“It’s Hard…It’s Been 30 Years”- Carl Edwards Sends a Heartfelt Message to NASCAR Amid Hall of Fame Inductions

If there is one man we miss the most from modern-day NASCAR, it has to be Carl Edwards. Just 13 Cup seasons of talent as great as him was too little. Can you imagine someone like Edwards, before all the NASCAR glory, was selling business cards to bag a ride? His tagline was, “If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me.” And by this time, he was already making some noise in dirt car racing. But finally, the one who bought into the tagline was Jack Roush, and he gave him a spot in the RFK Racing’s Truck Program. And Carl grabbed that opportunity with both hands, making him totally deserving of this NASCAR Hall of Fame honor in 2025.

He was quick to climb the ranks in NASCAR. Who doesn’t know his Xfinity Series exploits? He could have been the Jimmie Johnson of the Xfinity Series. But out of his five consecutive P2 season finishes (2006-2010), he only converted one into a championship (2007). Same story in the Cup Series. He had the talent (and opportunity) to be a three-time Cup champion, but, unfortunately, luck wasn’t always on his side. Even with all that, Edwards is still one of the best drivers in NASCAR history. And even though he retired unexpectedly, he just shared a heartfelt message about NASCAR recently.

Carl Edwards is a NASCAR Hall of Famer!

Edwards’ career had its ups and downs. In his 12 full seasons, he only went winless three times (2006, 2009, and 2012). Aside from those seasons, he was always in the hunt, winning races and competing for championships. We’re talking about near-misses in 2008 and 2011 when he finished second, and don’t forget the crazy 2016 season when he was leading the final race with just 10 laps left. Then Joey Logano wrecked him, and Jimmie Johnson took the title. After that, Edwards shocked the world by announcing his retirement at just 36 which is still young in NASCAR years.

After that, Edwards pretty much disappeared entirely from racing. But with his Hall of Fame induction, he’s getting the chance to reconnect with his racing family, and he’s clearly thankful for that. Ahead of the ceremony, Edwards was asked about the honor, and here’s what he had to say:

“It’s hard. I’m gonna try to put it into words with the speech tomorrow night. But it’s difficult because for me it’s been 30 years. I was 15 years old and dreamed to drive one of these race cars. Then I got to do it. Then I left the sport I thought man I’d really given up this and these relationships. And for NASCAR to invite me back, it’s truly hit home that NASCAR is a family. And they let me be a part of it. So really special night.”

And after 2016, Edwards kind of disappeared. But the Hall of Fame induction night is allowing him to thank all the people who made him who he is. The 28 Cup wins or 72 total wins across all series might be his, but there were a lot of people working behind the scenes. Like all his crew chiefs, Chad Norris, Bob Osborn, Darian Grubb, Dave Rogers, and many others. Spoiler alert: Edwards will be thanking everyone in his speech.

“For me, I think the more I live life, the more I see, the more I realize I didn’t do very much anything. It was a lot of people and a lot of blessings that were bestowed upon me. So my hope is that tomorrow night. I get all these people together and thank them properly. Because man, it’s just been a heck of a journey and they taught me so much and I’m so grateful for that,” he added.

And once the speech is over, maybe we’ll see Edwards backflip back into his seat! C’mon, his backflip celebration was LEGENDARY. Speaking of which, he revealed the origin of his famous move and whether or not we’ll see it at the ceremony.

Will Carl Edwards backflip on the stage of HOF?

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Let’s be honest, one of the main reasons Edwards fans loved watching him race was the backflip he did after every win. But do you know how it all started? Edwards shared the story: “So I went to a World of Outlaws sprint car race and a guy named Tyler Walker won the race. I’m like man he’s a pretty good driver. He got out and he did a backflip. And I was like aww that’s the coolest thing I have ever seen. So I started doing it at my local dirt track, got in the truck series, started doing it there.”

Tyler Walker may not have competed full-time following his 2007 Substance Abuse ban, but it’s great to see one legend making another legend’s signature live on. Now, the big question is if we are seeing that epic backflip at the Hame ceremony or not. Well, his kids have been nudging him to do it, but it’s been 14 years since he last did that celebration, and he is now 45 and complaining about back pain. Still, maybe he can show us why back in the day, he was called the fittest driver of NASCAR.

“And people were telling me tonight, are you going to do a backflip? I don’t think so. But the backflip was a lot of fun. It was a great way to show how excited I was and fans seemed to like it so that was cool…We were having a debate this morning you should do one you shouldn’t do one and then my back started to hurt. I think this is god telling me I should stay off the backflip program,” he added.

That’s still not a hard NO! So let’s keep our hopes high! Also, if you are wondering…when is he actually coming to a NASCAR track to race? Well, Kyle Larson is trying let’s hope Edwards agrees.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Edwards getting this honor? And what are some of your favorite Carl Edwards moments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.