Carl Edwards took the NASCAR world by surprise in 2016. He announced that he would no longer continue racing after an agonizingly close call at his first Cup Series championship. Edwards was taken out of contention after being wrecked by Joey Logano just 10 laps into the race at Homestead. It felt like the bitter defeat propelled the decision for Edwards to call it quits from NASCAR racing.

On the contrary, though, Edwards had a different reason, “There’s risk involved, and If I’m not committed 100%, I don’t feel like it’s the right thing for me to do,” he was quoted saying, via NASCAR. However, despite being unable to conquer NASCAR’s highest peak, the former JGR driver will receive his flowers as he enters the Hall of Fame.

From the sour ending to his glorious Cup racing career, studded with 72 race victories, to now being enshrined as one of NASCAR’s greats. The NASCAR fraternity watched closely, believing that, perhaps, now is the time for Edwards to rethink his stance and stage a comeback. Unfortunately, he is still firm on his decision and explains its reasoning in an interview with Bob Pockrass.

Carl Edwards still feels NASCAR is a risky sport

Shutting down all possibilities of him getting behind the wheel of a Cup car again, Carl Edwards had one straightforward “NO” for everyone.

Evidently, NASCAR racing has changed a lot since Edwards retired. Even some of the seasoned drivers, like Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, are having a tough time cracking the code to success with the Next-Gen car. Jimmie Johnson’s return to Cup racing hasn’t been a fairytale story. In fact, his recent troubles just show how dramatically racing has changed in a short period.

However, Bob Pockrass did mention Jonhson’s stint of returning to Cup racing after being inducted into the HOF. And followed it up with a question regarding Edwards’ comeback. To which he humbly replied, “I mean, Jimmie’s Jimmie; he’s a racecar driver and he’s gonna be doing it forever. Yeah, for me, no plans right now. The reason I don’t get into a car now, is because I absolutely respect how tough it is. I know how tough it is.”

Reiterating his previous reservations regarding racing back among the top dogs, he added, “I don’t think I would be as good as I should be, and second, there’s real risk involved. That’s one of the things that I touched on a little bit when I stepped away. That’s a serious thing. I mean the head injuries, the potential for long-term stuff there. I don’t feel like that risk is the best thing for me now.” The potential risk of injuries outweighs his inclination towards the sports now, and it’s an understandable choice.

Carl Edwards’s concerns are not vague, especially if you look at the likes of Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both of them have suffered the brunt of racing due to their health, forcing them to make an early retirement call. And having a career as good as Carl Edwards, you can relax in content looking back. However, there’s always more to achieve.

Recently, Edwards was decided to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, something even he did not expect after being distant from the sport for so long.

Edwards’ conflicted emotions about his induction to the HOF

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The former JGR driver was surrounded by mixed emotions about his future in NASCAR after losing out on the championship back in 2016. While he did cite reasons about the work-life imbalances that further pushed the needle for him in making the difficult choice, that somehow drove him away from the sport. “I think of a Hall of Fame person as someone who gave more. I guess that’s why it shocked me. I see myself as someone who won the lottery in the racing,” he said.

He was up against the likes of Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, and Jeff Burton in the modern-era ballot. Fans questioned his pick as HOF inductee when the results were announced, especially over Burton, who has been engaged with the fans and sport, serving as an analyst at NBC. Coming clean on this criticism, Edwards explained, “Once I stepped away, I hoped that people in the sport didn’t feel like I was being disrespectful, and I hope they know how much I appreciate it. The sport gave me more, and I just didn’t feel like I gave more.”

However, his induction is expected to bring him closer to the sport. While he chooses to distance himself from racing, he could perhaps take up a mentorship role or work in some capacity with a Cup team, just like Kurt Busch does at 23XI Racing.