Notebook: Edwards will be back and his crew chief is already

            RICHMOND, Va. - No one was happier than Carl Edwards to see Bob Osborne back at the track. Apparently, Edwards was so happy that he signed a new contract at Roush Fenway Racing.

            It's probably a coincidence, of course, that Edwards signed one of those "multi-year" extensions on the occasion of his crew chief's return. Edwards is the Sprint Cup Series' biggest winner, and his crew chief, Osborne, is back after a six-week suspension. Edwards won a race (Texas) while Osborne was watching from afar, but Osborne was missed.

            "You always hear the word chemistry, and now I understand what that's about," said Edwards.

            Though Edwards hasn't fared well during his career at Richmond International Raceway, he doesn't think there's any tangible explanation.

            "I think it's just a coincidence, really," he said Friday. "This is really a crew chief and engineer's race, so it's a good race for Bob (Osborne) to be back. I think I've run well here, but the finishes haven't shown it."

            Edwards hasn't finished better than sixth in seven RIR Cup attempts, though he's won in the Nationwide Series.

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            Edwards' teammate, the resurgent Greg Biffle, has also slumped here of late.

            Biffle's 2007 Richmond finishes were 19^th and 39^th. Prior to that, he produced five straight top-1 finishes.

            Biffle is eighth in the point standings after finishing 14^th a year ago.

            "A lot of things have changed at Roush Fenway," said Biffle. "One, Robbie Reiser (formerly Matt Kenseth's crew chief) as our competition director has really helped all the teams. This is my second year with (crew chief) Greg Irwin, and we switched around and got some new guys on the team, and the result is we're really just having a great season."

            Biffle, who is in the final year of his contract, said he's likely to remain at his present team.

            "I want to stay at Roush Fenway until I retire, and they know that," he said. "When I said I'm not in a hurry (to re-sign), what I meant was, ‘I'm not panicked.' ... Time really isn't an issue with me, other than that they need to secure an extension with the sponsor and all those things."

Significant other

            Do you miss Rockingham? There's a race there on Sunday.

            The Carolina 500 is an Automobile Racing Club of America race - actually 500 kilometers, or 312 laps - but it's the first race since what was then North Carolina Speedway (now it's Rockingham Speedway) lost its spot on the Cup schedule in 2005. Andy Hillenburg bought the track at auction last year.

            Tony Stewart will wave the green flag, and his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, will drive the pace car. ARCA last raced there in 1973, when Charlie Glotzbach won.

"I remember the race very well," said Glotzbach, who will be in attendance. "I was driving for Hoss Ellington. I remember getting a message from John (Marcum, ARCA's founder) during the race that I needed to slow down or I'd get black-flagged. I guess I was muddying up his show too much."

            Speed, the cable/satellite channel, will televise the race live beginning at noon Sunday. Among the up-and-comers scheduled to compete are Joey Logano, Austin Dillon (Richard Childress's grandson), Michael Annett and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

My hometown

            Denny Hamlin's hometown, Chesterfield, is a Richmond suburb.

"It's not just another race for me," he said. "When I come to Richmond, there's definitely a lot more pressure. I'm constantly looking in the stands at the people cheering me on, and that means a lot to me.

"I take a lot of pride in trying to run well here because I spent so many years watching from the grandstands. When I do have a good run at Richmond, it means just a little bit more there than it does anywhere else."

Blast from the past

            In the 1960s, Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR's big stars in a No. 28 Ford. At Richmond, the present No. 28, Travis Kvapil, is driving a car with Lorenzen's old white-with-blue-lettering paint scheme and ... Lorenzen's old sponsor, LaFayette Ford of Fayetteville, on the fenders.

            You can reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.