Win 1 for the Flipper!

Does Carl Edwards stand the best chance of de-throning Jimmie Johnson?

First backflip of 2011 but the third backflip in the last five races!

After a strong showing in the Kobalt Tools 400 that gave Carl Edwards his first win of 2011, many believe he is poised to challenge for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. At this point, fans are looking for someone, ANYONE, who can step up end the stranglehold that Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Team has had on the sport for the last five seasons. Edwards is showing he has the muscle to be that someone.

So far, 2011 is appearing to be a resurgence for the Ford camp as a whole. After a dismal 2010 that left Ford with only 4 wins in NASCAR's top division, the Blue Oval's have won two of the three races run this season and appear to be in contention for many more throughout the rest of the season.

Edwards is flexing his muscle early. Carl currently sits 3rd in the Sprint Cup Standings after a 2nd place finish in the Daytona 500 and his Las Vegas win. Had it not been for being caught up in a wreck at Phoenix, in a car that Edwards fully felt could've won the race, he would probably be leading the Sprint Cup Series standings.

Victory Lane in the 2011 Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway

So tell me what you think: Carl Edwards, Contender or Pretender?

The Coolest Trophies in NASCAR!

I wanted to do something a little different with this post and after a discussion at work this morning about NASCAR Trophies, I thought this would be a really cool one. NASCAR gives out some amazing trophies that are sometimes closer to a work of art than an actual trophy! So here are a few of my favorites trophies that are given out during the racing season:


HARLEY J. EARL TROPHY - RACE: DAYTONA 500

This one is in here on sheer tradition alone. Winning the Daytona 500 is a career defining moment for the driver lucky enough to win the annual race. The names that have won this trophy in the past read like a who's who of NASCAR Legends: Petty, Allison, Waltrip, Earnhardt, and Gordon. Also, racing legends Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt made the jump to stock cars and were each able to take home a Harley Earl Trophy!


INFINEON RACEWAY

The Infineon Raceway is located in California in the heart of the Sonoma wine country. Thus, the winner of NASCAR's once-a-year visit to Infineon gets this wine-inspired trophy to put in their trophy case back home!


NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY - NATIONWIDE/TRUCK SERIES

Located in Lebanon, TN, the Nashville Superspeedway sits in the shadow of Music City. So for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series drivers who manage to win the races at Nashville, a custom Hand Painted Gibson Guitar awaits them in Victory Lane. Official NASCAR Artist Sam Bass designs and paints the guitars for all of Nashville's races throughout the year.

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY - FORT WORTH, TX

Everything is bigger in Texas, right? There are two Sprint Cup Series races held a year at the Texas Motor Speedway and the winners of these events go home with plenty of shiny stuff to put up on the wall. Besides the really cool looking Boot Trophy, drivers take home a Cowboy Hat and a pair of 6-shooters. Texas has also been known to give 6-shooters or a Shotgun to the driver that wins the pole for either of the two NASCAR races!

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY - MARTINSVILLE, VA

As the oldest track on the Sprint Cup circuit, it could be said that time has stood still for the paper clip shaped half-mile Martinsville Speedway. But to the drivers that win either of the two-annual events, they receive a way to make sure that time KEEPS moving! For many years,  Martinsville Speedway has given winning drivers the Grandfather Clock that you see pictured above. For drivers like Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin who have won 5, 6, or even 7 races at Martinsville, it begs the question: Where on earth are they putting all these clocks???


So what NASCAR trophies would YOU put on the Top List?