Edwards looks to boost Chase chances in Atlanta

“I don’t wake up every morning going, `Man, I can’t believe we didn’t win that championship,’” Edwards insisted, blaming his perilous position on a combination of bad luck and some admittedly poor performances.

Even so, he remains hopeful of getting into the Chase.

“I feel I can accept whatever happens, but I’m still pretty confident we’re going to make it,” Edwards said. “I’ve not started to think how I will feel if we don’t make it. I feel like we’ll win this week. I feel like we’ll win next week. We’re close enough on the points that we can do it. If we don’t, I know why. There’s a bunch of points out there this season we let go. That’s about as deep as I’ve thought about it. I just hope it works out.”

He’s not the only one.

Kyle Busch, who many consider the most gifted driver on the circuit, also is on the bubble. He’s 13th in the standings but positioned to pick up the second wild card because he won at Richmond in the spring.

“I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to go out there and contend for the championship if given the opportunity to make the Chase,” Busch said. “We’ve just got to do everything the right way, the way we know how to do it. From there, we could go into the final 10 weeks and bust our butts to put together 10 great weeks. There’s no reason why we can’t. I don’t see the competition as being the reason why we’re in the 13th position. It’s just due to dumb circumstances.”

Unlike Edwards, Busch has apparently spent more time thinking about what it would mean to miss the Chase.

Needless to say, it doesn’t sound too enticing.

“You’re just another race car out there running around in circles the rest in season,” Busch said. “I don’t want to be in that position. I want to race for a championship. I want to be making circles for a reason. I want to be making circles for a championship.”

Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson is one of four drivers who’ve already clinched a spot in the Chase.

He can sympathize with those who are struggling to get in _ especially Edwards.

“I know how talented Carl is and how strong he is and how close he is,” Johnson said. “It was going to be a bummer last year for whoever lost. I thought Carl handled it about as well as anyone ever could in those circumstances.”

Edwards would love nothing more than to get a chance at a do-over.

He’s got two races to make it happen.

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