Gluck: With Coca-Cola 600 victory, Carl Edwards can quit pressing
CONCORD, N.C. — Carl Edwards arrived at Joe Gibbs Racing this year thinking he was in store for a monster season.
Matt Kenseth had departed from Roush Fenway Racing and won seven races for Gibbs in 2013. And Kevin Harvick won the championship in 2014, his first year at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Edwards had the same expectations. But up until he crossed the finish line as the winner of Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600, this season certainly wasn't what he'd had in mind.
"We've not delivered the results we all planned on," Edwards said. "To get this win and to put ourselves in position to be in the Chase…this is a huge opportunity."
The 35-year-old had arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway 18th in the Sprint Cup Series standings with only one top-10 finish (10th at Texas Motor Speedway) and five finishes of 20th or worse.
He was pressing — and had no problem acknowledging it. A highly competitive person, Edwards was frustrated and searching for answers. He was a bit embarrassed to arrive at JGR and not produce.
He even openly discussed how the self-imposed pressure possibly forced him into mistakes, although he's still not sure to what extent.
Then came Sunday night. He was the slowest of the four JGR cars — by his own admission — but ended up in victory lane thanks to a fuel mileage gamble by crew chief Darian Grubb.
The overriding emotion as he did his traditional backflip and climbed into the stands to hug and high five random fans: Relief.
"I've been stressed," Edwards said. "I'm so competitive, and I'm not happy with how we've performed and the results we've had. I feel like this is a gift. This is truly a gift."
Now Edwards is in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and the pressure that came with the prospect of a first-year shutout is gone. He won't have a repeat of his winless campaigns in 2006, 2009 and 2012. The every-third-year curse now broken.
He and Grubb can continue to gel and build the team without worrying about their plans for the fall. They'll be in the Chase along with teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth — with maybe Kyle Busch still yet to come — and Edwards doesn't have to feel bad anymore.
That's important not only for Edwards, but for JGR. The organization started a fourth team for the first time in its history, and Sunday night marked the first win for the No. 19 car.
In addition, JGR has struggled on intermediate tracks like Charlotte.
"We've been way off on the intermediate stuff," team owner Joe Gibbs said. "It's really been a disappointment for us for quite awhile."
That's not to say JGR has solved all of its problems. The Chevrolet cars still seem to have an edge on the Ford and Toyota teams.
But this was an important night for a team's psyche.
"Everything that's been going on at the shop…I really feel like we're just gearing up to be a great position toward the second half of the season," Edwards said. "Now we can just focus on building that championship run.
"That's really the way these seasons go now. You get that win, you put yourself in position and then you focus on those final 10 races."
The smile on his face as he celebrated with the fans in the stands and with his team in victory lane said it all. Edwards is a winner again, and regardless of the circumstances, it feels pretty darn good.
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck
PHOTOS: Behind the wheel with Carl Edwards
