And the (want to) beat goes on for Ford ace Edwards

HAMPTON, Ga. – Carl Edwards came to Atlanta Motor Speedway five years ago as the personable, eager personality from Missouri.

He had solicited sponsors with homemade business cards and paid his bills working as a substitute teacher before Roush Fenway Racing signed him to a Truck series deal. The rookie left as a newly anointed NASCAR phenomenon, winner of his first Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races.

He was hailed as an eventual title contender.

Edwards, now 30, back-flipped into his future by chasing down Jimmie Johnson, then a two-time series runner-up, over the final laps and winning.

It was one of the closest margins in series history, 0.028 seconds.

Five years later, but both Atlanta and the broader Cup landscape still come down to one basic necessity: chasing down Jimmie Johnson. But that’s a lot harder these days.

“We beat them five years ago. I don’t know if we can beat them again,” Edwards said after qualifying 10th on Friday for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.

“They just do a fantastic job. We’ve just got to get better. We’ve got to step it up.”

Johnson is now a four-time and defending series champion, has won two of the first three races of the season and is fifth in points. Edwards is 10th, has not finished better than ninth in a race and hasn’t led a lap this season.

So there's a lot of "up" left to find.

And Edwards’ pursuit of Johnson may be farther off.

He was a nine-race-winner and points runner-up in 2008, then won the 2007 Nationwide Series title. Many expected Edwards to mount a serious challenge to unseat Johnson last year.

Be he was winless and finished 11th in the standings.

“It says a lot about them that five years ago they were the guys to beat right here this weekend, and they’re still they guys to beat,” Edwards said.

“It’s amazing. In my life, everything’s changed, but Jimmie Johnson is still the guy to beat.”