For at least one weekend, Mike Edwards won’t have to answer questions from the media about having the car to beat all weekend and losing in the final round, which suits the Oklahoma native just fine.

Edwards scored his eighteenth career NHRA Pro Stock national event title during the NHRA Northwest Nationals in convincing fashion by sweeping the event from qualifying to eliminations. His third win of the season came at the expense of Jason Line.

“We’ve had three really good days all year,” Edwards said of day which produced his eighth final round for 2009. “Anytime you win a race it’s good. My guys have just prepared this car. Every time we came up to run the car was just flawless.”

For at least one weekend, Mike Edwards won’t have to answer questions from the media about having the car to beat all weekend and losing in the final round, which suits the Oklahoma native just fine.

Edwards scored his eighteenth career NHRA Pro Stock national event title during the NHRA Northwest Nationals in convincing fashion by sweeping the event from qualifying to eliminations. His third win of the season came at the expense of Jason Line.

“We’ve had three really good days all year,” Edwards said of day which produced his eighth final round for 2009. “Anytime you win a race it’s good. My guys have just prepared this car. Every time we came up to run the car was just flawless.”

The victory moved Edwards to within 20 points of leader Jeg Coughlin Jr.

“This car is just a joy to drive and it does everything right,” Edwards explained. “It’s all because of those guys preparing it right. I feel like in the last four or five races I’ve let them down a bit.”

For the record, letting the crew down consists of four final round losses and a quarter-final finish. Those losses came against three different drivers, none of whom make the tuning decisions on their cars.

Not a bad record for a man who literally tunes and drives a Pro Stocker against a class of drivers who have more time to focus on driving the car only.

“Yeah, but I’ve done that throughout my career so I can’t really use that as an excuse,” Edwards contends. “I’ve run well this season and that’s a place I’m not used to being in throughout my career. I’ve never really been this fast and had that many No. 1 qualifiers.

“Greg Anderson told me it’s like having a big bullseye on your back and everyone’s shooting at you. It’s a mental game I am going through right now. I’m trying to work myself through it.”

Not having to answer those pesky media questions gives him a good start on working through it, too.  

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