“I Went Cold Turkey”- Carl Edwards Comes Clean on the Truth Behind NASCAR Return With Heartfelt ‘Family’ Claim

Carl Edwards. Hall of Famer. 28 Cup wins, 1 Xfinity Championship. He was once the face of NASCAR, but he shocked everyone when he decided to retire after the 2016 season with Joe Gibbs Racing. This wasn’t any ordinary retirement. Edwards disappeared from the face of NASCAR, only coming back in 2023 when he joined the FOX booth as a guest analyst.

Edwards is a legend of the sport, a superhero-like figure who celebrated his victories doing backflips off his car’s window. In the last year of his NASCAR career, he came so close to winning an elusive title but crashed in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Edwards is also a part of the only points tiebreaker in Cup Series history along with Tony Stewart in 2011, where the former fell short again on race wins. It was a successful yet heartbreaking career for Edwards, which many speculated was the reason he left so abruptly.

However, he just wanted to give more time to his young family. Now, his return to the mainstream spotlight of the sport was initiated by his Hall of Fame induction in 2025, where he delivered one of the most iconic and heartwarming speeches the Hall has ever heard. As he looks forward to take on another venture in NASCAR in 2025, he reflected on his exit, and why he is choosing to make a return in 2025.

Carl Edwards just wants to have fun

After multiple years of staying quiet behind the scenes, why did Edwards decide to make a return to the sport in such a sudden turn of events? The answer did not lie in some meticulously crafted contract or a lucrative deal by the broadcasters but in a simple and genuine connection. It all started with Prime offering a 5 race deal to Carl Edwards instead of binding him for the full season.

Edwards told SiriusXM NASCAR, “Because the way I walked away…I went cold turkey…You know, I got a lot of calls. People say, Hey! Come do this… And I’ve said no to basically everything.” Back in 2016, when Edwards walked away from racing, he had no idea or intention of returning. At the age of 37 (in 2016), Edwards was not necessarily past his prime; if anything, he just came as close as he ever did to a championship. However, family comes first, and Edwards does not regret the call he made, only the way he made it. “I don’t regret leaving. I could have probably done it better,” he told The Athletic in 2025. So, returning in some capacity was the only way to make things right.

As his family has grown, so has his itch to be back in the sport, and when former Senior Media Relations Manager for JGR, Randy Fuller, got in touch with him, the light bulb in his head lit up. “Randy Fuller said, ‘Hey, Amazon’s going to do some of these races. It’s five races and they want to talk to you.’ And it struck me at the time, I thought, man, five races? You know, my kids are kind of getting into racing. My family is asking questions about what my career was like. Maybe this will be cool,” Edwards added.

Edwards has two children with his wife, Katherine Edwards. Their younger son, Michael, is 14, while their daughter, Anne, is 15. As they grow, their curiosity for their father’s racing career builds, and Edwards wants to show them what it’s really like to be involved with a sport that has given him so much joy. However, doing it with the right people really matters, and that’s when Edwards brought out his very own litmus test. A ‘Carl Edwards Day’.

“We just basically ran around Columbia, Missouri, and did my normal day. And I realised… Like this, the family I want to be a part of. Cool people. They actually care about the sport. It’s not about, you know, suits and ties and sitting there talking about numbers. They just say, Hey, we want to have some fun. We want to go to races, let the fans enjoy it. And so that day, getting to spend with them, it just felt right. And that’s, and that’s why I’m doing it.” 

It was not the money or the recognition that convinced Edwards to say yes, it was the people behind the deal. It was about being part of something that felt like family. Edwards has always been that down-to-earth person, loved by the grid. One of the fiercest competitors who could frustrate you with his precision on the track and walk out of the car with a childlike grin afterward. That is the sign of a man who had fun, and that’s all Edwards wants to do in the booth.

Starting with the Coca Cola 600 in May, Edwards will be handling the post-race show with Danielle Trotta as Prime Video assembles an all-star cast as they prepare to dive into the world of sports broadcasting. With names like Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Letarte being some of the stars of the show.

With Carl Edwards finally returning to the world of racing full time, it leads to everyone wondering, is there more on the cards than just a broadcasting deal?

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Is this just the beginning for Edwards?

While Carl Edwards’ immediate focus is on his broadcasting duties with Prime Video, the question on everyone’s mind is the same, could this lead to something more? Can the allure of being back on the track and the adrenaline rush, eventually pull him back in the driver’s seat? 

During his time away from racing, Edwards spent time with his family and also focused on his physical fitness with sports, including jujitsu. This focus on both physical and mental conditioning can help him if he ever decides to return to a racing seat. “It was easy to not race when I first stepped away, but it’s getting harder and harder…I like sliding stuff around and driving cars. So there’ll be a time when I go do something. Maybe sim work, something like that … to see if I could still drive. It’s a step-by-step process,” Edwards admitted when asked about his possible return to racing, hinting that Edwards is not as out as we all thought.

He further added, “I love racing cars. I love driving cars. But I want to do it at 100%. For me, to step away from the sport when I did, I got to go do the things that I wanted to do 100% and if I ever come back, I want to be able to give it all I got.” Racing has a way of sucking you back in, no matter how much you try to get away from it.

For an accomplished racer like Edwards, who has felt the adrenaline high of being in a race car and competing at the highest level, there’s a very good chance that his love and passion for racing will turn those ‘ifs’ into when sooner rather than later. Hendrick Motorsports #5, Kyle Larson, even offered him a seat at the All-Star race practice this year while the former prepares for the Indy500 the following week. Larson said, “Carl, if you happen to see this, please jump in the 5 car. We want you.”

However, Larson won’t be able to take up that gig now as Prime Video’s coverage begins on the day of the Coca-Cola 600 in May, and Edwards would be deep into preparations at that time. As much as we would have loved to see Cosuin Carl in a firesuit again, watching him call races with the immense passion he has for the sport is more than we could have asked for. What are your expectations from Edwards in the booth in 2025? Let us know in the comments!