Trouble in Turn2

After three tries, Carl Edwards finally looks like he’ll win a Busch Series Championship. He has 4 wins and leads the series by 696 points. He could sit out the next four races and still retain the lead. On first glance the numbers look impressive, but does anyone care?

Edwards is having a nice season, but it comes against a very weak Busch field. Kevin Harvick is in third place and has skipped eight races. This year only 13 drivers have entered 80% or more of the Busch races. Among those, only 5 are Cup drivers. David Reutimann, and David Ragan are still fledging Cup drivers and can’t be considered Buschwhackers at this point. Kevin Harvick won the 2006 title by 824 points. He scored 9 wins, 23 top 5’s and 32 top tens. 32 top tens in 35 races is ridiculous. Not only that, but the 2006 Busch field was probably the strongest field ever. Seven Cup drivers raced in 34 or more races and filled 8 of the top ten points positions.

Harvick won the title by more points, won more races and did it against superior competition. If Harvick was a big fish in a small pond, Edwards is a whale in a kiddie pool. It’s a pretty simple equation: He is a good driver with the best equipment that is running the full schedule. To put it another way, someone has to win.

This isn’t meant as a criticism of Edwards. He loves racing cars. That is why he races full time in the Busch series or spends his free time racing dirt cars. The next time you see an article or hear an announcer praise the amazing season, remember that Harvick did it, and did it better against a significantly tougher field.