Some careers are short but memorable. The legacy of these drivers is the memories they built through their impeccable racing. One such career, celebrated by fans in fond remembrance, is that of Carl Edwards. For his close family and friends, Carl started racing at the young age of 13. He would use the four-cylinder cars to drive around Columbia in Missouri. Racing has been a part and parcel of his life since then. But it would not be until 2002 that the larger racing community would notice an upcoming talent in the Craftsman Truck Series. 15 years since, from 2002 to 2017, when he announced his retirement from professional racing, is a time that NASCAR lovers cherish for a lifetime.

The racing career of the now 49-year-old took an interesting turn when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015. His time on the team was short, but full of high-intensity championship racing. Carl Edwards was a racer for the Roush Fenway Racing before he joined the prestigious JGR team. He won a lot for the team driving the no.99 Ford Fusion. The 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Championship was the most notable title he got for the Roush Fenway Racing. But after a certain point, he missed something significant in his career.

Later on, when the racer joined the Joe Gibbs Racing, it became clear what Edwards wanted- The Championship!

JGR: The pathway for the ultimate prize in Carl Edward’s career

At Roush Fenway Racing, Carl Edwards won an impressive 23 races in the 10 years that he drove for the team. However, he always fell a tad bit short to win the championship. As he signed for Joe Gibbs Racing, the goal for the ace racer was clear- to go for the most coveted prize of the sport. He reportedly made his ambitions evidentially clear to the team which had stalwarts like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. The world, too, got to know about his ambitions as Joe Gibbs, the founder of JGR racing, expressed it publicly.

While announcing Carl Edwards on this day in 2014, Joe Gibbs excitedly exclaimed the following: “We finally get to announce our fourth team. Carl Edwards. It’s a thrill for us to get a chance to add Carl. I know he got a lot to take care of this year. Be racing for the rest of this year. All four of these are guys be trying to win the championship. I have reached an agreement with Carl. Whenever he sees our guys coming, he’s going to pull over. Okay, so got that all squared away.”

But it looked like a decoy for Joe Gibbs the moment he said those words. The crowd, too, began to laugh and clap almost immediately as soon as he pulled up his sarcastic hat. But keeping the joke aside, even Joe knew the one and only focal point for Carl Edwards that year. The JGR founder couldn’t resist revealing it in front of the crowd and said, “I know because, believe me, he’s going for a championship. We wish him the absolute best and our guys, they’re gonna be doing everything they can. We wanna win one over here.”

Carl Edwards had a solid start to his career at Joe Gibbs Racing. The ace racer drove the no.19 Toyota Camry for the two seasons he spent with the team. During the 2015 season, he managed to win some prestigious races in the cup series. In his first season, he achieved notable wins in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Bojangles Southern 500 at Daytona Raceway. But it was the 2016 season, however, which became a highlight of his career. Carl Edwards managed to impress the racing community in the 2016 season. He secured a win in three races and managed several top 5 finishes. His car was progressing well in the finals too, but unfortunately crashed with Joey Logano with 15 laps to go. Edwards could not cope up from this incident and finished 4th in the race.

With that, his dream of securing a championship win with Joe Gibbs Racing remained a dream. 2016 was an interesting season for other Joe Gibbs Racing full-time starters as well.

The team that impressed everyone

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2016 was a happening year for Joe Gibbs Racing, with Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth pulling up impressive performances despite all odds. Denny Hamlin had to face the brunt of having several DNFs written beside his name in the 2016 season. But this couldn’t beat his spirits as he won the Daytona 500 against Martin Truex Jr, with the slightest of margins. Hamlin has an impressive average finish of 11.2 for the season. His 2016 season ended in the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, too, had a convincing season. Kyle won 4 races for his team. Besides that, he also had 17 top-five finishes to his name. Busch, however, stood 6th in the season finale. Overall, he finished at the 3rd place in the championship standings. On the other hand, Matt Kenseth won two races and had eight top 5 finishes. He qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup but got eliminated in the Round of 8, therefore ending his 2016 season.

What are some of your favorite Carl Edwards racing moments? How impressed were you with Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2016 team? Do let us know in the comments.