NASCAR: 2016 Could Be Big For Carl Edwards

After a disappointing end to his 2015 season, Carl Edwards will be looking to rejoin NASCAR’s elite in the chase for a Championship.

From 2013-2015, Carl Edwards had three very similar seasons in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. He had two wins each year as well as similar numbers in the top-5 and top-10 categories.

However, one encouraging sign for Edwards is the fact that he has been improving his final rank every season. He has moved from 13th, to 9th and finally to 5th in 2015. During the 2015 season, Edwards was able get back into contention as a threat to win the championship. His two wins came in a couple of the biggest races of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Bojangles’ Southern 500.

He was able to get all the way to the Eliminator 8 round before being eliminated after rain ended the race early at Phoenix. He was in fifth place in the standings when NASCAR called the race and had a really solid car, but just could not get to the position he needed to be in to advance. That concluded Edwards’ first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, since he had made the switch to JGR (and the No. 19 car) between 2014 and 2015.

Edwards is one driver that has been solid throughout his Sprint Cup Series career. Since he started racing full-time in 2005, he has never finished below 15th in a season. He has finished in 2nd on two separate occasions, 2008 and 2011, but he has never captured a championship.

In 2008, Edwards had the best season of his career but was ultimately overcome by Jimmie Johnson, during his streak of five-straight championships. In 2011, he finished the season with the same amount of points as Tony Stewart but did not capture of trophy because of his one win compared to Stewart’s five.

2016 could potentially be a big year for Edwards. He showed that he is capable of running with the contenders consistently and he finally has a great team around him in Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.

JGR won their first championship since the 2005 season and they have a group of drivers who are all capable of winning it in the future. That’s the reason why JGR was the best team in NASCAR last season. They proved it with every driver in the second round of the Chase and a combined win total of 14 races, six more than any other team.

Simply choosing to make a change and join a new team made a difference in Edwards’ overall racing effort. Even though the main categories, like wins and top-5’s, were similar to 2014, he was able to win three poles and lead 241 more laps than he did in his last season with Roush Fenway Racing.

Edwards will have an even better chance this next season because one of his own teammates has won a championship under the current Chase format. With the amount of work that goes into making a deep Chase run, it is vital to know someone who has made it through with a trophy to show for.

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Though Carl Edwards might not be the favorite in 2016, he will have a crew chief and team that can provide him with the keys to capture his first championship.

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