Daytona 500 Pole Positions: Ford's Success Will Continue with a Carl Edwards Win

The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, FOX), and last November's humbled runner-up in the Chase for the Cup, Carl Edwards will capitalize on his pole position and Ford ride to take his first ever visit to victory lane at the storied race event.

The 32-year-old Edwards has never won the Daytona 500, but will be in prime position, on the front row to take his Ford to new heights in 2012. Two of the last three Daytona 500 winners have driven Fords to the winner's circle. Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth in 2009 and Trevor Bayne just last year.

Edwards will be joined by teammate and fellow Ford driver Greg Biffle on the front row. Biffle and Edwards both posted qualifying laps slightly over 194 miles per hour.

The two Roush Fenway teammates will, without a doubt, link up early in the race and look to keep their speedy rides out in front all while collecting some important bonus points for leading laps.

Leading the race will also eliminate any danger associated with the big one. As we saw at the Budweiser Shootout last weekend, the dynamic of Daytona racing provides plenty of opportunity for disaster, such as pile ups and the occasional barrel roll of a helpless automobile.

Sometimes surviving the big one is more important than claiming the pole, but the two certainly go hand in hand. That being the case, no one is in better position to win the first Sprint Cup race of the season than Edwards, who will benefit from starting in first in a Ford, alongside a teammate who can help keep him out of trouble through 200 laps.

Edwards has already arrived on NASCAR's elite level of drivers, he just needs the signature wins to prove he belongs. Edwards only has three Sprint Cup wins to his name in the past three seasons.

A 2012 Daytona 500 win is all but inevitable for No. 99, who is, without question, deserving of stock car racing's highest honor.

A dominant performance on the sport's grandest stage will boost Edwards' status as a feared competitor, as well as restore the confidence that had to have taken a hit last fall when he fell just short of winning the Cup. 

The stars have aligned for Edwards in 2012.