DARLINGTON — It’s pretty good to be Carl Edwards these days.
The Roush Fenway Racing driver became a father for the second time this week as his wife, Katie, gave birth to their son, Michael. The couple’s first child, Anne, was born in 2009.
“It was unreal. We had a lot of fun,” Edwards said. “Annie is really excited about her little brother. I don’t think she quite understands what is going on, but we’re all doing really well, so it’s good.”
On the track, things couldn’t be better. Edwards comes into tonight’s Showtime Southern 500 as the points leader. He leads five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson by nine.
“Having the points lead is nice. I think it builds a lot of confidence within the team,” Edwards said. “This is the longest we’ve led the points. We’ve been able to hang on to the points lead for quite a while now, so I’m enjoying it. I’d like to have the points lead and a bunch of wins. That would be the best, but we’re working on that.”
Edwards’ hot start began near the end of last year when he won the final two races of the season, snapping a two-year winless streak. He has carried that momentum into this season as he has seven top-10 finishes and one victory in nine races.
The only blip on Edwards’ season is his future with Roush Fenway Racing. The Missouri native’s contract with the organization expires at the end of the season. Edwards has been with the organization since Jack Roush signed the former substitute school teacher to drive for one of his truck teams in 2003.
Edwards is one of three big free agents in this year’s class, which also includes Juan Montoya and Mark Martin. Edwards’ teammate, Greg Biffle, signed a contract to remain at Roush earlier this year.
Edwards is hopeful something can get done.
“I don’t have any timetable, and, like I said at the beginning of the year, I don’t really like to talk about that stuff in the media,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to take care of it behind closed doors, but it’s all going well. We’re just working on it.”
Edwards also is working on getting a win here at Darlington. He came close in 2008 when he finished runner-up to Kyle Busch. Last year, he finished 32nd.
“It’s a big weekend for us going into Darlington,” Edwards said. “Darlington is one of my favorite race tracks and it couldn’t have come at a better time on the schedule. We’re running well and our 1.5-mile program has been spectacular.
“This race really suits me as a driver. It’s a long race at a track that I love.”
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement