By Terry Blount
ESPN.com
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NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was in serious but stable condition after walking away from a plane crash at Whitman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. on Tuesday night.

"There are injuries. Possible surgery," Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith said in a text message to The Associated Press. "But he walked out of the plane."

Roush was flying his private jet, a Beechcraft Premier 1A from Detroit. The jet made hard contact on landing and cracked the fuselage.

Brenda Strickland, a friend of Roush's, also was on board the plane. NASCAR journalist Bob Margolis, who is writing a book about Roush's life, was told that Roush and Strickland were not seriously hurt.

"Jack got out and had blood some blood on his face," Margolis said. "Apparently he bumped his head. They both were taken to a local hospital for observation, but I've been told they are OK."

Roush, an aviation buff, was attending the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture in Oshkosh this week.

In a statement on the EAA website, officials said a Beechcraft Premier business jet registered to Roush Fenway Racing, LLC was involved in a landing accident at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

The accident occurred at approximately 6:15 p.m. CT, the statement said.

According to the EAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and Winnebago County Sheriff's Department confirmed that two occupants on board were Roush and Strickland of Plymouth, Mich.

"Each exited the aircraft following the accident," the statement said. "Both were transported to local hospitals, with Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland with non-life threatening injuries. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the accident."

Roush, an experienced pilot, suffered serious injuries in a plane crash near Talladega, Ala., in 2002. He was flying his P-51 aircraft when it crashed into a lake. Roush was unconscious and would have drowned, but he was pulled from the water by Larry Hicks, a retired marine who lived nearby and saw the crash.

Roush owns several aircraft, including a World War II-vintage P-51 Mustang.

Terry Blount a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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In just six short years Carl Edwards has had a storied NASCAR career, moving his way from the Craftsman Truck Series to NASCAR’s elite Sprint Cup Series, winning a Nationwide Series Championship and chalking up numerous wins in between. He is considered one of NASCAR’s most voracious competitors.

In the first 10 years of his career, Carl Edwards accumulated two NASCAR-sanctioned track championships, three Rookie-of-the-Year honors, and over 75 feature wins while racing on both dirt and pavement tracks across the country. The drive and determination that Edwards showed in those 10 years launched him into a successful NASCAR career that continues into 2009 as he sets out to compete full-time in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for the fifth consecutive year.

Racing is not new to Edwards. His father, Carl Edwards, Sr., has been racing modified stock cars and USAC midgets for four decades, accumulating over 200 feature wins at several Midwestern tracks. Carl Edwards, Jr. began his racing career in 1993 at the age of 13 driving four-cylinder cars.

In 1994, following his father’s winning ways, Edwards won four feature races running on the tracks around Missouri and Illinois in the four-cylinder series. Throughout the 1995 and 1996 seasons he collected 14 additional feature wins in the four-cylinder series.

In 1997 Edwards switched to the dirt circuit to compete in the NASCAR Dirt modified division. In 1998 he won Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the modified division at Capital Speedway in Holt Summit, Mo.

Edwards picked up the pace in 1999 as he competed in the Modified (two-barrel) division and the Dirt Late Model class at Capital Speedway. He gathered 13 feature wins in the Modified division on his way to the NASCAR Track Championship.

The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series was Edwards’ next challenge in 2000. In the Pro-Modified (four-barrel) division, Edwards won 13 feature races, was Rookie-of-the-Year, and claimed the Capital Speedway Track Championship. Looking for additional challenges in 2000, he also competed in three Sportsman division races at California, Mo., and Capital Speedway – winning all three races.

Edwards won nine out of the 11 Baby Grand division races he competed in at Indianapolis, Ind., Tucson, Ariz., Lebanon, Mo., and Moberly, Mo. in 2001. He also ran five of the seven USAC Silver Crown Series pavement races. He competed at Richmond, Va., Indianapolis, Ind., Phoenix, Ariz., and Irwindale, Calif. He continued gaining valuable experience as he achieved his best finish in 15th place at Richmond. In 2003, he earned a podium finish with a third place at IRP in his only USAC race of the year.

Edwards continued to compete in the USAC Series in 2002, making eight starts. He ran seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck races for MB Motorsports, where he earned a top-10 finish at Kansas. He also captured the 2002 Baby Grand National Championship.

In 2003, the Columbia, Mo., native joined Roush Fenway Racing to drive the No. 99 Superchips Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He had an amazing rookie season, capturing three wins, one pole, 13 top-five finishes, 15 top-10 finishes and the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year award. He finished the season eighth in the point standings. Edwards kicked off the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck season with a bang by winning the season-opener at Daytona. He followed that up with a win at Kansas in July and captured a third win at Bristol. In August, Edwards got the nod from Jack Roush to move up to the NEXTEL Cup Series to finish the season in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Taurus, as well as the remaining races on the truck schedule. Edwards made his debut in the Cup car at Michigan bringing home a 10th-place finish. Edwards joined Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte and Kyle Petty as one of only five active NEXTEL Cup drivers to finish inside the top 10 in their first career Cup start. Edwards went on to finish fourth in the overall Craftsman Truck Series standings while recording five top-10 finishes in his 13 NEXTEL Cup starts, including a third-place effort at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 2005 Edwards conquered both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series full-time. Edwards was once again named Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year, this time in the Busch Series, while taking home five wins, four poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 34 starts. Edwards also led 525 total laps in the No. 60 Charter Ford and finished third in the overall point standings.

Edwards made a big impression on fans, media and competitors alike when he took to the track in 2005 in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Edwards accrued four wins, 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes while finishing third in the overall point standings and giving champion Tony Stewart a run for his money. (Edwards technically tied for second with teammate Greg Biffle, just 35 points behind first, but with six race wins Biffle took second). Edwards set numerous records in the No. 99 Ford winning his first Cup and Busch races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, becoming the only driver in history to achieve that feat. Edwards went on to sweep both Cup races at Atlanta, a track first. For win number two in the Cup Series, Edwards amazed fans when he won at the first Pocono race, becoming only the second driver to win in his first visit to the tri-oval. Richard Petty was the first when he won the inaugural Cup race there. Then in November, Edwards once again made his mark in history by becoming the first driver to win at Texas Motor Speedway under the lights in the inaugural Dickie’s 500. Truly a Cinderella year for the rookie driver.

While running his second full schedule in both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series, the 2006 season proved to be one of Edwards’ biggest challenges. After a sluggish start in the Cup Series he rebounded and completed the season with a very strong finish. While in contention for 11th place in the points, Edwards finished in the top 10 in seven of his last 10 races, finishing the season with 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. This was an outstanding rebound that enabled Edwards to finish 12th overall in the NEXTEL Cup point standings. On the Busch side, Edwards had a great run as he moved up one spot from 2005 and finished second in the overall Busch Series standings with four wins, three poles, 15 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.

In 2007 Edwards’ dedication and fortitude kept him atop the leader board for 33-consecutive weeks in the Busch Series. Edwards, claimed four wins, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in the No. 60 Scotts Ford on his way to claiming his first career NASCAR title. Edwards won the Busch Series driver’s championship by 618 points and his title marked the second Busch Series championship for Roush Fenway Racing and the final championship under the Busch colors as the series became the Nationwide Series in 2008.

Edwards made the “Chase” in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Edwards showed consistency all year but a competitive field forced Edwards and the No. 99 Office Depot team to fight for every spot on the track. On his way to a ninth-place finish in the point standings, Edwards chalked up three wins, 11 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.

Heading into the 2008 season Edwards was deemed a top contender in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. For the third time in four years Edwards made the “Chase” in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards showed consistency all through the season, but was spectacular in the “Chase” by winning three of the last four races, and extending the speculation on the championship until the last race of the year, narrowly losing to Jimmie Johnson by 69 points. Edwards claimed the second-place spot fighting for every point as he chalked up a personal high nine wins, 19 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes.

Edwards also claimed the second spot in the overall standings in the Nationwide Series. He finished just 21 points behind series leader Clint Bowyer. This was the fourth-closest finish in Nationwide Series history. The No. 60 team finished 2008 with four poles, seven wins, 19 top fives and 22 top 10s. Edwards plans to tackle both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series full-time again in 2009 for the fifth consecutive time.

Edwards topped off 2008 by winning the Tag Heuer Top Racecar Driver of the Year Award and the National Motorsports Press Association voted him as the Richard Petty Driver of the Year Award. Edwards was also the choice for 2008 NASCAR.COM Driver of the Year.

When he’s not on-track, Edwards enjoys spending time in Columbia, Mo., with his family and friends. Edwards enjoys riding motorcycles, working out and reading. He is also passionate about his philanthropic activities which include working with charities such as Speedway Children’s Charities, Dream Factory and Victory Junction Gang Camp.

--For more information about Carl, please visit www.CarlEdwards.com.
--To join Carl's Official Fan Club, please visit www.RoushFenwayFanSite.com.