With everything that will be on the line in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Richmond, don’t be surprised if drivers amp up the level of aggression in the closing laps, says Carl Edwards, a two-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series this year.
“I expect some pretty ruthless racing if a guy has an opportunity,” Edwards said Friday after final Cup practice. “I think you are going to see that not just (Saturday night) but at the third race of the Chase, sixth race and ninth race — and definitely in Homestead.
“NASCAR has done a good job of putting us in a position where a lot can depend on one pass, one lap, one restart. Everything can depend on that, and I think, for us as drivers, sometimes that’s frustrating, but it will definitely create some excitement.”
And just because Edwards is already qualified for the Chase, he doesn’t plan to take it easy in the final regular-season Cup race. After all, the three-point bonus for a victory entering the Challenger (first) round of the Chase could prove important.
If anyone knows how valuable a point can be, it’s Edwards, who lost the 2011 Sprint Cup championship to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker.
“If we have a shot to win, we have to go win the race,” Edwards said. “I know how tough Chicago, Loudon and Dover (the first three Chase races) will be, and if we miss the cut by two points and had an opportunity to win this race, it would be hard to sleep on that.
“I think we’ve got a car that could potentially win. I love this place and if we have a shot at it I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t race as hard as humanly possible to get it.”
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