Carl has showed a lot of promise this season...great news for the Roush CTS fans yesterday also.
CONCORD, N.C. (July 14, 2003) - Roush Racing announced today that it will
continue to field Jon Wood and Carl Edwards in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series for the remainder of 2003.
"We have two winners in Jon and Carl, a program with momentum and
confidence, and a very real chance to win another championship. With the
additional attention that the series is attracting through its excellent
broadcast coverage, and the increased fan attendance that has been augmented
by tying into more Winston Cup events, we think that the best way to
highlight the talents of Jon and Carl, and capture the interest of corporate
America and the NASCAR fan base is to keep them in the Craftsman Truck
Series for the remainder of the year. Besides, the racer in all of us at
Roush Racing cannot turn its back on the very real possibility that one of
our guys could emerge the winner in this very tight championship race," says
Geoff Smith, Roush Racing president.
"We particularly thank Senator Bob Graham for stepping up to extend his
sponsorship of the Jon Wood truck for the remainder of the year. His
participation made a significant impact on our decision to continue," said
Smith. "We will continue our search for additional sponsorship for the
remainder of the year."
"This is great news for everyone on the team," says Edwards. "We just won
our first race last weekend in Kentucky and I couldn't imagine having to
stop now. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me and I'm glad we can
go on to St. Louis this weekend and only have to worry about winning."
"With this decision behind us, now we can keep the team focused on winning
and set out sights on the championship," said Wood. "We've had an incredible
season so far with two poles and my first win in the last month. We've got
so much momentum going right now. I can't wait to see how this season plays
out. My hat's off to everyone at Roush for keeping our team together."
"Both of these young men are extremely talented. Our organization believes
that their career development, and the development of the sponsors that are
needed to support them, can be equally achieved through participation in the
Craftsman Truck or Busch series. We have proved that with Kurt Busch and
Greg Biffle. Accordingly, as we look to 2004 we will race them in the
environment where the combination of manufacturer's and sponsor support
makes the best business sense for Roush Racing," said Jack Roush.
