Few drivers step away from NASCAR at the height of their careers. Carl Edwards is one of them. Known for his humble and laidback demeanor, the former racing driver has been there and done that in the stock car racing world. Hailing from Missouri, the racer secured three wins during the 2016 season and finished the year fourth in the drivers standing at the age of 37. However, to everyone’s surprise, he announced his retirement from the sport a few months after the season ended and never looked back.

Eight years have passed by, and speculation is still rife about the underlying reasons behind his retirement. Even though many fans believed he was far from done, Edwards thought otherwise and yearned to pursue interests away from the racetrack.

Carl Edwards’ abrupt retirement shocked the NASCAR world

It all started on dirt tracks in Missouri. Despite studying engineering for three semesters, Carl Edwards knew that his calling was away from the university campus. However, pursuing a full-time racing career was easier said than done, which is why he balanced his passion for living in the fast lane while working as a substitute teacher. Eventually, Edwards got his big break in 2002 in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he ended up making seven appearances for MB Motorsports. Despite enduring mixed results in his rookie campaign, an eighth-place finish at Kansas Speedway gave him all the encouragement he needed to follow his dream.

Even though many believed that Carl Edwards ended his career prematurely, the racing driver didn’t share the same sentiment. Looking back at his decision, the Missouri native said, “Obviously, I did it because I didn’t think that was, at that time, that’s not how the best way I wanted to spend my life. I wanted to focus on my family and go do all of these things outside of the sport.” While retiring at 38 is far from early, his final season at Joe Gibbs Racing proved to be his best since 2012, which might be why many felt Edwards still had a lot more to give.

Despite winning the 2007 Busch Series championship, the Bill France Cup at the highest level eluded Carl Edwards. He famously lost to Tony Stewart in a dramatic tiebreaker in 2011, which was the second time he finished runner-up in the Cup Series. According to speculation, many believed that he was still bitter about missing out on the silverware after coming agonizingly close on several occasions. In 2016, Edwards made contact with Joey Logano at Homestead-Miami in the final race, which forced him to crash and miss out once again. Nobody knew at that time it would be the Missouri native’s last appearance.

Dismissing the narrative, Carl Edwards highlighted the reasons behind his retirement by saying, “I need to be a good father and a good husband. I was not able to do that personally. I realized I wasn’t doing a good enough job of that. Number two, I felt like I had accomplished all I needed to accomplish in the sport for me.” While many other drivers, such as Martin Truex Jr. look to pursue a part-time career, Edwards opted for a clean break. Thus began his self-imposed exile from the sport, despite making the odd appearance for being inducted into the Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame or being named amongst NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Mark Martin struggled to understand Edwards’ retirement reason

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It all seemed so sudden. Carl Edwards finished the 2016 season with nine top-five finishes, which included three race wins. If lady luck was on his side, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the Missouri native could have won the Cup Series championship as well. However, in a surprising turn of events, the racer opted to retire at the end of the season, clarifying, “I want to say that I did not leave the sport because of the way 2016 ended, period.” However, the decision left many scratching their heads, including his former teammate, Mark Martin.

Martin, who partnered up with Edwards at Roush Fenway Racing from 2004 to 2006, said, “I thought I knew Carl pretty well. He and I have not have a chance to discuss it. I just don’t know what factors really went into making that decision. I’ll know and understand it when he gets a chance to take me through his decision process.” He went on to say in another press conference, “I put him right near the top of the list of wanting to race as bad as anybody I’ve ever known. So I’m a little confused.”

Ultimately, Daniel Suarez took over the No. 19 Toyota ahead of the 2017 season after Carl Edwards’ retirement. While the 45-year-old has no intention of returning to the racetrack anytime soon, he continues to dream about living in the fast lane. “I was just telling somebody I have dreams about racing about every three nights.” The Missouri native will be eventually inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 7th, 2025, a fitting honor to a racing legend who will inspire racers for generations.