Residence: Coweta, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: Sept 3, 1957
Years in racing: 35 plus

Racing Highlights: "It has to be winning the U.S. Nationals in 1998
after Jon Kight passed away. For one it is the biggest race and
everyone always remembers who won Indy, and then to be able
to dedicate it to the man that helped my racing career move forward.
It seems like only yesterday and I can remember every second like
it was today."

Racing Lowlights: "I've been around this sport too long
to single out one thing that stands out."

Favorite track: "It has to be Houston. I won my first
Pro Stock race there in 1996 and the track has been kind
to me on three other occasions."

Outside racing favorites
Food: Steak
Music: Country
Hobbies: Hunting and fishing

Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards has had a love for drag racing since his early youth. During his high school days, he spent many weekends at the races with his dad, racing a 1970 Nova. Since his first time behind the wheel, Edwards has proven that he has that special talent to be one of the top drivers in the quickest sport on the planet.

In 1981, he proved that talent was no fluke on the biggest sportsman stage when he captured the NHRA Modified world championship in his Ford Maverick. Edwards was named to the prestigious Car Craft Magazine 1981 All Star Drag Racing team, and earned the NHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year and the Quaker State Grace Cup Sportman driver honor, in recognition of his accomplishments.

With the lofty championship title in hand, Edwards got his first shot at Pro Stock, driving for J.R. Webb. After qualifying for the 1982 Winternationals, Edwards broke the team's only engine and could not make first round. After the unsuccessful debut, Edwards Pro Stock dream was cut short, and he moved away from drag racing on to other business endeavors with his family.

After being out of the sport for nearly a decade, Edwards returned to drag racing as a crew member with Comp standout, David Nickens. Working with Nickens, the pair were a formidable tandem as they won 14 events and the Comp world championship in 1991. For that, Edwards was named the Division 4 Crew Chief of the Year.

Edwards stepped into Pro Stock as a crew chief following his successful stint in Comp, and propelled two different drivers (Mark Osborne and George Marnell) to become mainstays in the Pro Stock wars.

In 1996, Edwards got his chance to get behind the wheel again, driving for Jon and Mary Lou Kight. That first year was a dream season as Edwards scored three wins in five final round appearances and placed third in the NHRA Pro Stock championship; the second highest by a rookie in Pro Stock history.

During the same year, he became the 10th member in the Holley 6-Second Pro Stock Club, and claimed the 1996 Slick 50 Performer of the Year award by securing seven round wins when he gained a starting-line advantage and turned it into a victory, though he ran a slower time. At the season-ending awards ceremony, the accomplishments of 1996 were rewarded as Edwards shared the NHRA rookie of the Year award with Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Hines.

In the first six years Edwards competed in Pro Stock, he won at least one race in each of those seasons, an accomplishment only equaled by three other drivers during that same period.

During the 2000 season Edwards stepped from behind the wheel once again and worked as crew chief for Ron Krisher, who carded his career-best year with Edwards turning the wrenches.

In 2001, Edwards returned to the driver's seat with Young Life, a Christian-based youth program, as his title sponsor, and again established himself as one of the elite racers in Pro Stock. He claimed his first career No. 1 qualifier position at the Phoenix stop, and added four more during the 2001 and captured two victories to finish fourth in the points chase.

Between 2002 and 2007, Edwards garnered four more victories in eight final round appearances, with the best year in the group being 2006, as he qualified for all 23 events and again finished fourth in the championship chase.

Edwards award cupboard is full with a Sportsman championship, Rookie of the Year, U.S. Nationals champion, and 12 other victories, the only thing lacking on his mantle is the NHRA Pro Stock championsip hardware, which he will be shooting for in 2008.