Carl Edwards will go for his third straight victory in the Sprint Cup Series at the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Despite taking the checkered flag at last week’s UAW-Dodge 400, there’s more
than good news for Edwards backers heading into Sunday’s race. Edwards was
docked 100 points for a rules infraction after the race in Las Vegas, while crew
chief Bob Osborne was suspended for six races and fined $100,000. The violation
dropped Edwards from first place in the points standings to seventh, where he
now trails Cup points leader Kyle Busch (+1000) by 79 points.
Oddsmakers have Edwards as the favorite in Atlanta, listing him at +500 to win the race outright. Right behind Edwards on the odds list are Jimmie Johnson (+600) and Jeff Gordon (+600), who have struggled so far to repeat the success of last season. Atlanta could be just what the doctor ordered for the Hendrick Motorsports’ dynamic duo, as both drivers have had considerable success at AMS. JJ swept here last season, and has three total wins in Atlanta, while Gordon has cashed four wins on this track over his career.
Tony Stewart (+1000) heads into Sunday dealing with some injury woes, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is dealing with a sore back, sore foot, and a bruised leg. Nonetheless, Stewart has two career victories at AMS, having won in 2002 and 2006.
The Kobalt Tools 500 goes Sunday at 2 pm ET, with FOX on hand to broadcast the proceedings.




