Who is Carl Edwards' wife, Katherine? All you need to know about the NASCAR legend’s better half 

Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, who raced in and won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship, is a two-time runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series and had a career spanning over a decade. He is married to Katherine Edwards.

Katherine Edwards, formerly named Katherine Downey, was born on March 15, 1979, in Columbia, Missouri, the same hometown as Carl Edwards. She took up a career in medicine, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. After completing her degree, she took a residency program and later became the Chief Resident at the University of Missouri in 2007. Her work involves helping patients recover from severe trauma and brain injuries.

Carl and Katherine met in 2006 after the ace driver's previous relationship ended. Their connection quickly grew, leading to their marriage on January 3, 2009. They chose to incorporate one of Carl Edward’s major sponsors, Office Depot, into their wedding by purchasing all their stationery from the brand. The couple has two children together - a son, Michael, born in 2010, and a daughter, Anne, born in 2011. They maintain a private family life, keeping their children from media attention.

Katherine’s parents, Barbara and Edward Downey, come from strong academic and professional backgrounds. Her father was a lawyer, while her mother was a University of Missouri graduate. She also has a younger brother, Edward Downey Jr. Unlike many high-profile spouses, Katherine prefers to keep her personal life out of the public eye and is not active on social media.

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Carl Edwards’ Past Relationship with Amanda Beard

Before marrying Katherine, Carl Edwards was in a relationship with Olympic gold medalist swimmer Amanda Beard. They dated from 2005 to 2006, but their relationship ended after nearly a year.

As sourced via Autoweek, Beard wrote in her book that she “severely and permanently” cut ties with Carl Edwards. She accused him of being inconsiderate of her likes and too into his career. During a media session at Texas Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards addressed the book’s claims, saying:

“I've thought about that and couldn't come up with a good explanation or answer because I truly didn't know what to think about it,” he said. “All I can say is that I considered us friends and didn't realize she had all those problems. I would have done anything to have helped her. Regardless of what she writes, if she ever needs something from me I'd [still] be there to help. She's a mother and a wife and someone I cared about. I don't know what else to say about that.”

When asked if he disputed Amanda Beard’s portrayal of their relationship, Carl Edwards responded,

“Absolutely, but I don’t know where to start. I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about the psychology of feelings and opinions when you have a relationship that doesn't work or if I'm supposed to talk about the strategies to sell books or whatever. To be honest with you, it's just weird. I don't know how to address things I don't even remember happening. That's tough; it's pretty far out of left field for me. I want to be very clear: I'm not going to bash her. I'm not going to say bad things about her because I didn't know all that stuff was going on.”

Carl Edwards retired from racing at 37 feeling that he wasn't fully committed to it anymore and felt the sport was risky. He now manages his farm in Columbia, Missouri.