Driver Stats: Carl Edwards

I am an unlikely NASCAR fan. My sister lives in Indianapolis, and although I wasn't that interested, racing to me used to mean the open-wheel Indy cars and the Indianapolis 500. I thought NASCAR was silly, just a bunch of cars going around in circles. But then my other sister and her husband became interested in stock-car racing, and by being around them I was exposed to some of the excitement and strategy NASCAR embodies. We all have different favorites, but it's the sport itself that is the attraction. Rooting for your "team", including driver, crew chief, owner and manufacturer, only makes it more personalized. 

That being said, you can enjoy the success of more than one driver at a time. Nothing is more convincing to me than success that someone deserves my support, although I do cheer on the underdogs like Robby Gordon too. That's why I think I'll be following Carl Edwards' exploits in the #99  more closely this season. He actually looks a little like my brother-in-law in Indianapolis, and although he had success in the lower levels of racing on dirt tracks in the Midwest, he was a substitute teacher before he got into the big leagues! 

Carl came into Sprint Cup in 2004. He does have the trucks Rookie of the Year award and a lower-level Nationwide Series championship under his belt. He finished in the top 10 in his first career Sprint Cup start, one of only 5 active drivers to do so. In his four full-time seasons, he has finished in the top ten in rankings three times, missing out in 12th position in 2006. Carl finished the 2008 season in second place in the standings, but with the highest overall driver rating based on finishes and wins--he went to victory lane 9 times. In his overall Sprint Cup career, he has 16 wins, 4 poles, 54 top 5's and 85 top 10's. 

"Cousin Carl" is a another driver you either love or hate. He's had his share of controversy, but his intensity is focused on winning races. Period. He does backflips off his car after a win instead of burnouts, which I respect--do you realize the abdominal strength doing something like that takes? He even tried a "banzai move" in a race in the Chase last year, kind of a slide-off-the-wall to try to pass, that he said he learned in a video game. It didn't work in the end, but you have to admire the gutsiness. He has sponsor and owner support, and Ford is the least affected of the Big Three by their recent problems. And he's a newlywed--that first year of wedded bliss should add a little stability to his personal life. I actually got to see Carl win a race in person last year, and he really helped my fantasy team too. I'm not yet ready to predict individual race winners, but I'm not going out on much of a limb here to say I expect to see Carl flipping out on his way to victory lane this season.