Carl Edwards won’t race in 2017

[bigbadbrother]

Tom Jensen


In a stunning move, NASCAR star Carl Edwards is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to pursue other interests outside of driving and will not compete in 2017, FOXSports.com has learned from multiple sources.

On Wednesday, JGR will announce at a press conference that Daniel Suarez will replace Edwards as the driver of the team’s No. 19 Monster Energy Cup Series Toyota. Suarez is the reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

Representatives of Edwards and Joe Gibbs Racing declined comment.

David Wilson, president of TRD, U.S.A., also declined comment on Edwards’ departure.

Edwards, 37, broke into NASCAR’s top series in 2004, when he replaced Jeff Burton in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. The Missouri native stayed with the Roush organization until 2015, when he moved to JGR.

For his career, Edwards has 28 race victories, 22 poles, 124 top fives and 220 top 10s in 445 starts.

Edwards might be the best driver of this generation to never win a NASCAR Premier Series championship. In 2011, he and Tony Stewart tied for the championship, but Stewart won on a tiebreaker for most race victories that season.

In 2008, Edwards won nine races and appeared poised to win the title, but a late-race crash at Talladega Superspeedway ended his title hopes, as he finished second to Jimmie Johnson.

At Homestead-Miami Speedway this past November, Edwards was in contention to win both the final race of the season and the championship, but crashed after contact with Joey Logano on a restart with 10 laps to go. Edwards ended the year fourth in points, his sixth top-five points finish in just 12 full seasons of racing.

The news of Edwards stepping away is a huge surprise for most fans, but in some ways it isn’t.

Throughout his career, Edwards has been very private about his personal life. Although he is outgoing, personable and popular with his sponsors, Edwards is one of the few drivers who isn’t active on Twitter and in general keeps a very low profile on social media.

[bigbadbrother]

Tom Jensen


Carl Edwards on Wednesday made official what FOXSports.com first reported a day earlier: He is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and will not compete in NASCAR in 2017.

Appearing at a press conference at JGR’s headquarters in Huntersville, N.C., Edwards said, “I’m stepping away from full-time driving in the Cup Series. … I don’t have any intention of going back to full-time racing.”

Edwards said there were three reasons he was leaving: 1. He’s satisfied with his career. 2. He wants to devote time to the people in his life. And 3. He wants to stay healthy.

“I’m not using the ‘R’ word,” Edwards said of retirement, leaving the door open for a return to JGR. Edwards said he won’t race for another team but could do some other racing in the future.

“I want to spend time outside the sport on things that are important for me,” said Edwards. “… I really believe it’s the right thing. It’s a personal thing.”

Edwards added, “Life’s short. You’ve got to do what your gut tells you.”

The driver said he had no specific future plans figured out yet.

“There’s no life raft I’m jumping on,” he said. “I’m just jumping. And in a way that makes it easier.”

Daniel Suarez, the reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, will take over for Edwards behind the wheel of the No. 19 JGR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry for the season.

In his 13 years in the Cup Series, Edwards twice finished second in points, including a memorable tie with Tony Stewart in 2011. Stewart was awarded the NASCAR championship that year by virtue of the fact that he had more race victories.

Over his Cup career, Edwards had 28 race victories, 22 poles, 124 top fives and 220 top 10s in 445 starts.