Fast Facts: Carl Edwards

Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs

Carl Edwards has back-flipped his way into the hearts of NASCAR fans across the country as a perennial favorite in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Here are a few tidbits about the 2007 Busch (now Nationwide) Series champ and driver of the #99 AFLAC Ford Fusion.

• Carl Michael Edwards II was born August 15th, 1979 in Columbia, Missouri. He is a first cousin once removed of NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader – Edwards is often referred to as “Cousin Carl” by media and fans. Before his NASCAR career took off, Edwards would hand out business cards to teams offering his driving services.
• Edwards first competed in NASCAR in 2001, running seven Truck Series races for MB Motorsports as well as a Busch races for Bost Motorsports. In 2003, he signed on with Roush Racing as a full-time competitor in the Truck Series, winning three races and the Rookie of the Year award. Edwards made his Cup Series debut in August 2004, replacing Jeff Burton in the vacated No. 99 for the rest of the season.
• In 2005, Edwards competed full-time in both the Cup and Busch Series. In March of that year, he became the first driver to win Cup and Busch races in the same weekend – they also happened to be his first Cup and Busch Series wins. In 2007, he won the Busch Series title, and in 2011 won his first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
• Edwards married the former Dr. Katherine “Kate” Downey on January 3rd, 2009; they have two children, Anne Katherine (born February 24th, 2010) and Michael Lee (born May 4th, 2011). He has taken on some acting roles, appearing in the TV series 24 and The Bill Engvall Show. He is set to appear in the Civil War-themed mini-series “To Appomattox,” to be released in 2013.
• For more information on Carl Edwards, visit http://www.carledwards.com/.