Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards says current plan is to run Daytona 500, even if his wife goes into labor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards is about to become a father, likely sometime in the next two weeks. And while he’s excited about the upcoming birth of his baby girl, Edwards says he has been able to remain focused on racing during Speedweeks at Daytona.
Edwards’ wife, Kate, is due with the couple’s first child on Feb. 14, the day of the Daytona 500. Edwards said while there is a Plan B, he is expecting to go through with Plan A – to race.
“My plan is to race,” Edwards said. “If something comes up, we’ll have a backup plan, but my plan is to race. Kate would be mad if I got out of the race car. So it’s really up to her and I, and the plan right now is to race.”
While he thinks about the baby much of the time, Edwards said he remains focused on racing while in the car.
“It has not crossed my mind in the car,” Edwards said Saturday prior to the Budweiser Shootout. “That’s good. But I’ll be walking around and every fifth person that runs into you is like, ‘Hey, how’s your wife doing?’
“Then it hits me. I reach in my pocket and I pull out my phone and check and make sure nobody has called. At any moment, she could call. The car is the only place I haven’t thought about it.”
