Why & When Did Carl Edwards Retire?

Many consider NASCAR to be a sport that people can participate in for a long time, which is why some retirements come as a shock to fans and even other racers.

Carl Edwards announced he would “step away” from NASCAR in 2017. He gave three distinct reasons for quitting: he was satisfied with his accomplishments in the support; racing took up too much of his time, and he was still healthy enough to enjoy his life. In 2020, he officially announced retirement. 

Edwards was in NASCAR for nearly 20 years.

Official Retirement Announcement

When Carl announced that he was leaving NASCAR for some time, many assumed he would be back. However, in April 2020, he officially announced that he had retired. He liked his quiet life in Missouri and didn’t want to go back to the fast-paced world of racing.

Carl Never Won A Championship

Many were shocked when Carl announced his retirement, even though there were signs of it for some time. At 37-years-old, he was still young and hadn’t yet won a championship. He had several close calls, including a tiebreaker and an accident with four laps to go. In both of those races, he came in second place.

Edwards earned 28 Cup victories in 445 starts between the years of 2004 and 2016. He had top 10 finishes in nearly half of those races, an excellent record. Regularly, he was cited as “one to watch” to win almost every championship. 

Carl was in the top four of the NASCAR playoff chase five times, including his last season when he came within 10 laps of winning the title. His best finishes were those aforementioned runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2011.