Carl Edwards

We ran really well at Phoenix last year. That should be a good spot for our team.

The pole is great and all that, ... but the car is so good it would have been foolish to come out here in cool temperatures ... and lay it on the line the first lap and have a wreck.

The best part was they gave me a line to read. The cameras started to roll, and as I was walking over to shake the other character's hand, I realized my palms were a little sweaty, which doesn't happen very often.

The Silver Crown Series has produced some of the greatest drivers and they have a really rich history.

To be honest with you, I am surprised,

My mom Nancy Sterling and her husband, Jim Sterling, are unbelievable, ... They've helped me so much. My mom has always been my backbone and supported me so much.

I'm like a sponge, but also I just try to be efficient and learn.

I thought even going to the back we could get them. We've won a couple like that in the Busch Series, but it's a gamble. You know, everything has to go just right. We probably needed another caution there with about five laps to go.

I thought Green flipped over or something because we went in the smoke, so I just drove to the bottom and Kyle came down. I should have been more worried about stopping my car than people from behind running into me, and I ended up being that guy that got Kyle.

I hadn't been in that position before. I was hoping Kyle is OK. I thought Green flipped over because we went in the smoke, so I just dove to the bottom and Kyle came down.

I saw (Green) get sideways and go flying up the race track and I thought I could do a good job of going underneath him. I ended up running into the back of Kyle Petty.

I told them that if we could restart sixth or better, I thought we could win. That's how I saw my chances.

Was it really like a foot or something ... I thought it was a little more than that, so that makes me more grateful.

Then I got back out there and we were running and I went to pass Kyle Petty Green's teammate on the outside and he just drilled me into the wall. It just destroyed our car. I thought he did it on purpose because I was far enough up next to him,

I thought we were going to get it. When we look back at the end of the year, this is gonna be one of those races where we wished we had more like it. I dare not complain.

I laughed and I scraped it off. Then I thought that would be a great idea, to get somebody to go to everybody's house and write 'Go Carl Edwards, No. 99.'

That would be unbelievable. I don't know how probability works. Every time you go to the race track you have the same chance of winning no matter how you performed in the past, so I'm trying not to think about what happened before -- just go out and do the same thing we did the first time and the second time and if we get the same result, man, that would be unbelievable.

Atlanta Motor Speedway couldn't come at a better time for our team. We've run three races so far and we've run terribly at two of them. We need Atlanta. We need to come here and run well.

It's a little different. There was a time not too long ago when I just wished I had something to do related to racing. Now there's so much to do.

I just didn't expect our year to go this well, ... I think I have been very fortunate to be driving these cars at the time I am driving them.

We got back up to fourth and that is pretty exciting, ... I had a really good time. My guys did a great job. The pit stops were perfect.

It helped me a bunch of ways. The first thing was I got to race more. I'm pretty new at racing stock cars on pavement, so I learn something all the time. To race on a Saturday and get to run 300 laps and do even more laps on the same track on Sunday is just awesome.

I'm excited about the future of the Silver Crown Series. I think the new car design and the new venues they will be racing at will really spark a new found interest in the series. It's really an exciting time because I think they are on the verge of exploding in popularity and exposure and I'm just grateful to be a part of that.

I'm looking forward to racing at Pevely. I think there are several other Cup drivers going like Dave Blaney and Casey Mears so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun putting on a great show for the fans and at the same time raising money for charity.

Running both series helped me in a bunch of ways. The first thing is I just got to race more. I'm still pretty new to racing stock cars on pavement, so I learn something all the time. The other thing is that it's just fun. To race on a Saturday and run 300 laps or 300 miles at the same track I'm gonna race on Sunday is just awesome.