(WOMR file photo)
Carl Edwards has played his cards, regarding the status of his contract extension, extremely close to the vest on whether or not he’ll remain with Roush Fenway Racing once his contract expires at the end of this season. However, before Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, Edwards was left flustered and stammered a bit when Fox Sports announcer Darrell Waltrip came right out and asked Edwards bluntly, “Can you win a championship at Roush?” It was rather obvious Edwards was caught offguard by Waltrip’s question, and was completely not prepared for it.
“That’s a good question,” Edwards said. “I think we can, I mean we’ve been very close. We sure looked real close at it, but we just haven’t got it done. It’s been 10 years and really, overall that’s my goal. I believe if I work hard enough, and Roush works hard enough, I believe we can do it.”
But then Edwards may have inadvertently slipped and gave what appeared to be a potential hint that he very well may be in his last year at RFR. “There’s not a better year than this year with Jimmy Fennig, the Chase format, and finishing Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead, so yes, I know we can and we have to do it this year. We’ve just got to keep digging,” Edwards said. The key phrase in that quote: “We have to do it this year.”
Such a phrase, at least on the surface, gives the implication that winning a championship, or at least coming close, will be the ultimate decision-maker for Edwards to remain at RFR for another three seasons. That, plus his comment about being at RFR for 10 years and having no Cup championships to show for it, are also good hints for clue hunters. (nbc sports)
With the premise that Edwards may be leaving RFR at the end of the 2014 season, let’s take a look at where Edwards may surface in 2015.
Could Edwards follow his former Roush-Fenway teammate, Matt Kenseth to Joe Gibbs Racing? That could be possible, after all JGR has only three Sprint Cup teams, and could expand to four. Look at what a change of zip codes did for Matt Kenseth!
If Edwards could bring some of his current sponsors to Joe Gibbs Racing, they may be willing to start up that allusive fourth race team. If you will remember, there was some rumors that Edwards was possibly going into the JGR #20 a couple of years ago. The rumor was so strong that Ford Motor Company got involved in the negotiations, and contributed financially to the RFR-Edwards contract, just to keep him in a Ford!
Is Richard Childress Racing a possibility for Edwards? Possibly….. However, we must remember that Childress is in the process of making room at RCR for both of his grandsons, Austin and Ty, at the Sprint Cup level. Therefore, I think that it is safe to rule out RCR for Edwards this time around.
Michael Waltrip Racing now has only two race teams, however, after the fiasco last year, and the loss of NAPA and it’s BIG money, MWR can safely be ruled out.
Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing have a full complement of four race teams each. Therefore, it would appear that Edwards would not have a car to drive at either of these fine organizations.
Remember I said the Ford Motor Company got involved in the last contract negotiations with Edwards and RFR. That would indicate that FoMoCo has a vested interest in keeping Edwards driving the “blue oval”! That would give credence that Edwards will either be rewarded very nicely to stay with RFR, even in light of 10 years with that organization and no Sprint Cup championship to show for their efforts or………… Team Penske! Say what!
The only other Ford team at the Sprint Cup level, besides Roush-Fenway Racing, is Team Penske. Since moving over to Ford, Team Penske has emerged as “the new lead dog”! After all, “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski won the championship in 2012, and this year Joey Logano has won two races and Brad K. has one victory. It appears that Team Penske has finally found “their groove” in Sprint Cup!
Can you just imagine what the team meetings would be like, at Team Penske, with Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski as teammates? Wasn’t there a thing at both Talladega and Atlanta involving these two drivers? I am just saying!
I know that the season is not quite one third over, however, wherever Edwards ends up will be BIG NEWS!!
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
