CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carl Edwards will race this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway despite breaking his right foot playing frisbee.
Edwards is on crutches but was cleared to race in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series by doctors from the University of Missouri. He is from Columbia, Mo., and was injured in a hometown game Wednesday night.
"I know this probably sounds ridiculous to a lot of people, and I could hardly believe it myself," Edwards said Thursday. "I was playing frisbee with a couple of buddies and we both went for the frisbee at the same time. I put my foot on it, my friend dove for it, and the next thing you know, we all heard a pop.
"I knew it was broken and we all kind of looked at each other in disbelief that of all things, I would break my foot playing frisbee."
Edwards has three victories at Atlanta and is the defending race winner. He said doctors told him he'll have no problems using the accelerator.
Edwards is fifth in the Sprint Cup Series standings with two races remaining before the title-deciding Chase for the championship begins. Because of his series-high nine wins last season, he was widely considered the favorite to end Jimmie Johnson's run of three straight titles.
But he's winless this season in NASCAR's top series and has been counting on a hot streak during the 10-race Chase to mount a title run.
Meanwhile, he's turned it up a notch in the Nationwide Series. His win last weekend in Montreal helped him slice Kyle Busch's lead in the standings, and Edwards now trails by 192 points.