[Editor’s note: This article is from , featuring interviews with more than 50 sports stars of yesteryear. , or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
Carl Edwards stood moments away from immortality.
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Within the 2016 Cup Sequence championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he held the lead with 15 laps remaining and the title in hand earlier than a questionable warning flag was thrown for particles from Matt DiBenedetto’s automotive. Moments later, Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota crashed into the wall after attempting to dam Joey Logano on the restart. A spirited cost for the championship was over.
So was his racing profession.
Edwards shocked the game by retiring that offseason, strolling away in excellent well being at 37 years previous. He left in his prime, working for perennial contender Joe Gibbs Racing, because the randomness of the game’s winner-take-all finale had sapped all of the enjoyable out of driving.
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As an alternative, a person identified for his privateness turned inward, towards household. A racer’s adventurous spirit by no means dies, although. Shortly after retirement, Edwards purchased a motorboat, then sailed throughout the Atlantic along with his younger son and two different crew members.
Carl Edwards appears on throughout observe for the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18, 2016.Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports activities
He continued traversing the world, from Europe to South America, rebuilding familial bonds earlier than settling again right into a quiet life in Missouri along with his spouse and youngsters. The health guru invested in gyms, farming, martial arts, and discovering function exterior the game, a former atheist discovering newfound perception in God.
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Then, in 2023, Edwards attended a ceremony at Darlington Raceway after being named one among NASCAR’s 75 Best Drivers. The next 12 months, Edwards was elected to the NASCAR Corridor of Fame, scratching the itch for him to return to motorsports.
“I left eight years in the past, and I assumed I used to be turning my again on this entire sport,” Edwards defined in his induction. “I assumed I used to be making a alternative between this sport and my household. … What you’ve performed right here although is, you’ve let me win each methods.”
That full-circle second included a transition into the world of NASCAR broadcasting. In 2025, Edwards grew to become a pre- and post-race studio analyst for Amazon Prime’s streaming protection.
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This story was initially revealed by on Jan 13, 2026, the place it first appeared within the part. Add The Spun as a
