Double-dipping Edwards
This is already the sixth time this season that Roush Racing driver Carl Edwards is running Nextel Cup and Busch races on the same weekend.

The rookie is making it look easy, leading the Busch standings and he’s 11th in Nextel Cup.

Edwards won both races in Atlanta last month, celebrating the wins with backflips off his car. Could there be a double backflip in the future?

“I might be able to do, but I think it would be risky to try,” he said. “I can do it off the diving board, but there’s just really a big penalty if I mess that up on the pavement.”

Sparkplugs
Casey Mears wrecked his primary Dodge Charger early in practice Friday, and qualified 32nd in a backup car. “Something happened to the right front tire coming out of the third turn,” said Mears, who has just one finish better than 17th this season. ... Fort Worth-based clothing manufacturer Dickies announced Friday a contest in which five people will get all-expense paid trips to the Nov. 6 race the company sponsors. One will win at least $50,000, with a chance for $500,000 depending on the race winner. Entries will be available May 1 at the company’s 8,000 retailers in all 50 states or at www.dickies500.com. ... College student Josh Schmidt is about halfway through a 3,000-mile trip across the country, going 20 mph on a custom-designed lawnmower painted to resemble Richard Petty’s No. 43 NASCAR vehicle. The ride started Feb. 26 in California, and will end May 28 at the Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina. The ride is to raise awareness and funds for the camp for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. “We pushed him down the hill and got him started,” Petty said. “At 15-20 mph, it’d get pretty boring after 15-20 feet.”