Carl Edwards grabbed the pole at the Sharpie 500, this the third to final race before the Sprint Cup Chase in which Edwards sits in second place in the standings.

Edwards says qualifying first at Bristol is huge, because it not only gives him and advantage of running at the top early on this short track, but it’s also key to picking which pit he and his crew want to take.

Edwards talked after qualifying about the race.

Download/listen to Carl Edwards (mp3)