Edwards looking forward to beating up on young drivers again

It took only 104 starts and three years for Columbia, Missouri-native Carl Edwards to claim his first NASCAR championship. In 35 starts, Edwards racked up four wins, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 2007, ultimately claiming the grand prize of Busch Series Champion. It was a life-long dream for the 27-year old who looks to repeat in 2008.

As Edwards returns to Daytona for Nationwide Series testing this week, a unique opportunity still exists. The opportunity to be a part of Edwards winning team as the primary sponsor of the No. 60 Ford Fusion for several of 35 races in 2008. With current and long-time sponsor partners Scotts Miracle-Gro and World Financial Group (WFG), the opportunity exists for another company to align with a driver who is arguably the driver to beat in 2008.

"Winning my first NASCAR Championship made 2007 just an unbelievable year," said Edwards. "The series is also taking a giant step with its transition to the Nationwide Series after 26 years with sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch. I like the idea that I will be the last Busch Series Champion and my new personal goal is to be the first Nationwide Series Champion. This will be a very exciting year for the No. 60 team and our sponsor partners. We are going for it all."

Edwards didn't just shine in 2007; he has three full seasons of Nationwide experience behind him, three years that have seen him as a championship contender through and through. Edwards has been running at the end of 97 of 104 (93%) Nationwide Series races over the last three years. He has accrued 13 wins (12.5%), 45 top-five (42%) and 67 top-10 (64%) finishes in addition to claiming seven pole awards. If those stats aren't enough to convince someone that Edwards is a force to be reckoned with, over the last three years he has an average starting position of 10.9 and an average finishing position of 11.8 while leading a total of 1,957 laps. These numbers, with the support of Ford Motor Company and Roush Fenway Racing's resources, will continue to grow in 2008 and the years to come.