Carl Edwards may owe Regan Smith a nasty note. Edwards’ failure to win regular season races has been noted in this column before as the soul road bump between himself and a championship last season. If only he was able to pass Trevor Bayne on the last lap of the Daytona 500, then the bonus points would have broken the tie he had with Tony Stewart after the Homestead race. But Edwards had been a non-factor in that race and, like Bayne, was kind of surprised he ended up where he did. But Edwards’ Southern 500 loss was more heartbreaking.

Edwards was leading late until the last pit sequence when, low and behold, Regan Smith and his small Furniture Row Racing team decided not to pit. (Remember when that never used to happen at Darlington?) If Edwards either employs the same strategy as Smith or passes him and wins the race on newer tires, the bonus points he carries to the Chase breaks his and Stewart’s points tie and earn him his first crown. Unfortunately for Edwards, the Lady in Black wanted a matching car in her victory lane.

Fast forward to Texas Motor Speedway in November. Tony Stewart stretched his fuel mileage late in the AAA 500 and was leading, but Carl Edwards managed to start closing the gap. During the process, he comes up on the slower car of Regan Smith. Smith washes up into Edwards’ line, they make contact, and Edwards has to back off the gas to save both of their racecars. One of the ESPN announcers makes the point that that move could have cost Edwards the race. In the end, Stewart won and Edwards finished 2^nd…and no one thought that would be the difference in the championship.

In 2008, Kevin Harvick bashed Edwards for causing a big crash at Talladega that ruined his, Harvick’s, and Greg Biffle’s title chances. To pay thanks to Harvick, Edwards left a note on the seat in Harvick’s plane that essentially said, “Eff you very much” and led to a nice confrontation in the Sprint Cup garage the next week. If I’m Edwards, I’m taking much more offense with Smith than I am with Harvick – Harvick bruised his ego, but Smith kept him from the crown. If I’m Smith, I’m expecting a dirty note on my Furniture Row Denver Mattress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8_7pVQiTYA 

NASCAR’s efforts to breakup tandem drafting just may work in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. While much has been made off all of the changes NASCAR has instituted at the Sprint Cup level to split up the two-car pods at Daytona at Talladega, the Trucks will have an even tougher time hooking up at Daytona. The bumpers on the Trucks do not line up, but some competitors figured out how to push each other last Fall at Talladega. The front grille was flat enough to push the Truck in front of it without spinning it out. And as long as the pusher was able to slide to the right side and let some air into the engine, then the Trucks could tandem draft. Kevin Harvick Inc. made a concerted effort to perfect this after noticing the Sprint Cup guys doing it at Daytona and that extra work paid off. Mike Wallace, driving a KHI truck, cruised to the Talladega Truck Series win, as teammate Ron Hornaday rode his tailgate for most of the race.

But this will be tougher to pull off at the Daytona season opener. Sources in the Truck Series garage tell News/Talk WSB that the air dam in the grilles on the Trucks has been decreased, making for a smaller hole for air to enter when the Trucks pull to the right to breathe air into the motors. NASCAR also reportedly has eliminated the air grille between the bottom of the splitter and the front bumper, meaning essentially no air gets into the Truck grille while it is pushing. Even still, teams are devising ways to tandem-draft that are similar to how they did it before and to how the Cup teams will do it. But one driver has told me that the mesh grille covers, which will lean directly on the bumper in front of it, could catch on the front Truck’s bumper and curl up or fall off. If that happens, then that will kill the Truck’s downforce, as too much air then would enter the engine compartment and push up under the hood. NCWTS drivers will also have to remember the dangers of pushing Trucks on the left side of the bumper. Doing that back at Talladega caused several crashes. One has to think, though, that the pushing will still be in play come race day, especially in the closing laps races in NASCAR’s Speedweeks.