Mike Edwards is a humble man, a humble champion and a dedicated racer.

The 2009 NHRA Pro Stock Champion refused to count his chickens before they hatched last year, but now, with the 2010 season just around the corner, Edwards' face beams with joy when someone says, 'hey champ'.

“That sounds good doesn't it?” he says in response to the accolade.

Good enough to sustain him over the winter as the team faced the daily possibility of not being able to defend their title.

Mike Edwards is a humble man, a humble champion and a dedicated racer.

The 2009 NHRA Pro Stock Champion refused to count his chickens before they hatched last year, but now, with the 2010 season just around the corner, Edwards' face beams with joy when someone says, 'hey champ'.

“That sounds good doesn't it?” he says in response to the accolade.

Good enough to sustain him over the winter as the team faced the daily possibility of not being able to defend their title.

“It feels good,” admitted Edwards, when asked how it felt to be in Las Vegas at the Pro Stock Showdown. “These things, it take a lot of money to get them out here and make them run the way we try to run. We were real fortunate over the winter to have some great companies step up to help us.”

Over the winter, Penhall and Interstate Batteries both stepped up, giving the team a big boost. Contemporary Corvette stepped up their involvement with the team after joining the team late in the year last year. Additionally, A. R. T., a company that has a long history with Edwards, continues to provide support.

Winning the championship is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Edwards. Defending it, means the dream continues.

“It's awesome,” said Edwards. “To win in this class, with this competition we have today, makes me have to take a double take when I look at that car and it has the number 1 on it. It still feels awful good. It is just real humbling and I am thankful to get a chance to do it again.”

Edwards is sincere when he speaks of being humbled. This is a guy who doesn't even put his name on the car. His is a team, with no I in it. The team won a championship, not just the driver.

“It was a tremendous effort by all these guys. They just worked as hard as me. Harder sometimes. They just put the effort out to make it happen. We were fortunate. We had some breaks. We ran so good. I mean, 16 number one qualifiers, that's pretty good.”

Can the team repeat in 2010?

“We'll go to Pomona and see where we stack up,” said Edwards. “Whatever happens there, we'll try to get better after that. It's a long season. We'd like to get off to a good start and see what happens.”

What ever happens this year, Mike Edwards will still be the same humble individual, surrounded by a strong team, putting out their best effort.