Edwards practices with unusual pit stall choice

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carl Edwards defied custom after winning the pole for Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway.

He asked crew chief Mike Beam to choose pit stall No. 8 — the same pit stall he will use in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 Sprint Cup race — for the Nationwide event, rather than the customary pit stall No. 1, closest to the exit from pit road.

Why? Because Edwards drew a speeding penalty leaving pit road last Sunday at Dover — a mistake that may have cost him a win in the third Chase for the Sprint Cup race. Edwards charged through the field to finish third behind Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson.

“We picked that pit stall based on a couple of things,” Edwards said after finishing second to Brad Keselowski on Saturday. “First was the way the timing lines were laid out, and second was that is the pit stall I am using [Sunday] for the Cup race.

“Considering my little mistake I made last week, I thought it might be good getting some practice getting out of my pit stall without speeding. And Mike Beam could have picked that first pit stall, and I appreciate him taking the eighth one for us. As it stands, I don’t think it made a difference in the outcome of the race, so that’s good.”

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