1on1: Carl Edwards (cont'd)

Q: You had some time after that race, so did you ride back home, too?

Edwards: I thought about it a little bit, but man, I hurt really bad! My legs hurt and they still felt a little funny a week later. Actually, after a few days they were pretty good, but my butt hurt real bad from that seat -- I mean, you can't make a bicycle seat that you can just sit on for three days and not hurt.

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Q: What was your take on what NASCAR's done in the Nationwide Series, when it appeared Toyota had a significant horsepower advantage?

Edwards: I'm just grateful that NASCAR would be proactive, take action and try to level the playing field a little bit. It was something that was very frustrating for everyone to have to compete against an advantage -- and I know that that's their job and they're supposed to build the most horsepower that they can -- but it takes a little bit of the sport out of it when you have an advantage like that.

Q: Since the change, Toyota's won twice, you've won twice and Ford's won three times and Chevy, twice; but before the change, what was it like?

Edwards: Oh, man. It was just like if you were sitting at a stop light in downtown wherever you live in, and you're in your car and the light turns green and you hold [the gas] to the floor and the guy next to you does the same, and by the time you get to the next stop light, he's two car lengths in front of you.

There's no amount of effort you can make to change that. There's nothing you can do -- and that's what we were up against, and hopefully it's been evened out a little bit.

Q: Earlier this summer, you got to visit Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. Are you a baseball fan?

Edwards: I respect what those players do, but I don't really keep up with anything, that's the problem. Years ago, I got to go to the Cardinals' opening day or media day -- I don't remember what they called it -- when I was driving [in the Craftsman Truck Series] for Mike Mittler. Everybody was real excited and they were telling me, 'We're going to introduce you to Albert Pujols.' I thought that he must own the team, or something. I figured he was a real important guy, but I was working on my dirt car, 24/7 [and I just didn't know].

He turns out to be the coolest guy ever. He gives me his cell phone number and tells me to come hang out at the field any time -- and I'm guessing he's a player, because he's a pretty big guy. Then I see him on the cover of Sports Illustrated a couple months later -- 'the greatest player that ever lived.' So I call him up and say, 'Dude, so you're pretty good at what you do, eh?'

He came to watch my brother [Kenny] race, a couple times at I-70 [a Missouri short track] and he's a nice guy. That was my first entry into baseball and now I get to be [at Fenway] with the Red Sox, and it's cool.

Q: Did you ever take Pujols up on his offer?

Edwards: No. He doesn't call me, either. I haven't talked to him since because I don't want to bother him. And my brother, the last time he saw [Pujols] he told him, 'You ought to call [Carl]' and [Pujols] said, 'Nah, I don't want to bother him.' But we'll run into each other, someday. He's got a job, you know? But I'll see him around.

Q: What was your take on being in such a classic place like Fenway Park, whether you were a fan or not?

Edwards: It's a real cool place. I like old stuff, a lot better than new stuff. I like old racetracks and I don't know a lot about baseball, but what I understood from being [at Fenway] is that it's just a really cool place.

Q: Going to that park was a chance to take a break, so is that something you get to do much of -- like taking the bike trip?

Edwards: Never. But I get a couple days, here and there. We all get, like, a Monday or something. When I was in New Hampshire last time I had Thursday off. I brought my bicycle there, to ride it around and see some stuff and just take it easy.

Q: What would be the ideal break for you?

Edwards: The ideal break? I do it almost every week, when I get to go back to Columbia and just goof around outside, get a bunch of exercise and get ready for the next race. I mean, right now that's my ideal break. I got a plane -- I can go wherever I want -- and [home] is where I go.

Q: What kind of motorbike is sitting in your garage these days?

Edwards: I've got a Victory Vision. The Ducati was very cool, but this Victory is pretty neat. It's a touring bike and my girlfriend likes it a lot more, so we have fun with that. We actually have a You Tube video of me doing a burnout on it that's pretty funny. I've also got a GT 500 KR from Ford. It's got 540 horsepower and that is bad a--. It's fun. We have fun with that on the street and my girlfriend likes that more than the motorcycle.