Carl Edwards - Race Recap
Texas Motor Speedway/Ft. Worth, Texas/April 6, 2008
Started second / Finished first
CARL EDWARDS AND THE AFLAC DUCK BRING HOME THE CHECKERED FLAG
Edwards and the Aflac No. 99 Ford Fusion Win Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
FT. WORTH, Texas. (April 6, 2008) – Carl Edwards celebrated in Victory Lane today with the Aflac Duck and his No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion at Texas Motor Speedway. Edwards, with his famous feathered co-pilot, convincingly won the Samsung 500 in Fort Worth, Texas. Edwards, who won for a Sprint Cup Series-leading third time this season, moves into 10th place in the Chase with 881 points. By winning three of his first seven races of the season, Edwards matches a feat achieved by Jimmie Johnson on his way to winning the Cup championship in 2007. This also was Edwards' second career win at Texas Motor Speedway.
"We are thrilled to help Carl celebrate his third victory of the 2008 season," said Paul Amos II, president and chief operating officer, Aflac U.S. "It was an incredible feeling watching the Aflac No. 99 paint scheme cross the finish line. We truly enjoy working with Carl, Roush-Fenway Racing and NASCAR, and we look forward to seeing the Aflac Duck and Carl doing backflips through the remainder of the season."
Edwards, who led for 123 laps, held off Jimmie Johnson on a two-lap overtime sprint to capture his series-best third win of the season, and first win for Aflac this year. Dominating the field for the majority of the race, Edwards at one point had a lead of seven seconds ahead of Johnson. Johnson had a chance to steal the victory from Edwards with two late cautions – one for debris with 39 laps to go and one for oil on the track with five to go, but Edwards held strong.
This victory for Edwards marks his first victory in the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion. Aflac is the primary sponsor for eight Cup races in 2008. The remaining races include: the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway, the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway and the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Racing fans can visit www.AflacRacing.com for Edwards' take on each track, promotions, screen savers and other features; and, they can register on the site to win a VIP experience and meet Edwards at the All-Star Race in Charlotte, N.C., May 15-18. Included in the prize is round-trip airfare for two to Charlotte, N.C., four-day, three-night hotel accommodations, a meet-and-greet with Edwards and $500 spending cash. The contest ends on April 10, so fans should race on over to register.
About Aflac
For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Our insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for ten consecutive years.
Aflac has also been recognized three times by both Fortune magazine's listing of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazine's listing of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing operates 13 full-time motorsports teams, five in NASCAR Sprint Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; four in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Erik Darnell and Colin Braun; three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Darnell, Braun, Kvapil, Bobby East and John Wes Townley; and one in the ARCA RE/MAX Series with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
Contact: Rory Connellan, Roush Fenway Racing
704-720-4600 or rwconn@roushracing.com
