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Thursday, December 10, 2015

2015 Driver Spotlight Review: Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards 2015 Review


By Richard Tix


Season Grade: B-

Season Preview: "I think the expectations for Carl Edwards are going to be higher than ever since he is making the move to JGR. JGR had a tough time in 2014 finding speed but I personally think they will find there way back with there new 2015 Camry body. What does that mean for Carl? I do think he should have a bounce back year. I think his average finish should hover back around 11-13 which should bring some extra top 5's and top 10's. I think 2 wins, 8-9 top 5's, and 16-18 top 10's are in store. Those numbers aren't huge improvement over 2014, but what he does in the other races will be, consistency is the key here."

Season Review: I was not far off on Carl Edwards in 2015. High expectations? Check. JGR improving from a rough 2014? Check. About 2 wins, 8-9 top 5's, and 16-18 top 10's (He had 2, 7, and 15)? Check. 

I will touch on his 2016 outlook in Driver Spotlight Previews, but I think overall it's looking up. For now, lets look back at Carl's 2015. I for one tried to keep my expectations low because not everyone can transition to a new team as well as Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have in recent years.

A lot of Carl's slow start happened at the same time as JGR slow start. When JGR picked up speed Carl's top 10's started to come in. He finished much better than he started in 2015 which should make 2016 a good outlook for him. In the first six Chase races Carl had five top 10's including three top 5's. In the last four he only had one top 10 (a top 5) which is where he season fell a part. It was an ok first season at JGR, but expectations will be higher in 2016.


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