Carl Edwards reflects on NASCAR career, 'opens the book' to future role in sport

Nestled in front of a 3D model of a map of the world on his wall, Carl Edwards made his first appearance after being elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 earlier in May.

Before the slew of questions were allowed to be asked, Edwards identified a handful of media members he remembered being around during his professional career as their names popped up in the Zoom teleconference.

Edwards opened his availability with enthusiasm, pointing out a boating excursion he made from the East Coast to Italy.

After taking the green flag in 750 races across all three national series, the 44-year-old is basking in retired life, but the milestone of being named to NASCAR’s pantheon has offered Edwards time to take a glimpse into the past and relive the success he had.

“This is the first time that I’ve truly been able to look at my career,” Edwards said. “I guess the way that the voting panel at the Hall of Fame looks at a career, it’s a different way to look at it and the word is just grateful. I’m so grateful that all this worked out, and I hope that through this whole process, I get to share with people how much I appreciate them.”

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As the Missouri native looked to break through in NASCAR in the early to mid-2000s, he focused a lot of his time handing out business cards and traveling to catch the attention of anyone who’d listen.

Edwards said he was often met with scoffs and laughter during that time, which made him even more shocked by his Hall of Fame bid.

When asked if he ever thought he’d be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Edwards swiftly answered, “No. Not in a million years.”

Maybe it was his abrupt retirement from the sport after the 2016 season that gave Edwards the doubt a shot at the Hall of Fame was even possible.

Still in the prime of his career and coming off an appearance in the Championship 4, Edwards called it a career and has remained out of the limelight since to keep his primary focus on his family. But as years passed, he took the time to provide insight into what led to his decision to step away from racing and began by evaporating the cloud that hovered over his announcement in January 2017.

“I want to be very explicit. I did not leave the sport because of the way 2016 ended, period,” Edwards said.

Despite the heartbreak of losing out on his first Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it did not play a role in his decision to leave the sport, and Edwards added that he left the sport with “no regrets.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t go back. I wouldn’t have one more point in that tie with Tony Stewart. I wouldn’t change anything in 2016. I mean, I feel just completely blessed. Things are great. Of course, I’d like some more trophies, but I wouldn’t change anything.

“As far as being an impetus for my stepping away, I’ll go right back to what I said not clearly enough when I did it. I just needed time. Right towards the end of my career, I realized I’m not spending any time doing really anything other than racing and that time I never get back. I really felt that I had done everything I personally wanted to do in the sport.”

While Edwards couldn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport, it would be dumbfounded to disagree with him for not accomplishing everything he aimed for.

From the Craftsman Truck to Cup Series, Edwards nabbed 72 race trophies, 28 of them coming at the Cup level. He would cap each victory with his patented backflip that evolved Edwards into a beloved driver and one fans were eager to see take the checkered flag in hopes to witness the acrobatic celebration.

MORE: All of Edwards’ Cup victories

Ricky Rudd, who will join Edwards in the induction ceremony as the second modern-era electee in the Class of 2025, was known as the original “Iron Man” in NASCAR, holding a consecutive starts record at 788 until it was broken by Jeff Gordon in 2015. Edwards had his own type of “Iron Man’ prowess, running full-time in both the Cup and Xfinity Series from 2005-2011.

Highlighted by an Xfinity title in 2007 and 16 wins across both series in 2008, there arguably was no driver, outside of seven-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, more decorated in that span than Edwards.

“I remember when Jack [Roush] and I were sitting in his airplane, and he kind of challenged me. He’s like, ‘You think you can run both series full-time?’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I mean, this is my dream,” Edwards said. “For the first three years of my career, I thought, ‘Man, these races are great, but they’re not long enough.’ I love driving race cars, and so those seven years, everyone at Roush [now RFK Racing] put so many resources into me being able to run full-time. And so seven years of that, I think that’s something like almost 500 races. For me, at that time, it was perfect. Looking back, I probably should have focused on the Cup car more, but man, I was having fun.”

Edwards added that his runs in Cup and Xfinity didn’t affect his longevity, but he never achieved the work-life balance he fought hard for.

By the time Edwards reached the final years of his racing tenure, the weight of not spending more time with his family began taking a toll as he wanted to tend to their needs rather than continue to fulfill his own personal agenda.

“This is how life works in my world. There are a lot of shiny things out there that compete for attention,” Edwards said. “When I realized there are certain things that if you don’t show up, nobody else is going to do. So, for a large part of my career, I felt like I needed to show up, and I need to be in that seat driving those race cars. I felt like that’s what I was supposed to be doing.

“Around 2015, ’16, really 2016 is the first time I looked around and thought, ‘Wow, there’s some other things that I really need to tend to in life.’ My family is … nobody else is going to take my role there.”

However, even Edwards admits the itch to get back behind the wheel of a stock car will always exist, but he’s thwarted every call and attempt to get him in a ride.

But when he’s on those opportunistic calls, Edwards said he can’t help getting excited at the idea of racing again.

“Still to this day, when people call me and ask me to drive race cars, there’s like a young man in me that says, ‘This is the greatest thing ever. It’s Christmas. They are calling me to drive a race car,\"” Edwards said.

“If I go down that path, I’m not going to do it halfway. So for me, I had to make a very clean break, and that’s just me. I know that was taken by some people as disrespect for the sport. I’m certain it was to some degree. I could have done it better. But the impetus for coming back was after a number of years, so many people reached out to me, they were so kind to me, and to be honored with something like the [NASCAR 75 Greatest Drivers], those were such giant honors. I thought, ‘You know what, I’ve got to go let people know how much I appreciate this.”

Edwards visited Darlington Raceway in the spring of 2023 as the 75 Greatest Drivers were all recognized at the track during Throwback Weekend.

During the Cup race, Edwards was invited to the FOX Sports booth and got to call and analyze the on-track action alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer.

“I had more fun than I thought I would have last year at Darlington up in the booth with Clint and Mike,” Edwards said. “It really was enjoyable. That shocked me. I went there thinking, ‘OK, this is a huge honor, and it’s something I need to go and respect the honor.’ I left thinking, man, that’s fun, and so I think if I were to come back in a regular capacity, what I enjoyed was being up in the booth. I enjoyed kind of calling the race to whatever degree I did there. That part I enjoyed. So maybe something like that. But I don’t have anything lined up right now, but definitely much more open to that than I ever have been.”

Edwards hasn’t been at a track since then, but the openness to being more present in the NASCAR world has never been more apparent.

Racing may not be in the future for the soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee, but Edwards is ready to take on another venture in the sport, and that’s serving as an ambassador to spread the word about NASCAR.

“Absolutely, I’m up to that task,” Edwards said. “The more I look back on my career and all the wonderful things and wonderful people, the more I’m happy to share my love for the sport, my gratitude to everyone involved. I’ll try to do the best I can.”

When February 7 rolls around next year, Edwards will officially be immortalized in NASCAR history. Once he receives his Hall of Fame ring and concludes his speech, he’s open to whatever the next chapter is.

“It doesn’t close the book. What it does for me, and I didn’t expect this at all … it opens the book,” Edwards said. “It makes me remember and realize and put into perspective what I was just trying to describe imperfectly, I’m sure. It’s how much went into this, how much energy was put by all the guys that worked on the cars, built the cars, sold the sponsorship, the media, the fans, everyone. And I got to be in the driver’s seat. I got to be, live my greatest, wildest dreams as a kid. It’s not something that I did, and it’s done. This sport lives on, the spirit of everyone’s striving and trying to be the best they can and competing, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it while I was.”