Carl Edwards took a step back from the NASCAR world and motorsports overall. Though he doesn’t regret his decision, he feels he departed abruptly and could have handled it better. Despite this, the warm welcome he received from the NASCAR family pleasantly surprised him. After being inducted into the Class of 2025 Hall of Fame on Friday night, he got candid with these sentiments. 

After spending 13 years in the NASCAR Cup Series and being away for almost eight years, the veteran reflected on his emotional reunion. As a runner-up in two seasons of NASCAR history, the courageous driver shared how much this heartfelt honor meant to him.

Carl Edwards’ biggest honor blew him away

“I thought the chance was zero, so I didn’t even consider it a possibility,” The initial unfiltered reaction of the veteran to the news of his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction shocked him up to a certain extent. Although he wasn’t entirely wrong, after his abrupt departure from the sports, has impacted the NASCAR’s fan base somewhere. That led to only 52% of votes turned in his favor. He was somewhere aware of his nomination last year in May but didn’t want to assume anything so he carried on with stuff normally. However, when his wife hinted to him to check his phone after a flight to Alabama, it left him with all gratitude for his NASCAR family. 

After getting inducted on February 7, he expressed to the NASCAR Live podcast, what this honor meant to him, “Oh my gosh. It means more than I ever could have imagined. As a competitor, you think about this week’s race about, you know, like this season. I never really thought of my whole career. You know, having been gone for eight years and then having all this happen, it’s perfect timing for me because it’s been long enough that I’ve been able to really put all this into perspective in a way. And I’m just I’m blown away. It’s the biggest honor that I could ever have imagined.”

With every past year, Carl Edwards has gradually re-emerged in the NASCAR scene, where his appearances on podcasts and shows are easily available. Last year he also participated in the celebration of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers at Darlington Raceway.

“When I came back to Darlington, you know, was invited back to Darlington last year, I was shocked. Like, I’m truly shocked at the welcome.” Carl Edwards expressed, “And I didn’t know that the sport could would or could extend that amount of grace and respect to me as a person and a competitor. And, oh my gosh. And then to this announcement, when I heard this, the hall of fame, my first reaction was a very emotional feeling of, like, now I know what it is to be part of NASCAR family.”

At the Darlington event, he got to meet with his old friends and ex-colleagues and recalled his heartfelt interaction with Dale Earnhardt Jr.“When I got invited back to Darlington, I was really nervous to go. You can ask my wife,” Edwards further added, “I just didn’t know the reception. And I was blown away. I was shocked. I remember when we did the introduction, I was waiting to hear what the crowd would do, and they cheered. And I told Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., oh my gosh. He said, ‘Dude! We miss you!’ You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Although he decided to retire from his racing career when he was at his peak, shifting his focus to his family. Carl Edwards expressed, “I walked away because at that time, that was what I needed to do for me, my life, my family. It was the right choice.” The time he dedicated to NASCAR was praiseworthy. With his never-giving-up attitude and his knack for taking the odds in his favor, he knew very well how to navigate those challenges.

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Carl Edwards’ longstanding perseverance 

Right from the start of his career, Carl Edwards followed his passion for racing by dropping out of his degree program at the University of Missouri. As a substitute teacher, he gave out business cards that said, ‘If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me.’ He then excelled in the Busch Series and won the Xfinity Championship in 2007.

The road to his success has never been easy, but the way he overcomes challenges is what makes him different for his fans, not just his victory backflips. It was in 2009 when he got involved in a terrific crash at the Talladega Superspeedway, where his car flew over the fences, injuring around seven people with debris. Though nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. Despite wrecking his car after making contact with Brad Keselowski, Edwards managed to complete the race.

Going ahead, in 2011, Carl Edwards was involved in another wreck with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the finishing line of the Iowa Xfinity race, where he finished second and Stenhouse Jr. won. Another highly discussed crash that occurred was in 2016, which many fans speculated as the reason for his departure from NASCAR; however, he cleared the air, talking about his other commitments. However, before the crash, he had high hopes of winning the championship, but a crash in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series while attempting to block Joey Logano deprived him of that season’s victory and paved the way for Jimmie Johnson to claim the title at the Homestead Miami. 

However, this wasn’t the end of his bold endeavors; after retiring, he became an active pilot, with his support during relief operations. Last year during Hurricane Helene, he partnered with Operation Airdrop and Gideon Rescue Company, alongside other members of the NASCAR community, including Greg Ives, to help carry out the relief operation.