Know Your Driver: Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards

Name: Carl Michael Edwards II

            Nickname: "Cousin Carl"

Date of Birth: August 15, 1979 (age 35)

Hometown: Columbia, Missouri

Family: Kate, wife; Anne, daughter; Michael, son

First Career Start: August 22, 2004

Car Number and Make: #19 Toyota Camry

Primary Sponsors:

• Arris
• Stanley Tools
• Subway
• Sport Clips

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Teammates: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth

Best Career Points Finish: 2nd (2008, 2011)

Career Victories: 24

Notable Wins: 

• All-Star Race (2011)
• Coca-Cola 600 (2015)

Description: When you hear the name "Carl Edwards", the words that should come to mind are steady, dependable, athletic, and sponsor-friendly.

Essentially, Carl Edwards is that guy that everyone liked in school and he's a team owner's dream. But Edwards almost didn't end up in racing as a driver. Originally, Edwards began to attend the University of Missouri and study engineering, but dropped out after three semesters. Entering back into the world of racing (on a part-time basis), Edwards worked as a substitute teacher to make ends meet.

By the time 2002 had rolled around, Edwards was able to earn a few races in the Camping World Truck Series and made the most of them, scoring a few top-10s and catching the eye of Sprint Cup owner Jack Roush. Roush would tab Edwards to race the last half of the 2004 Sprint Cup season after a stellar first full-time season in trucks in '03. Edwards scored a top-10 finish in his first career race and would grab a few more before the end of '04.

This helped Edwards land a full-time Sprint Cup ride for 2005 and he made the most of the opportunity, winning at Atlanta four races into the season, his first career win. Edwards would add three more wins, making it a total of four wins as a rookie and finishing 3rd in points, almost unheard of. 

Edwards two most successful seasons were those of 2008 and 2011, more so 2008. He finished second in points both seasons, but in 2008, Edwards won a staggering 9 races in one season, and yet still lost the championship to Jimmie Johnson despite winning three of the final four races of the season. In 2011, Edwards only won a single race, but found himself as the championship leader going into the final race of the season. There, he and Tony Stewart battled it out for the win and the title, with Stewart winning the race and Edwards finishing second. Edwards and Stewart tied in points, but Stewart was awarded the title for having 5 wins to Edwards one.

Again, Edwards is almost always the consummate pro, sneaking sponsorship catchphrases into TV interviews, taking his sunglasses off for interviews, or wowing the fans after a win by performing his classic backflip and going into the stands to greet fans. But Edwards has had a few dustups with other drivers and has shown a darker side during those times.

Most notably, Edwards and Brad Keselowski have tangled on several occasions. It started with Keselowski's first career Sprint Cup win at Talladega in '09, where he held his line, but wrecked Edwards in doing so. Edwards went flipping into the fence but was unharmed. The following season, Edwards returned the favor and flipped Keselowski at Atlanta after contact with him early in the race. And finally, Edwards intentionally spun Keselowski for an XFinity Series win at Gateway, causing a terrible crash and heated tempers. Since then, the two have been ok, but time will tell if the rivalry heats up again.

Fun Facts: Edwards has appeared in an episode of the television series "24" as a federal agent, as well as making appearances on "The Price is Right" and "WWE Raw".