After Hall of Fame Glory, Carl Edwards Reveals Desire to Follow Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick’s Footsteps

If you think motorsport is not physically demanding, think again! Turning and hitting the brake requires quite a bit of physical force because of the high speed and let’s not forget how drivers have to constantly control their cars by engaging their arms, upper body, and legs. So it can get exhausting over the years. Now after retirement, names like Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick choose a smooth transition into another career that’s not as grueling: Broadcasting. Carl Edwards seems to be interested in something similar.

Recently, the 44-year-old driver was gobsmacked to receive NASCAR’s highest honor- an induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. On May 21st, Carl Edwards was on a flight when the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was announced. As soon as he landed, his wife broke the news to him. He was officially set to be a Hall of Famer, and Edwards was flabbergasted. “I was shocked, and I still am at how much it means to me,” he said. But he wanted to further contribute to the sport.

Carl Edwards prefers the microphone over the fire suit!

The 72-time NASCAR race winner was one of the sport’s most successful drivers from the mid-2000s until his retirement in 2016. However, post-retirement, he focused mainly on his family and community work like disaster relief, following severe weather outbreaks in the Midwest. His absence from the NASCAR scene is probably why fans questioned his worth in winning the honor.

However, Carl Edwards strives to make himself relevant to the sport again. The Athletic journalist, Jeff Gluck, recently spilled that Edwards prefers the mic over the fire suit. “Carl Edwards indicates he’s “much more open” to doing TV “than I ever have been” but he will not be back in a Cup Series car again. He has done some Cup sim stuff, but no plans to race in Cup.”

Edwards revealed that while discussing his prior broadcasting experience. He debuted in the ESPN booth back in 2012, calling Nationwide Series races at Darlington Raceway and Kentucky Speedway. The following year, he again stood in the ESPN broadcast booth for three races. And as we know, veterans like Kevin Harvick entered the FOX Sports booth this season and Dale Earnhardt Jr moved from NBC to TNT Sports for 2025. So it seems fans can expect to see more veterans in the broadcasting booth.

However, this trend of hearing from veteran drivers like Kevin Harvick, Dale Jr, and now Carl Edwards is nothing new. In fact, NASCAR on FOX had an elaborate strategy behind it.

Why did NASCAR deliberately want more veterans in the booth?

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For the 2022 season, NASCAR on FOX officials concocted a unique idea. Jeff Gordon was set to leave the booth for a permanent executive stint in HMS. Instead of having just one driver replace him, FOX decided to bring in a slew of veteran drivers. For instance, Tony Stewart was the analyst for the Busch Light Clash and the Daytona 500. Then Matt Kenseth joined the booth for the next two races, followed by a pair of appearances by Danica Patrick. This was done to increase fan engagement.

FOX producer, Barry Landis, narrated to Forbes how the scheme paid off. “I’ve enjoyed all three of them. They were all so different in their approach, and it’s really tough to rank them. All three of them touched people on different levels, and they enjoyed certain aspects of their game.”

Mike Joy, a veteran announcer since 2001, also admired this unique strategy. “We’re sitting on a three-legged stool. Inform, educate and entertain are the three legs,” Joy said. “By mixing up the commentary booth, it helps keep things fresh for both Clint and me.” At the moment, Joy announces along with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer.

Surely, NASCAR fans are up for a joy ride with their favorite veteran drivers tuning in to offer in-depth and technical analysis of the sport. What do you think?