"It's not that we haven't had no wins this season, it's just that we've had nine wins over the last two," Edwards said. "That sounds a lot better."

That still doesn't erase that very noticeable zero this year.

After winning a series-high nine races last season _ "That was an amazing year," Edwards said, almost smiling at the memory _ he was considered by many as the preseason favorite to unseat three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

Instead, Johnson heads into Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, the eighth in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, closing in on unprecedented fourth consecutive championship.

Edwards would just like to win a race and try to build some momentum for next season.

"Everybody was so pumped and voted us to win the championship and everybody was on board, but I knew in the back of my mind that things can go great or they can go bad and no amount of speculation can affect that," Edwards said. "Yeah, it's frustrating. But I know how cruel this sport can be."

And how good.

When Edwards came to Fort Worth last November, he already had seven wins. He made it eight when he drove his No. 99 Ford to Victory Lane by a comfortable margin after gambling on fuel to complete the first two-race season sweep in Texas _ and become the first three-time winner there. He won again in the finale two weeks later at Homestead to finish 69 points behind Johnson.

Without a wreck at Talladega and an ignition problem at Charlotte in consecutive Chase races, for finishes of 29th and 33rd, Edwards probably would have been able to end Johnson's title streak last year.

The luck has been no better this year, even though the Roush Fenway team started with Matt Kenseth being the first driver in 12 years to win the first two races of a season and Edwards made the Chase again.

"We were at the top of our game last year and didn't manage to make the improvements and didn't manage to find the next new thing that we needed this year and that left us with a disappointing year," owner Jack Roush said. "It's just a cycle of things. ... Hopefully next year we'll be back on top."

Edwards' worst NASCAR finish came three weeks ago in Charlotte, when he was 39th because of a blown engine that put him out of the race with 35 laps to go. He was 14th last week at Talladega.

"I feel like I'm doing sometimes a better job in the race car and we're not getting the same results, but that's what makes this sport tough," Edwards said. "The good times are good, the bad times you've just got to dig in and work."