Carl Edwards: “I definitely have an interest in going back and driving a little bit.”
Carl Edwards returns and details his new life away from the race track
Between 2004-2015, Carl Edwards netted career race earnings of $80,473,708. That sum comes from NASCAR Cup Series competition alone following his 28 wins.
What that number doesn’t include is earnings from the 38 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the 6 additional wins in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It also doesn’t included earning from his final season in 2016.
Following a crash in the Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2016, Carl Edwards walked away. Not only from the crash, but from his entire racing career.
He still had time left on his contract. Edwards received permission from his car owner Joe Gibbs and then he made an abrupt exit from the sport.
This weekend, Carl Edwards surfaced. He was at Texas Motor Speedway to raise some funds for charity and also get inducted into the Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.
Carl Edwards returns
“I really miss it here,” Carl Edwards refers to Texas Motor Speedway. “You watch the in-car and just watching these guys come off of four.”
“This is such a tough place. You drive down in the corner and the car moves around a lot. Especially with this wind. You’re trying to work over those bumps. That’s definitely a part of this I miss.”
Texas Motor Speedway has been repaved since Carl Edwards announced his abrupt retirement. However, when Eddie Gossage repaved it, he left the bumps. The goal was to leave the character in the race track. Typically, a new surface is going to be completely smooth. In Texas, they created a new surface that’s like an old one.
“It’s getting harder,” Edwards refers to his choice of jumping out of the cockpit. “But, it’s fun to see everybody. I got to stop by the #19 hauler. It’s pretty cool to see a bunch of familiar faces.”
Do you have an interest in coming back?
“Not right now. But, I definitely have an interest in going back and driving a little bit. But, nothing full-time. I’m not looking for a job.”
“You talk about the playoff pressure, I miss that. I miss coming here three years ago and having to perform. That’s what the sport’s all about.”
What’s Carl Edwards up to?
As far as social media is concerned, Carl Edwards doesn’t exist. That has left us completely in the dark of what the mysterious NASCAR legend is up to in his new life away from the race track.
“I’ve been doing everything,” Edwards says.
“I traveled all over the world. Been having a ton of fun with family and friends. I signed up for a mountain bike race that I shouldn’t have signed up for. So, now I’m training for that. I’m just enjoying life.”
Aside from land activities, Carl Edwards has been spending a lot of time on the water. Specifically, the open seas portion of the waters. Edwards has sailed across The Atlantic Ocean, twice.
“That’s a different world man. It’s a lot of fun. There’s some neat stuff out there.”
“I thought it was so great. The first day, they started calling me buckets. Cause I threw up so much. So, I have the nickname ‘buckets’ and I was thinking, ‘Man, this is so dumb.’ But, about 10-days in it’s pretty cool.”
What race track does Carl Edwards miss?
“That’s easy, that’s Sonoma and Homestead. I love Sonoma because it’s so neat to slide around and jump the curbs.”
“I like Homestead because of that build up to the end of the year and that championship on the line. Running right buy the fence and just hoping you don’t screw up.”
Edwards on his NASCAR retirement
Carl Edwards was competitive all the way to the end of his career. He never won a NASCAR Cup Series championship. However, Edwards finished 2nd in series standings, twice.
In fact, his last race ended while he was making a move for the lead and a championship on one of his favorite tracks, Homestead. He was clipped while making a bold move for the lead. Edwards was sent into the inside in the closing laps of the race.
Carl Edwards ended his career in a violent crash in his final race. He then walked into the infield care center. Shortly after that, Edwards announced his retirement from the sport.
What happened?
“It wasn’t because of that race,” Edwards explained.
“But, that race to me — Yeah, it was heartbreaking and it was something that I think about from time to time. But, our performance that day was great.”
“The more I’m away from racing, the more I realize that the beauty — the real thing that racing was giving me was the opportunity to better myself. To work hard to compete against these guys.”
“The race wins aren’t what I remember the most. It’s just that battle, every week.”
How hard was it to walk away?
“It’s very hard. Everyone here, we’ve all given our lives to racing,” Edwards continued.
“But, I know myself. If I come here and hang around, I’m done, I’m back in. Who knows? Maybe some day I’ll be back in, both feet. If I do, I guarantee it will be 100%.”
“I never say, no. I’m a race car driver,” Edwards concluded.
Carl Edwards returns to a NASCAR race
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