Indianapolis: Carl Edwards preview

Carl Edwards on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: "Last year finishing second at the Brickyard was close enough to give me a taste of what it would be like to win there. That's a race that is at the top of every driver's list. It would be ...

Carl Edwards on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
"Last year finishing second at the Brickyard was close enough to give me a taste of what it would be like to win there. That's a race that is at the top of every driver's list. It would be spectacular to win it. It's an extremely important points race and as we get closer to the Chase, it's crunch time. We need to go there and perform flawlessly."

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
"Indy is such a cool place to race with tons of history. To win there and be among some of the greats that have kissed the bricks would be awesome. We came close last year with a second-place finish - and man, what a race that was. With all the tire issues, we were lucky to be able to stay out of trouble and complete the race. We even started the race in good position, in ninth place, so hopefully we will be able to have another good run this weekend."

FAST FACTS

* Carl Edwards enters Indianapolis sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 446 markers behind point leader Tony Stewart. In 19 starts, Edwards has accumulated five top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

* FOR THE RECORD...Edwards will make his fifth Cup start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend in the Brickyard 400. In his previous starts, Edwards has two top-10 finishes and one top-five finish.

* Edwards' average start at Indy is 26.0, his average finish is 10.2. Edwards captured his best start (ninth) and best finish (second) at the Brickyard last year.

* Edwards has completed 100 percent of his laps attempted in Cup competition at Indy.

* Edwards has the fifth-best average finish at Indy among active drivers.

* REWIND INDY, 2008... In what was one of the most highly anticipated races of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Edwards finished second in the 15th running of the Brickyard 400. In what should have been one of the most competitive races of the season, things took a turn for the worse before the race got underway. Tire issues plagued much of field and competitors were forced to pit every 15 laps...

* ON THE TRACK...The No. 99 Aflac team will be bringing chassis RK-669 to Indianapolis. This is a brand-new Ford Fusion.