In 10 career NASCAR Spring Cup Series starts at the 2.5-mile track, Edwards has two wins, four top-five finishes, and five top-10 finishes. He has an average start of 22.4 and an average finish of 13.4.
Edwards returns to Pocono Raceway for the 11th time this weekend, where he will drive the No. 99 Kellogg’s Ford Fusion in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500.
“Pocono is a blast to drive,” Edwards said. “It’s a real rewarding track to win at because it’s one of the toughest.”
Last June, Edwards led 103 of 200 laps and dominated the majority of the race until the final pit stop. That’s when Edwards lost the battle off pit road, relinquished the lead to Tony Stewart and finished second in the race.
“As a driver, it is one of the most challenging tracks, mentally and physically, because it’s a long race,” Edwards pointed out. “There is real character in the race track, and you have to drive it real precise to get a fast lap.”
Crew chief Bob Osborne agrees.
“With three different corners and a very long straightaway, there is a fine line between being good and being good enough to win,” Osborne added. “It takes a series of compromises to the setup to run fast there.”
According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 10 races at Pocono, Edwards has turned 141 of the track’s fastest laps (third highest), spent 1,197 laps (62.7 percent) in the top 15 (10th highest) and led a total of 209 laps (third highest). Edwards’ driver rating (100.3) is fifth-best among active drivers.
Edwards is currently 11th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. He trails leader Kevin Harvick by 296 points.
