CARL EDWARDS
Driver of the #99 Kellogg's/Cheez-It Ford Fusion
Birth Date: August 15, 1979
Martial Status: Married
Hometown: Columbia, MO
Residence: Columbia, MO |
Watch Carl's Introduction |
One of NASCAR's most exciting and charismatic drivers, Carl Edwards brings an impressive resume to the #99 Ford Fusion team. In his first year partnering with Kellogg's/Cheez-It, Edwards will steer the #99 Ford Fusion towards the direction of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
For the 2010 season, Edwards again joins forces with crew chief Bob Osborne and the #99 Ford Fusion team. With the support of a talented and experienced team, Edwards has qualified for the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" four out of the last five years.
Expectations are set high again for the 2010 racing season.
Early Career
In just seven years Carl Edwards has had a storied NASCAR career, moving his way from the Camping World Truck Series to NASCAR's elite Sprint Cup Series, winning a Nationwide Series Championship and chalking up numerous wins in between. He is considered one of NASCAR's most voracious competitors.
In the first 10 years of his career, Carl Edwards accumulated two NASCAR-sanctioned track championships, three Rookie-of-the-Year honors, and over 75 feature wins while racing on both dirt and pavement tracks across the country. The drive and determination that Edwards showed in those 10 years launched him into a successful NASCAR career that continues into 2010 as he sets out to compete full-time in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for the sixth consecutive year.
Growing up in Missouri, racing was not new to Edwards. His father, Carl Edwards, Sr., had been racing modified stock cars and USAC midgets for four decades, accumulating over 200 feature wins at several Midwestern tracks. Carl Edwards, Jr., began his racing career in 1993 at the age of 13 driving four-cylinder cars.
In 1994, following his father's winning ways, Edwards won four feature races running on the tracks around Missouri and Illinois in the four-cylinder series. Throughout the 1995 and 1996 seasons he collected 14 additional feature wins in the four-cylinder series.
In 1997 Edwards switched to the dirt circuit to compete in the NASCAR Dirt Modified division. In 1998 he won Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the modified division at Capital Speedway in Holt Summit, Mo.
Edwards picked up the pace in 1999 as he competed in the Modified (two-barrel) division and the Dirt Late Model class at Capital Speedway. He gathered 13 feature wins in the Modified division on his way to the NASCAR Track Championship.
The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series was Edwards' next challenge in 2000. In the Pro-Modified (four-barrel) division, Edwards won 13 feature races, was Rookie-of-the-Year, and claimed the Capital Speedway Track Championship. Looking for additional challenges in 2000, he also competed in three Sportsman division races at California, Mo., and Capital Speedway – winning all three races.
Edwards won nine out of the 11 Baby Grand division races he competed in at Indianapolis, Ind., Tucson, Ariz., Lebanon, Mo., and Moberly, Mo., in 2001. He also ran five of the seven USAC Silver Crown Series pavement races. He competed at Richmond, Va., Indianapolis, Ind., Phoenix, Ariz., and Irwindale, Calif. He continued gaining valuable experience as he achieved his best finish of 15th place at Richmond. In 2003, he earned a podium finish with a third-place finish at IRP in his only USAC race of the year.
Edwards continued to compete in the USAC Series in 2002, making eight starts. He ran seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for MB Motorsports, where he earned a top-10 finish at Kansas. He also captured the 2002 Baby Grand National Championship.
In 2003, the Columbia, Mo., native joined Roush Fenway Racing to drive the #99 Superchips Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He had an amazing rookie season, capturing three wins, one pole, 13 top-five finishes, 15 top-10 finishes and the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year award. He finished the season eighth in the point standings. Edwards kicked off the 2004 NASCAR truck season with a bang by winning the season-opener at Daytona. He followed that up with a win at Kansas in July and captured a third win at Bristol. In August, Edwards got the nod from Jack Roush to move up to the Sprint Cup Series to finish the season in the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Taurus, as well as the remaining races on the truck schedule. Edwards made his debut in the Cup car at Michigan bringing home a 10th-place finish. Edwards joined Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte and Kyle Petty as one of only five active Cup drivers to finish inside the top 10 in their first career Cup start. Edwards went on to finish fourth in the overall truck series standings while recording five top-10 finishes in his 13 Cup starts, including a third-place effort at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In 2005 Edwards conquered both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series full-time. Edwards was once again named Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year, this time in the Nationwide Series, while taking home five wins, four poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 34 starts. Edwards also led 525 total laps in the # 60 Charter Ford and finished third in the overall point standings.
Edwards made a big impression on fans, media and competitors alike when he took to the track in 2005 in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards accrued four wins, 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes while finishing third in the overall point standings and giving champion Tony Stewart a run for his money. (Edwards technically tied for second with teammate Greg Biffle, just 35 points behind first, but with six race wins Biffle took second). Edwards set numerous records in the #99 Ford winning his first Cup and Nationwide races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, becoming the only driver in history to achieve that feat. Edwards went on to sweep both Cup races at Atlanta, a track first. For win number two in the Cup Series, Edwards amazed fans when he won at the first Pocono race, becoming only the second driver to win in his first visit to the tri-oval. Richard Petty was the first when he won the inaugural Cup race there. Then in November, Edwards once again made his mark in history by becoming the first driver to win at Texas Motor Speedway under the lights in the inaugural Dickie's 500. Truly a Cinderella year for the rookie driver.
While running his second full schedule in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, the 2006 season proved to be one of Edwards' biggest challenges. After a sluggish start in the Cup Series he rebounded and completed the season with a very strong finish. While in contention for 11th place in the points, Edwards finished in the top 10 in seven of his last 10 races, finishing the season with 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. This was an outstanding rebound that enabled Edwards to finish 12th overall in the Cup point standings. On the Nationwide side, Edwards had a great run as he moved up one spot from 2005 and finished second in the overall Nationwide Series standings with four wins, three poles, 15 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.
In 2007 Edwards' dedication and fortitude kept him atop the leader board for 33-consecutive weeks in the Nationwide Series. Edwards, claimed four wins, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in the # 60 Scotts Ford on his way to claiming his first career NASCAR title. Edwards won the Nationwide Series driver's championship by 618 points and his title marked the second Nationwide Series championship for Roush Fenway Racing and the final championship under the Busch colors as the series became the Nationwide Series in 2008.
Edwards made the "Chase" in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards showed consistency all year but a competitive field forced Edwards and the #99 team to fight for every spot on the track. On his way to a ninth-place finish in the point standings, Edwards chalked up three wins, 11 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.
Heading into the 2008 season Edwards was deemed a top contender in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. For the third time in four years Edwards made the "Chase" in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards showed consistency all through the season, but was spectacular in the Chase by winning three of the last four races, and extending the speculation on the championship until the last race of the year, narrowly losing to Jimmie Johnson by 69 points. Edwards claimed the second-place spot fighting for every point as he chalked up a personal high nine wins, 19 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes.
Edwards also claimed the second spot in the overall standings in the Nationwide Series. He finished just 21 points behind series leader Clint Bowyer. This was the fourth-closest finish in Nationwide Series history. The # 60 team finished 2008 with four poles, seven wins, 19 top fives and 22 top 10s.
Edwards topped off 2008 by winning the Tag Heuer Top Racecar Driver of the Year Award and the National Motorsports Press Association voted him as the Richard Petty Driver of the Year Award. Edwards was also the choice for 2008 NASCAR.COM Driver of the Year.
Although winless in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009, Edwards achieved Chase status for the fourth time in five years by finishing 11th in the overall series standings with seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He also finished second in the overall Nationwide Series standings. Statistically this was Edwards' best Nationwide Series result with five wins, 23 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes. Edwards plans to tackle both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series full-time again in 2010 for the sixth consecutive season.
When he's not on-track, Edwards enjoys spending time in Columbia, Mo., with his family and friends. Edwards enjoys riding bicycles, working out and reading. He is also passionate about his philanthropic activities which include working with charities such as Speedway Children's Charities, Dream Factory and Victory Junction Gang Camp.
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