Give Up Hopes of Carl Edwards Returning to NASCAR
In a radio interview, Carl Edwards squashed any chance of a return to racing.
When Carl Edwards announced he was stepping away from NASCAR competition, effective immediately in January 2017, he refused to use the word “retirement.” In the time since, fans have held onto the hope that Edwards would return. After all, he wasn’t officially “retired.” He was just stepping away from racing, right? Edwards refusal to use the “r” word resulted in rumors of his return, including one that had him joining Dodge for its return to national-level NASCAR competition.
That Dodge ship has sailed, though. Actually, it sunk. After Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne publicly stated in December 2016 that Dodge was seriously considering a return to NASCAR, a study by the manufacturer deemed a return to NASCAR as “too complex, and more importantly, too expensive.”
Still, fans held on to hope that Edwards return. Well, Edwards seemed to sink that ship in an interview with Claire B. Lang on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday.
“I don’t have any plans to come back,” Edwards said. “I do miss a lot of people. I stay in touch with a lot of folks and have fun, but I really appreciate the time from Joe Gibbs and everyone else to go do the things I want to do. I do miss the fans, and there are a couple races I’d like to be a part of, but for the most part, I’m having a lot of fun.”
So, what has Edwards been doing in his newly-found free time? Farming. But don’t call him a farmer. He said that wouldn’t be fair to actual farmers.
“We're farming, and we’ve been having fun with it. We’re getting ready to plant a bunch of corn and soybeans,” he said.
Something else Edwards may consider down the road? A run for public office. But there are no specific plans, at least not right now.
“I really believe in America and that the Constitution is a fair rule that’s letting us have all of our success and our freedom, so if sometime there’s a chance for me to help that cause and lend some assistance to not letting us get off track, then, heck yes,” Edwards said. "But there’s nothing planned anytime soon.”
Sounds like there’s a better chance we’ll see Edwards the politician than a return to Edwards the race car driver.
