1on1: Carl Edwards

Even as he lines himself up for possibly his best shot to date at a Cup championship, while also making a renewed run to repeat as champion of what's now the Nationwide Series, Carl Edwards in many ways remains "just Carl."

In the midst of racing full-time in NASCAR's two primary national series, Edwards also has found some time for some two-wheeled relaxation, a little dirt racing and even some things he didn't quite know he had in him.

Edwards, who begins the Chase in second place, talked about some of what's been keeping him busy, both at and away from the racetrack.

Edwards education

Date of Birth: Aug. 15, 1979, in Columbia, Mo.

Cup Debut: Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 22, 2004; started 23rd, finished 10th

Cup Wins: 13 in 147 starts; six in 2008

Nationwide Debut: Gateway International Raceway on July 20, 2002; started 36th, finished 38th

Nationwide Wins: 17 in 134 starts; four in 2008

Titles: 1999 Capital Speedway Modifieds, Jefferson City, Mo.; 2000 Capital Speedway Pro Modified; 2002 Baby Grand National Stock Car Association; 2003 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year; 2005 Busch Series Rookie of the Year; 2007 Busch Series

Q: What did Sunday's race at Richmond tell you, going into the Chase?

Edwards: I think [Sunday] was a good example of how our team could work with a little bit of adversity and under pressure. We did a really good job of coming back from a flat tire and a little wreck there. I thought my guys did a really good job, so I'm real excited about starting the Chase.

Q: People had been talking about this being a three-man Chase, so what's your take on whether anyone else can get into the mix?

Edwards: When everybody started talking about that [just a Kyle Busch, Edwards and Johnson battle for the title], I did get a little bit of a chuckle out of it because that would be the best case if you just had to race one other guy, but [Sunday] was a good example: A flat tire for me, Kyle getting caught up in the wreck, Jimmie going out and dominating and winning. Anything can happen. ... Look at how Tony [Stewart] ran [Sunday] and Kevin [Harvick]. A couple of races like that and it could be a whole new field of people that weren't predicted to be up front, so, yeah, I think it's gonna be a lot of guys. I think it's gonna be defined by your bad days just like it usually is.

Q: You had a chance to win three in a row if you'd won at California. Your car seemed to fall off a bit at the end, so how do you assess that race?

Edwards: We ran all right. It's great to be disappointed as hell with sixth place. That's wonderful, but we really wanted three in a row -- but we can go win the next three in a row, too. Sixth place is definitely not a win, but it's not running terrible.

I think when the track changed we weren't quite on top of how our car was gonna handle in the dark. Sometimes you hit it and sometimes you miss it. We just missed it.

Q: You and your crew chief, Bob Osborne, have moments where you, shall we say, debate about things. But how do you really feel about working with him this season?

Edwards: Bob is the smartest guy in the world. He's a smart guy, very intelligent and I hope we can be together for a long, long time. I'm just really happy. (Continued)