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  Carl Edwards
Car number: 99 • Manufacturer: Ford • Sponsor: Office Depot
Owner: Jack Roush • Team: Roush Racing • Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
2006 Season
Final Points Standing12th
After First 26 Races13th
Earnings$5,353,629
Starts36
Poles0
Wins0
Top 510
6-1010
Laps Led189
Lead Lap Finishes28
Bonus Points70
Races Led14
2007 Spin
Carl Edwards experienced one of the worst sophomore slumps in recent history. Coming off a four-win season in which he finished third in the point standings, Edwards fought aero issues and a revolving door of crew chiefs to finish 12th in the season's standings.

The team has a boatload of momentum heading into 2007, though. Edwards set the circuit ablaze during the Chase in '06. Although he did not record a win, it was obvious he was hitting on all cylinders. If that drive carries into '07, he could be strong out of the gate.

Having crew chief Bob Osborne back should help Edwards' effort as well. These two hit on a chemistry that carried them within 35 points of a Nextel Cup title in 2005. Why Jack Roush separated the two in the first place last season was somewhat of a mystery (even to Edwards himself). The smart money says Roush figured Osborne could work his magic with another company newcomer (Jamie McMurray). Although the Office Depot team was down, it certainly had plenty of time to rebound from its shaky start. This decision may ultimately have been the one that sunk Edwards' season.

With the Edwards-Osborne duo together again, expect a year akin to 2005. The team is capable of three or four wins and repeating the 10 top 5s and 20 top 10s it earned in '06. Edwards can get it done on most any type of track - even the road courses - although he's still getting a handle on the shorts.

The Car of Tomorrow should not throw this bunch too wicked a curve. While Edwards will most likely grab his wins in non-COT races, he has proven very adaptable and should use his strong relationship with Osborne and the crew to get the piece figured out.


2006 Recap
Everyone had high hopes for Carl Edwards entering the 2006 season. Some preseason publications had him ranked first in their driver rankings. While we knew he wasn't championship material just yet, we had him fifth and were confident in our prognostication.

Edwards ended up being a major disappointment, missing the Chase altogether and getting skunked in the win column.

The team struggled throughout the regular season with its aero package. The intermediates that were so kind to it last season were its bane in 2006. A new crew chief in Wally Brown saw Edwards advance in the rankings to as high as 12th as the team finally hit on a setup that worked for the driver at the intermediates. Unfortunately, a 35th-place showing at Richmond eliminated any comeback plans the team may have had.

Edwards did end up with Osborne back calling the shots when Jack Roush reassigned him with two races remaining in the season. Edwards finished strong, with seven top 10s and 10 lead-lap finishes in the last 10 races.

• The Good: Carl Edwards may have been the best driver on the circuit not named Tony Stewart over the season's final 10 races. He averaged a ninth and was the only driver to finish on the lead lap in each event.

• The Bad: Edwards had a winning car in the spring Texas race, leading 50 laps before wrecking in a car good enough to win.

• The Ugly: He confronted Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane at the Busch race in Michigan after Junior pulled the ol' spin to win. Being upset is understandable, but don't take it to Victory Lane.


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