Will Carl Edwards' Luck Take A Turn At The Daytona 500?

For Carl Edwards, the new NASCAR season may have not started off the way he may have liked to but going into the Daytona 500 he hopes to change his luck around.

Heading into the 2013 Daytona 500, Edwards hopes to turn things around following his performance in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Ever since he ended up as the runner-up to Tony Stewart in 2011, it seems like bad luck has been following Edwards.

Since he tied with Stewart that year, the last time Edwards had a positive result was when he won the pole for the 2012 Daytona 500; since then things spiraled down for him. Throughout 2012, Edwards missed the chase, lost his former crew chief Bob Osborne and had a couple of DNF’s.

As Speed Weeks 2013 began, it would be a fresh start considering that the second place syndrome would no longer be in effect but the bad luck did not stop for Edwards. In just the first few days of Speed Weeks, four cars have already been wrecked whether in practice sessions for the Sprint Unlimited, Budweiser Duels and for the Daytona 500. Other cars were wrecked during the races, especially in the Budweiser Duel.

Edwards has not been able to catch a break and, heading into the Daytona 500, he will start towards the back of the pack and should be in good position to avoid any trouble. Starting in the back should put him in a cautious position especially after wrecking four cars in just a week.

At Daytona within the last two seasons, Edwards has captured two top-10 finishes, a second place finish in 2011 and eighth in 2012. Going into the Daytona 500 in 2013, he has a good possibility to capture a great finish and to turn his luck around.

Daytona is the place for Edwards to turn things around in hopes of a win could even be in order. He has gone winless since March of 2011 and, with the new season already in progress, the upcoming Daytona 500 should be the motivator Edwards needs for a better finish.

Christy Valdez is a member of the NASCAR Media. Follow her on Twitter @Knowursports and on Facebook at On The Sidelines With Christy