Carl Edwards did it again.
No, not another subpar finish, although he did get that thanks to a late stop for fuel that left him 20th in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway.
What Edwards did again was mention the hangover -- the jinx, so to speak -- that has followed the runner-up from previous Cup seasons and that seemingly has followed Edwards after losing the 2011 title on a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart.
Without being asked about it.
After bad pit strategy cost Edwards a chance at a top-5 finish, maybe even a win, on Saturday he tossed it out there without being asked about the speculation that the problem is with longtime crew chief Bob Osborne.
"I hear it all," Edwards told reporters after the race. "I hear everything. I hear [about myself], 'He is focused on the [broadcast] booth. He is tore up over Tony's deal last year. He needs a new crew chief.'
"None of that is true. We are having some bad luck and some bad communication here. We can do this together. We could divide right now or we could come together. I have the best crew chief in the business, and he proved it at the end of the year last year. We got beat on a crazy call by Darian [Grubb, Stewart's crew chief] and those guys last year, and we need to get going."
Two weeks earlier at Michigan, Edwards was more blatant in mentioning the hangover. He prefaced a television interview by telling commentator Darrell Waltrip his misfortune has nothing to do with how last season ended, then addressed it again during his Friday media availability -- this time when asked about it.
"Let me be clear, a hangover from last year does not make tires blow or Denny [Hamlin] forget where his brakes are," Edwards said. "That has nothing to do with us. Anyway, it is not the hangover, but thank you."
Thank you, but no driver who has finished runner-up in the Chase has improved his position the next season. The average finish for that driver the next year is 9.25, including 2006, when Edwards and teammate Greg Biffle finished 12th and 13th a year after tying for second.
Edwards is doing nothing to dispel the hangover theory with his performance this year. He is 11th in points with only two top-5s a year after registering 19, including nine in the first 17 races -- where the series stands now.
His average finish has gone from 9.3 in 2011 to 14.6. He has led only one lap outside the 206 he led at Richmond, where he had a potential win erased when he was black-flagged for jumping the restart with 82 laps to go.
Hangover or not, Edwards is in danger of not making the Chase. He is 34 points out of the top 10 guaranteed a spot in the...