Carl Edwards has been out of NASCAR since the conclusion of the 2016 season and ever since his retirement, the former driver has rarely been in the news or around the track. That was until a few weeks ago.
Edwards was announced as one of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers as the sport celebrates its 75th season. The 43-year-old was back in the news cycle and even did an interview where he talked about his life post-NASCAR and his desire to tour Trackhouse Racing’s facility.
It got even better on May 7 when it was announced that Edwards would join the FOX Sports Booth for Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Needless to say, Edwards was amazing and dropped notable bits of information throughout the weekend.
Related: Carl Edwards‘ desire to tour Trackhouse Racing, stresses he won’t drive No. 91 car
Carl Edwards doesn’t rule out a return to NASCAR, talks about the next steps
As stated above, Edwards joined the FOX Sports booth in Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway and it was an overwhelming success. In fact, many wanted him to stay in the booth for the remainder of the race.
This was due to Edwards’ knowledge and his ability to deeply talk about the event. It was almost like he had never left and had been around NASCAR for the last seven years. Unfortunately for NASCAR fans, that is not the case.
The former NASCAR driver has been away from the sport and everyone enjoys having him around. The love for Edwards has grown after he unexpectedly retired from the Cup Series despite coming so close to a championship.
Due to his retirement, Edwards has been asked multiple times if he is going to return to NASCAR at some point. This is what the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver had to say about it on the FS1 broadcast during Sunday afternoon’s event.
“It was easy to not race when I first stepped away, but it’s getting harder and harder (to not race in NASCAR). I like sliding stuff around and driving cars. So there’ll be a time when I go do something. Maybe sim work, something like that…to see if I could still drive. It’s a step-by-step process. I love racing cars. I love driving cars. But I want to do it at 100%. For me, to step away from the sport when I did, I got to go do the things that I wanted to do 100% and if I ever come back, I want to be able to give it all I got.”
Carl Edwards on the possibility of returning to NASCAR
This is actually a surprising answer because Edwards is considering the idea of returning to NASCAR. It even goes to the point where he is thinking about simulator work down the road to see if he can drive the NextGen car.
Obviously, it’s important to note the last part. If Edwards is going to return for some races, he will need to give it his all or it is not worth it. Still, the former NASCAR driver is considering it and that wasn’t even the first time he commented on it. This is what Edwards had to say about the possibility on a stage with Matt Kenseth ahead of the race.
“It looks pretty fun,” Edwards said. “I just love sliding cars around. That’s what I like. I like the way the tires feel when everything is sliding around and (Darlington) is a place where you can do that. I don’t have any plans to (return) but heck, who knows.”
The idea of Edwards returning to NASCAR for select races has only grown over the weekend. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen; however, Carl Edwards’ presence in NASCAR is something everybody loves to see.
In the meantime, whether you are watching it live or looking for how to watch NASCAR on TV or another streaming platform, Sportsnaut has you covered for the upcoming weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway!