be, and that will drive the NASCAR fans nuts, which in case you didn't know, equals success, and more importantly money. What NASCAR needs is a finale, like the last 20 laps at Texas, where a driver who can win takes the restart in sixth or so, and gets to the front with a lap to go. It's magic, it keeps you glued to your seat, glued to your television, and makes for great entertainment, and entertainment is the name of the NASCAR game.
For the second time in two weeks, Roush driver Carl Edwards has parked his #99 Nextel Cup Ford Taurus in victory lane. Last week it
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| Carl Edwards performs his famous backflip after winning the Dickies 500. (Photo: Autostock) |
What could be the most important move at Texas was Jimmie Johnson passing points leader Tony Stewart for fifth in the dying laps - keep an eye on those five points.
Now, this 'chase' has turned into something that I don't believe NASCAR was counting on. You see, last year - the first year - there were huge swings in the points positions due to luck, which kept the chase interesting down to the final lap of the final race. This year, the main problem has been that all the 'chasers' have consistently been at the front,
 |
| Carl Edwards waves the checkered flag from the window of his Ford Taurus as he makes a Victory Lap following his win in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Autostock) |
With the top six positions at Texas held by five chasers, the problem becomes that there aren't the big swings in the points that make the chase interesting. Seeing a driver go from 76 behind to 56 behind is not exactly what the fans want. They want to see it go down to the final race, final lap if need be, and that will drive the NASCAR fans nuts, which in case you didn't know, equals success, and more importantly money. What NASCAR needs is a finale, like the last 20 laps at Texas, where a driver who can win takes the restart in sixth or so, and gets to the front with a lap to go. It's magic, it keeps you glued to your seat, glued to your television, and makes for great entertainment, and entertainment is the name of the NASCAR game.