Carl Edwards recently looked back on one of the most pivotal personal moments during a difficult stretch in his NASCAR Cup Series career. The Hall of Famer revealed he almost gave up on his relationship with current wife Kate until he realized she was the centerpiece of his life outside of racing.

Edwards has long kept his family life out of the public eye. He and his wife, Dr. Catherine “Kate” Downey, married in January 2009 and have two children: daughter Anne and son Michael. Even in the spotlight, Edwards rarely spoke publicly about his family, keeping his private life separate.

However, in a recent interview, that balance became a topic of discussion when Edwards was asked about managing family life during the toughest period of his career. The questions center around 2009, one of only three winless seasons in his full-time Cup career with the team. Roush Fenway Racing.

“So Kate and I got married on January 3, 2009… I met Kate in 2007 when we were talking about my career and my views on it. We went to high school together. We weren’t friends in high school. I met her about 10 years later,” Carl Edwards said on the show.Faith Driven Investor Podcast” (from 25:11). “I had no interest in dating Kate, and I didn’t think she was interested in dating me, but her friend’s dad said, ‘You and her are one. ‘”

Carl Edwards Recalling how he got her phone number, they started dating as his cup career was waning.

“It was around the end of 2008 that I won a lot of money and that was the first time people saw the cracks and I was trying to figure out what was going on and then I realized it wasn’t all that it seemed,” Edwards said. “Kate is the only woman in my life that I know deep down she doesn’t care at all about appearance. She doesn’t care if I compete or not.” (Starting at 26:10)

“That night I tried to break up with you and the next morning I woke up in a panic,” he continued. “I knew I wanted to marry her.”

They tied the knot. Edwards describes how Kate’s independence shaped their family life during his racing career. She is a doctor in Missouri who maintains a full-time work schedule even as her responsibilities at NASCAR increase.

“She worked Monday through Thursday…we would throw the kids on a plane, go to the racetrack, live in the RV Friday, Saturday, Sunday and come home in the middle of the night,” Edwards adds (26:52 later).

Carl Edwards noted that this routine continued until his retirement in 2016, and credited his wife for keeping everything organized despite escalating demands. His career quickly rebounded. In 2010, he finished fourth in the Cup, 2011 title narrowly lost to Tony Stewart In the tiebreaker.

Carl Edwards reveals the moment that made him retire and prioritize family

A few years later, Carl Edwards found himself back in title contention, this time Joe Gibbs Racing. He finished runner-up in 2015 and entered the 2016 offseason with a clear path to another championship. However, he explained that changes were already starting to happen internally.

“We basically ended the season a few laps away from winning the championship,” Edwards said on the same podcast (28:22 later). “Thank God we didn’t win the game. I probably would have still played. When I got home, something was stirring for about a year. I was like, man, this doesn’t feel right.”

Edwards describes a defining winter moment that followed 2016 season This changed his perspective.

“The moment for me was sitting in our house in the winter after the 2016 season. We were going to win the championship next year. Everything was on cruise control and I was talking to someone very close to me, a much older man,” Edwards added. “He was struggling with alcoholism… I was 36 and he was 66. My son and daughter were about five, six, seven years old and it just shocked me.”

The contrast made Carl Edwards realize he couldn’t shake it.

“I’m going to keep playing for 10 more years. I’m going to hit my head 25 more times. Thirty years from now, I’m going to be on the other end of the phone. My kids won’t know me. They’re going to resent me for everything I’ve done. I’m going to give up on my life. I just can’t ignore that,” he concluded.

After the decision was made, Carl Edwards stated that he approached Joe Gibbs and was prepared to resist. But to his surprise, Gibbs provided support at his own expense and the sponsors stayed on.

Edwards retired from playing full-time after the 2016 season. Nearly a decade later, his career was officially recognized and he was hired 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame.