Atlanta II: Carl Edwards preview

Carl Edwards on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
"This Atlanta race couldn't come at a better time for our Aflac team. It's one of my best race tracks and one of the tracks I enjoy racing on. It's the place of my first Cup win and it will always be a special place for me. The most unique part of our Atlanta weekend is our paint scheme. It was created by the children at the Aflac Cancer Center here in Atlanta. It's an honor to be part of that. Hopefully we can give the kids a run that they can be very proud of."

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
"Atlanta has always been a really good track for Carl. We're taking the same car that we finished third with at Atlanta in the spring, so hopefully it will run just as well, if not better. We won the fall race in Atlanta last year and it would be great to win it again this year for several reasons. First because we haven't won yet this year, but also because of the special guests we will have with us from the Aflac Cancer Center. I'm sure Jody (Lawrence) would love to see the car she designed in victory lane on Sunday."

Fast Facts

* Carl Edwards will make his 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend in the Pep Boys Auto 500 driving the No. 99 Aflac Cancer Center Ford Fusion.

* FOR THE RECORD...In his previous Cup starts at the 1.5-mile track, Edwards has three wins, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He has led a total of 299 laps at AMS and completed 98.1 percent of all laps attempted there.

* REWIND 2008... Carl Edwards picked up his third career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October 2008. The win marked the seventh time that season that Edwards pulled the No. 99 into victory lane. Edwards' win at Atlanta came on the heels of his victory at Memphis in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the day before, making it the first time that the Columbia, Mo., native has swept a weekend when the races were held at different facilities.

* SPECIAL CAR... This weekend Edwards will be racing the No. 99 Aflac Cancer Center Ford Fusion. The car was designed by 13-year-old Jody Lawrence, a patient at the Aflac Cancer Center in Atlanta. This special little girl hasn't let cancer slow her creative spirit. She beat out 54 other entries in a contest to sport the design on Carl's car. Edwards will also race with a helmet signed by all the children currently at the Cancer Center.

* Edwards is currently fifth in Sprint Cup point standings with two races left until the Chase. He is 454 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

-credit: rfr