[Editor’s note: This article is from The Spun’s “Then and Now” magazine, featuring interviews with more than 50 sports stars of yesteryear. Order your copy online today, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
Carl Edwards stood moments away from NASCAR immortality.
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In the 2016 Cup Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he held the lead with 15 laps remaining and the title in hand before a questionable caution flag was thrown for debris from Matt DiBenedetto’s car. Moments later, Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota crashed into the wall after trying to block Joey Logano on the restart. A spirited charge for the championship was over.
So was his racing career.
Edwards shocked the sport by retiring that offseason, walking away in perfect health at 37 years old. He left in his prime, running for perennial contender Joe Gibbs Racing, as the randomness of the sport’s winner-take-all finale had sapped all the fun out of driving.
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Instead, a man known for his privacy turned inward, toward family. A racer’s adventurous spirit never dies, though. Shortly after retirement, Edwards bought a motorboat, then sailed across the Atlantic with his young son and two other crew members.
Carl Edwards looks on during practice for the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18, 2016.Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
He continued traversing the world, from Europe to South America, rebuilding familial bonds before settling back into a quiet life in Missouri with his wife and children. The fitness guru invested in gyms, farming, martial arts, and finding purpose outside the sport, a former atheist discovering newfound belief in God.
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Then, in 2023, Edwards attended a ceremony at Darlington Raceway after being named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. The following year, Edwards was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, scratching the itch for him to return to motorsports.
“I left eight years ago, and I thought I was turning my back on this whole sport,” Edwards explained in his induction. “I thought I was making a choice between this sport and my family. … What you’ve done here though is, you’ve let me win both ways.”
That full-circle moment included a transition into the world of NASCAR broadcasting. In 2025, Edwards became a pre- and post-race studio analyst for Amazon Prime’s streaming coverage.
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Related: ‘Then and Now’ Magazine: Catch Up With 50 Sports Stars of Yesteryear
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This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
