Carl Edwards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carl Edwards
Edwards at Dover International Speedway in 2016
Born	Carl Michael Edwards Jr. (1979-08-15) August 15, 1979 (age 46) Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Achievements	2007 NASCAR Busch Series Champion 2011 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Winner 2007 Prelude to the Dream Winner 2015 Coca-Cola 600 winner 2015 Southern 500 winner
Awards	2005 NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Most Popular Driver Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2025)
NASCAR Cup Series career
445 races run over 13 years
2016 position	4th
Best finish	2nd (2008, 2011)
First race	2004 GFS Marketplace 400 (Michigan)
Last race	2016 Ford EcoBoost 400 (Homestead)
First win	2005 Golden Corral 500 (Atlanta)
Last win	2016 AAA Texas 500 (Texas)
Wins Top tens Poles 28 220 22
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
245 races run over 10 years
Best finish	1st (2007)
First race	2002 Charter Pipeline 250 (Gateway)
Last race	2012 Zippo 200 (Watkins Glen)
First win	2005 Aaron's 312 (Atlanta)
Last win	2012 Zippo 200 (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 38 174 27
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
60 races run over 5 years
Best finish	4th (2004)
First race	2002 O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 (Memphis)
Last race	2007 San Bernardino County 200 (California)
First win	2003 Built Ford Tough 225 (Kentucky)
Last win	2004 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 6 35 4
Signature
Statistics current as of November 20, 2016.

Carl Michael Edwards Jr. (born August 15, 1979) is a former professional stock car racing driver from the United States. He is also a current analyst for NASCAR on Prime Video.

Edwards last raced in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drove the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Before that, he drove the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship. He almost won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title but lost by a tiebreaker. Edwards is famous for doing a backflip off his car to celebrate his wins. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers. In 2025, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Carl Edwards' Early Life

Edwards was born on August 15, 1979, in Columbia, Missouri. He finished high school in 1997. Carl first thought about not going to college. But he got some help from the state and decided to attend the University of Missouri. After three semesters studying engineering, he chose to focus on his racing career instead. Before becoming a full-time driver, Edwards worked as a substitute teacher.

Carl Edwards' Racing Journey

NASCAR Career Start

Edwards does his signature backflip after winning at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008.

Carl Edwards got his big chance in 2002. He raced in seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. His best finish was eighth place. He also ran one Busch Series race. These races impressed Jack Roush, a famous team owner.

In 2003, Edwards became a full-time Truck Series driver for Roush Racing. He drove the No. 99 Ford F-150. He won his first race at Kentucky Speedway. He also earned the Rookie-of-the-Year award. He finished eighth in the points standings that year. In 2004, he won three more races. This included the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. He finished fourth in the points. In August 2004, he made his first Nextel Cup Series start. He finished 10th in that race.

First Full Season: 2005 Highlights

In 2005, Edwards became a full-time driver in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. On March 19, 2005, he made history. He won the Aaron's 312 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This was his first Busch Series win. The very next day, he won the Golden Corral 500 at the same track. This was his first Nextel Cup Series win.

Winning both races in one weekend at Atlanta was a special achievement. Edwards was the first driver to get his first career wins in both series in the same weekend. He also became the 11th driver in NASCAR history to win races in all three major series.

Edwards racing Elliott Sadler and Bobby Labonte on pit road

On June 12, 2005, Edwards won his second Nextel Cup race at Pocono Raceway. He got his third win of 2005 on October 30. This was at the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He won both Nextel Cup races at Atlanta that year. His fourth win came at Texas. He finished third in the Cup standings for the year. He also won the 2005 Busch Series Rookie of the Year award.

2006: A Challenging Season

In 2006, Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing faced difficulties. Edwards did not win any races that year. However, he still managed to get 20 Top 10 finishes. His best results were second-place finishes at Michigan, Loudon, and Dover. He missed making the Chase for the Championship.

2007: Back in the Chase

On June 17, 2007, Carl Edwards ended his long winless streak. He won the Citizens Bank 400 in the Nextel Cup. On August 25, he won his second race of 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Edwards said this was the "biggest win of my career." He entered the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup in fourth place. He finished ninth in the final standings.

Edwards celebrating after clinching the 2007 Busch Series Championship after the fall Texas race

On November 3, 2007, Edwards won his first NASCAR Busch Series Championship. He finished 11th at the O'Reilly Challenge. This made him the 19th different Busch Series Champion. Carl Edwards was the last Busch Series Champion. The series name changed in 2008.

2008: A Strong Year

2008 NASCAR Cup Series car

The 2008 season was Carl Edwards' best year. He finished second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He won the 2008 Auto Club 500, his first win of the year. The next week, he won again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. These wins put him at the top of the points standings for the first time.

NASCAR later penalized Edwards and his team for a rule violation. He lost 100 driver points. Despite this, he won his third race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. On May 2, Edwards signed a new contract to stay with Roush Fenway Racing. He won his fourth Sprint Cup race of the season at Pocono. On August 17, he won his fifth race at Michigan. This was his highest number of wins in a single season. On August 24, Edwards won his sixth race at Bristol. He passed Kyle Busch in the final laps to take the win.

On October 26, Edwards earned his seventh win at Atlanta. On November 2, he won his eighth race at Texas. He won the season finale at Homestead. This brought his total wins for the season to nine. He finished second in the championship to Jimmie Johnson.

2009: No Wins, Big Crash

Many expected Edwards to challenge for the championship in 2009. However, he had a winless season. His best finish was second place.

In April, at Talladega, Edwards was involved in a huge crash. His car went airborne and hit the catch fence. Eight fans were hurt, but Edwards was okay. He got out of his car and ran across the finish line.

He had a much better Nationwide Series season. He won at Montreal, his first road course win. He said this was his favorite win. He finished second in the Nationwide Series points with five wins.

2010: Breaking the Winless Streak

In a Cup Series race in Atlanta, Edwards was involved in a crash. Later in the race, he spun Brad Keselowski in retaliation. Keselowski's car flipped over. Edwards was removed from the race and put on probation. He said he didn't mean for Keselowski's car to go airborne.

Edwards won the first-ever Nationwide Series race at Road America. He also won at Gateway and Texas. He finished second in Nationwide Series points for the third year in a row.

His Cup season started slowly. But his performance improved later in the year. On November 14, 2010, Edwards won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. This ended a 70-race winless streak. The next weekend, he won the final race of the season at Homestead. He finished fourth in the points standings.

2011: Another Close Championship

Edwards celebrating after winning the 2011 Kobalt Tools 400

On March 6, 2011, Edwards won the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas. This was his only points win of 2011. On May 21, 2011, he won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. In August, Edwards signed a new deal with Roush Fenway Racing.

Edwards raced very consistently throughout the 2011 season. He made it to the 2011 Chase for the Championship. He was in a very close points battle with Tony Stewart. Stewart won the championship by winning the final race. Both drivers were tied in points, but Stewart won because he had five wins to Edwards' one. In the Nationwide Series, Edwards won a career-high eight races.

2012: Focusing on Cup Series

In 2012, Edwards decided not to race in the Nationwide Series. He wanted to focus only on winning the Sprint Cup championship. He had a good run at Texas, finishing eighth. On August 11, 2012, Edwards won his only Nationwide race of the year at Watkins Glen. On September 8, he missed the Chase for the first time since 2006.

2013: A Rebound Season

Edwards during the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500

In the 2013 Daytona 500, Edwards was caught in a crash. The next week, he led many laps and won at Phoenix. This was his second time ending a long winless streak at that track.

On July 6, 2013, at the Coke Zero 400, Edwards had a chance to win. But a late-race incident pushed him back. The next week, he finished eighth. Edwards won his second race of the year at Richmond in September. He took the lead on a pit stop and held off Kurt Busch. This win helped him in the Chase.

Edwards started the Chase well. But a problem with his car at Dover ended his championship hopes. He finished 13th in the final points standings.

2014: Last Season with Roush

Edwards before winning the 2014 Toyota/Save Mart 350

At the 2014 Food City 500, Edwards won a rain-delayed race. He led the last 78 laps. He almost won the All-Star Race again but was passed near the end.

In May 2014, rumors started that Edwards was leaving Roush's team. On June 22, 2014, Edwards won the 2014 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. This was his first road course win and his last win for Roush. On the day of the 2014 Brickyard 400, Edwards confirmed he was switching teams for 2015.

2015: Joining Joe Gibbs Racing

Edwards prior to the 2015 CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega

The rumors were confirmed on August 19, 2014. Edwards signed a multi-year deal to drive the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. This was a new fourth car for the team.

His season started with some crashes. But he bounced back at Charlotte. In the Coca-Cola 600, Edwards took the lead late in the race. He held off his former teammate Greg Biffle to win. This ended a 31-race winless streak. In July, he won the pole position for races at New Hampshire and Indianapolis. At Darlington, Edwards got his second win of the year. He came back from being two laps down to win.

Edwards made it to the Round of 8 in the Chase. He finished fifth in the final points standings.

2016: Final Season and Retirement

Edwards at Sonoma Raceway in 2016

Edwards got a new crew chief, Dave Rogers, for 2016. He showed strong performance with many Top 10 finishes. Edwards won the 2016 Food City 500 after starting on pole. He led most of the race. On the final lap at Richmond, Edwards won by passing teammate Kyle Busch. This was the first time a driver made a last-lap pass to win at Richmond.

Edwards qualified for the playoffs. He won a rain-shortened race at Texas. This secured his spot in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the final race, he was involved in a crash with Joey Logano. This ended his hopes of winning a Cup Series championship. Jimmie Johnson won the championship. This was Carl Edwards' last NASCAR race.

On January 9, 2017, it was reported that Edwards was stepping away from NASCAR. He held a press conference on January 11, 2017. Edwards said he was leaving to pursue other opportunities. He stated it was a "pure, simple, personal decision."

Other Racing Adventures

On June 6, 2007, Edwards won the 2007 Nextel Prelude to the Dream. This was a dirt late model race. It was organized by Tony Stewart to help charities. Edwards started second and held off other top drivers to win.

Edwards also took part in the 2008 Race of Champions. He even defeated 7-time Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher in one round.

Carl Edwards in Popular Media

Edwards appeared on The Price Is Right in 2009. He presented NASCAR-themed prizes. He also had a small role in the TV series 24.

He played in the annual Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in 2009. He wore a Boston Red Sox cap because of his team's connection to the Red Sox owners.

Edwards was a guest host on WWE Raw in 2010. He also appeared on NASCAR on NBC and Fox NASCAR as a guest analyst.

Edwards had cameo appearances in the 2017 film Logan Lucky. He also appeared in the TV series Chicago Fire. He was in music videos for Justin Moore's song "Bait a Hook" and Sara Evans's song "Slow Me Down".

Carl Edwards' Personal Life

Edwards reading prior to the 2010 Pepsi Max 400

Before joining Roush Racing, Edwards gave out business cards to other teams. He also started his own record label, Back 40 Records. This was with a high school friend in Columbia, Missouri.

Edwards married sports medicine doctor Katherine Downey on January 3, 2009. He is a first cousin once removed to fellow driver Ken Schrader. Schrader advised Edwards to get dirt track experience early in his career. Because of this family connection, Edwards is often called "Cousin Carl." In 2016, Edwards shared that his great-great-great-grandfather was Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.

Athleticism and Celebrations

Edwards is well-known for his backflip celebration after wins. He got this idea from sprint car driver Tyler Walker. Ford even made commercials showing a "young Carl" doing backflips everywhere. Edwards also appeared in a This is SportsCenter commercial. He was featured in Aflac commercials when they sponsored him.

He is very dedicated to fitness. He enjoys biking and long-distance running. He also appeared in "Eat Smart, Move More" campaign ads.

See also

In Spanish: Carl Edwards para niños