Carl Edwards

With the departure of Matt Kenseth, Edwards becomes the number one focus at Roush Fenway Racing. Undoubtedly that is a good thing for the driver of the No. 99 Ford. Edwards is coming off a puzzlingly poor season in 2012. He missed the Chase for the Cup field for just the second time in his nine-year career and was held out of victory lane for the second time in the last four seasons. Edwards hopes to reverse those trends in 2013, and with the team’s new focus we believe that will happen. We don’t believe the Roush Fenway star will return to multi-win form, but we should see the type of consistency that made him a championship contender in 2011. A campaign of 20 or more Top-10 finishes should be in store.

Edwards was the phenom who stole the spotlight in 2005. He won four races and challenged for a championship during the Chase. Edwards will be as good in 2006, but we don't expect a Nextel Cup championship just yet.