One of the biggest mysteries that hit NASCAR in the mid-2010s was probably Carl Edwards’ disappearance. The 2007 Xfinity Series champion had just crashed out of a serious bid for the 2016 Cup Series championship. Right when Edwards was at the peak of his career, he dropped a bomb – he exited the sport, leaving fans of his signature backflip baffled in sadness. After getting inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he explained his reason very clearly- “My family…nobody else is going to take my role there.” 

People had speculated about this bizarre departure for more than half a decade! Ranging from a twin championship heartbreak (the first one was in 2011) to a show of disrespect for the sport, many possible reasons popped up. But for Carl Edwards, it was the best decision ever – because what can ever come before your family?

A heart-warming moment restored Carl Edwards’ faith

Carl Edwards’ NASCAR career was star-studded, to say the least. Between 2005-2011, he ran full-time in both the Cup and the Xfinity Series, earning his ‘Iron Man’ title. Two years stood out – after picking up the 2007 Xfinity title, he picked up 16 wins in both series in 2008. Despite all these achievements, several things seemed to go wrong for Edwards in the 2016 championship race. His motorhome broke down, he almost wrecked with Danica Patrick in practice. Finally, a ‘phantom caution’ with four laps to go made him crash out. For Edwards, these were signs that the universe was sending to him. Apparently, bigger, better things were right around the corner.

In a recent interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards confessed he felt a little queasy during the first few months of his retirement. “I was really a little bit lost. I would go places, go into a room… ‘How’s your season going?’ I’m like, ‘Uh, I’m not racing anymore.’ Then they look at you and like, ‘What the hell are you talking about? You’re not racing?’ It was so strange and I felt embarrassed about telling people, ‘I’m trying to be a good dad, I’m trying to be a good husband.'”

Carl Edwards married his hometown girlfriend, Katherine Downey, in 2009. They have two children – a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in 2011. When he wanted to spend quality time with his family, Edwards still could not shake off his racing nostalgia. He continued, “I remember Kate tried to turn the race on, it was Atlanta 2017. She’s like, ‘Let’s watch the race!’ I watched about a lap and a half and I was like, ‘Man, my head’s spinning.’ I can’t even imagine that I’m not in that car. And so I shut it off.”

However, the real motivational factor came a short while later. A heartwarming moment with his son was all that Carl Edwards needed to restore his faith in his decision to leave the sport. “I was lying in bed with Kate. My son woke up and I heard him running down the hallway and he jumped into bed with me. He jumped in my side of the bed and that’s the first time that had ever happened. ‘Cause I was the guy that kinda showed up and left and Kate was the parent. I thought, ‘Holy crap.’ Kate just said, ‘This is what you’ve been missing.’ And that was pretty shocking to me. So yeah, it’s been a hell of a good thing since I stepped out of the race car.”

Yet the same man who disappeared is now back in town. Carl Edwards is not returning to the racetrack, but he is back to NASCAR in another role.

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Embracing his role wholeheartedly

When Carl Edwards decided to leave NASCAR, nothing could shake his conviction. “I had to make a very clean break,” he admitted last in 2024. He wholeheartedly accepted the path he was embarking upon – similarly, now he is devoting his entire attention to his new role in NASCAR. Amazon Prime announced its line-up of race analysts for the 2025 schedule, and Carl Edwards is one of them.

The five-race Amazon schedule begins on May 25th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Edwards will join Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a bevy of other veterans in the booth. With his 28 Cup Series race wins across 12 seasons, Edwards may be one of the most articulate and insightful hires for Amazon.

And Carl Edwards is heartily looking forward to executing his new NASCAR duty. He said recently: “The thing I’m excited about…is to get to talk a little bit…especially since I’m not competing anymore, I got nothing to hide — there’s no trade secrets I don’t want to talk about. I want to share with the fans what might be going on inside of that helmet, inside of that car. I want to ask the drivers, before, after, maybe away from the track, ‘What’s going on? What is really driving you? What are your fears? What are your hopes? What are the difficulties? What are the things that you’re so good at that maybe aren’t obvious for someone just watching the racing?’”

Evidently, Carl Edwards has established himself as a man with no regrets. Nobody can doubt the decisions he took across his career. That is because he knew what to prioritize – be it his family or a NASCAR career.