Carl Edwards Credit: Autostock

10 Questions: Carl Edwards

In conjunction with its season-ending top 10 lists, NASCAR.COM asked a number of drivers to answer the same 10 questions. Sunday: Greg Biffle

When Carl Edwards collected his sizeable Craftsman Truck Series point fund check at the 2004 awards ceremony, he said one of his goals was to pay back his mother for some racing parts she'd bought him.

Carl Edwards

Edwards, 25, no longer has to sleep in his truck and get loans to build his racing career. The native of Columbia, Mo., who only wants to race, is looking at a dream season in 2005 at Roush Racing that as little as a year ago was beyond his wildest expectations.

Before he celebrated the New Year's holiday, Edwards sat down to answer 10 questions not specifically directed at his racing career.

1. What's your dream vehicle that you don't already own?

That's an easy one. I'd really like about a '68 Cadillac convertible, black with black interior. That would be the dream vehicle for me.

Sounds like you might have seen one of those somewhere back someplace in your past. Is that the case?

Oh yeah. I've seen a couple of 'em and I don't know -- that just seems like the coolest thing in the world, to be driving a big old convertible Cadillac down the interstate going to a race somewhere.

That would be pretty cool.

2. If time on the road weren't an issue, what would be your ideal pet?

I'd have to say a German Shepherd. Our family has always had German Shepherds as shop dogs and I just love 'em. So that would be my ideal pet (because) I like big dogs.

3. What's your biggest pet peeve while driving on the road?

VIDEO 10 Questions NASCAR.COM's Dave Rodman hits Carl Edwards with 10 questions

Hands down, people that drive slow in the passing lane on the interstate. That's the worst one, right there.

That's been about a unanimous choice for this group, so what's your tip for dealing with that, and please don't say the median or the breakdown lane.

Ooooh (laughing). I'm looking at a big dent in the right front of my mom's car right now -- just kidding. I guess just flash your brights (headlights), have patience and hope they move over.

But usually they're just not paying attention. So it's half not their fault, I guess.

4. You travel a lot, so what's your worst hotel experience?

Oh man. We went to Richmond to run a USAC race. My buddy and I went and we were looking for the cheapest hotel we could find and we found this hotel in Richmond that was like, 32 dollars a night or something.

We checked in and walked to our room and walked in, and it was just -- it looked like a crime scene (laughing). The air conditioner unit was falling off the wall; there was some big, huge stain on the carpet that looked like somebody had been murdered.

Credit: Autostock

My buddy said, 'I'm not staying here -- I'm sleeping in the truck.' So we went back and got our money back and slept in the truck outside the racetrack. So that was the worst hotel experience, I think.

5. What's your favorite food?

I'd have to say that I like seafood a lot, so some sort of grilled fish or something with some rice or whatever is what I like the most.

For a lot of people, travel is the bane of this business, but as much as you're on the road, where's the best place out on the road you've found for seafood?

They had this chain of restaurants called "Pompano's" -- it's like a seafood grill place that they've got out in Phoenix and Atlanta and that's my favorite place to go to, hands down.

6. If you had to choose, would it be being honest, or being nice?

(Laughing) I've tried both, and (laughing) it's usually better to be honest. That's what I shoot for.

7. What's your fondest childhood memory?

I don't know (but) I'd have to say some of the neatest things -- the neatest times -- were going to the races with my dad and hanging out in the grandstands with my mom and my brother and watching my dad race.

That was really pretty neat.

8. What would your dream date be? Where and with whom?

Carl Edwards 2004 Stats Driver Page Ford's Drivers Eye

Whew! I don't know exactly where, but it would probably be somewhere on a beach somewhere, having dinner definitely with Halle Berry. That would be the dream date. That would just be unbelievable.

Is this a longtime obsession or something new?

(Laughing) well, no. In fact, I just saw "Monster's Ball" the other day and so I've just been thinking about her for the last week or so (laughing).

9. What's your worst prank, either perpetrated by you, or done to you?

Oh man. I don't know but I'm trying to think of a straight-out prank that someone's done. I know that probably the most embarrassed or whatever that I've ever been on the road was when I used to work a little bit for the Ultra Motorsports guys.

Timmy Kohuth was the crew chief and they let me sleep in at the hotel one time and I didn't get up. They called me from the parking lot outside and said, 'look out your window.' They were all standing by the van, and they said, 'we're leaving (laughing).'

I was about 17 years old, volunteering and going on the road, and I mean, I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs with whatever I could grab. So I had to walk around all day with my hair all screwed up and no deodorant on.

That was pretty eye opening. I always wake up on time, now.

Well, look at it this way. It would have been better than either walking to the racetrack, or worse, right?

Yeah (laughing). But they gave me a pretty hard time about that. It was pretty funny.

10. What would you consider your "Welcome to NASCAR" moment? Sounds like that one might have been it?

Whew (laughing)! I guess, that same summer I was down there volunteering and once I realized how many guys were down in Mooresville (N.C.) and were working really hard to be racecar drivers.

That summer -- I think it would have been 1996 -- I realized that, 'hey, this is going to take a lot of work and there's a lot of really good guys out there.'

I went home that summer and had a whole new outlook on racing. So I'd say that summer when I came down there and volunteered was my welcome to NASCAR summer.