Will fatherhood change Carl Edwards? Well, at least he's learning how to change diapers...

 Carl Edwards (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
 

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   LAS VEGAS
   There's a  new  baby in the family for Carl Edwards.
   Anne.
   Eight pounds, four ounces.
   "To say the least, it's a life-changing experience," Edwards said.
   "Wednesday was just amazing. There were a lot of different emotions I hadn't planned on. There was a whole rush of things....I thought I was prepared for, but I wasn't.
    "It was hard to leave home. Man, I've got a family. It's definitely a different emotion than I've ever had.
   "But the husband of one of Kate's best friends is in Afghanistan and he didn't get to see his new child for six months. So I've got a really good situation."
   And, yes, Edwards has been changing diapers.
  
   But the other half of the Edwards story this week is  Drew Blickensderfer.
   When team owner Jack Roush made the surprising move to put a new crew chief in charge of Matt Kenseth's Cup team, just a few days after Daytona, that left Blickensderfer on the sidelines...and people wondering just what might be going on behind the scenes.
   Roush conceded having mixed emotions about the move.
   Now Roush has moved Blickensderfer back on the road, to work on top of the pit box for Edwards' Nationwide team, as the new crew chief there.
     "Jack told me not to get too comfortable in the R&D seat he'd put me in," Blickensderfer says. "I'll probably rate this as one of the top-five jobs I could want."
   So what was Blickensderfer take on the Kenseth team shakeup?
    The reason for the change with Matt was really how the whole team was fitting together, the dynamic of how all that fit," he says.
   "The things I took from last year is that not all leadership styles are the same I can't lead Carl's Nationwide team the same way you lead Matt's Cup team."
   Surprised at the move?
   "I was a little surprised by the change," Blickensderfer conceded. "But if you are in that situation and are completely surprised, you're probably not completely aware of what's going on around you."
   While Edwards' Nationwide operation has been smooth the past year or so; he battled Kyle Busch for the championship the entire season.
   However on the Cup side Edwards and his guys have struggled.
   Has Roush turned things around in his Sprint Cup operation? The sense at the moment is mixed. Greg Biffle looks good, but the rest.....
   "California is a pretty good indicator, but this is probably the best," Edwards said.
   "California was mediocre at best for us....
   "We've got to get better, we've got to get faster. And if we don't come out here leadings laps and running fast....
   "Anything that comes along to shake things up is going to be good."

  
    

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  Drew Blickensderfer: back on the pit box again (Photo: Autostock)