Carl Edwards cites NASCAR officiating, playoff format among reasons for retirement

Carl Edwards shocked the NASCAR world when he decided to retire following the 2016 Cup Series championship slipping away from him during the final laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Now, he’s shedding some light on why he called it a career in such a sudden fashion.

After the heartbreak to end the 2016 season, Edwards took some time to reflect, and he announced his retirement during a press conference on Jan. 11, 2017. During a candid interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on The Dale Jr. Download, the Columbia, Missouri native cited NASCAR’s officiating and the current playoff format as reasons why he didn’t feel the juice was worth the squeeze any longer.

“When I got out of that car [at Homestead], I was feeling something that was a lot bigger than me. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it, but it was the strangest feeling. I knew that whole weekend, and I was not a believer at that time, but I knew that whole weekend,” Edwards stated, regarding his final race at Homestead in 2016. “My wife will tell you. There were so many crazy things that happened. My motor home broke down at least once or twice on the way to the racetrack. I didn’t have a motor home. Had all sorts of issues going on at home that were very strange. Danica [Patrick] and I almost wrecked in practice.

“We had the fastest car, and it was this crazy thing. In the middle of the race, we either had a bad pit stop towards the end, or I screwed something up — I came out and I almost gave up. I remember pulling out, weaving behind the pace car thinking, ‘I did it. I gave up my whole everything I ever worked for.’ I’ll never forget Dave Rogers coming on the radio and saying, ‘We got them right where we want them,’ and we went and we passed every single one of the guys I had to beat. There was something about that caution. It was like the final thing to say, ‘Damn it, you’re not supposed to win this thing. This is not supposed to happen.’

“I know NASCAR was throwing those cautions to make it more exciting. That’s a fact. I specifically talked to people about it. And that’s that. We’re all in the sport to entertain. They were trying their hardest at the time. But my point in saying all of that is that it was an outstanding set of circumstances. It was very odd. But now I realize it was the best thing in the world for me, and I was able to get the message that I did not belong in a race car. That’s not what I was supposed to be doing with my life.

“Looking back, I’m so thankful for it. I mean, it changed my life at that moment in a way that I could never have understood how great it was. So, I know that’s a roundabout answer. It might be too much to swallow, but that’s the way I see it.”

Carl Edwards: 2016 NASCAR Cup Series title ‘was snatched’ from him

All things considered, Edwards was still at the top of his game in 2017, and he would’ve been one of the favorites to win the title if he decided to continue his racing career at the time. However, he recognized that all his work throughout the season didn’t matter if one caution in the final race could take it all away, and he wasn’t willing to take on the risk of getting behind the wheel again if that was the case.

“I wanted to win that championship,” Edwards added, regarding his burning desire to win a title. “It’s everything. It’s everything I’ve worked for. That’s it. That’s the prize you want more than anything in the world. Yes, I believe that was snatched, okay? So, that’s part of it. Yes. That was very difficult.

“I had to look and say, ‘Okay, let’s just go to the next year.’ Let’s go to 2017. Let me just be real smart. Let me just think this through. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go and I am going to continue. I’m going to put everything in my life second, in the back seat, and I’m going to go start at Daytona. I’m going to drive the hell out of this race car like I’ve been doing for 13, 14 years, and I’m going to run this thing all the way to the end and give everything I’ve got. Another year of my life and all the stuff that, you know, the head injury stuff — started to really be a factor for me, because I didn’t think about that.

“Now I’m like, ‘Man, I’m not just giving up my time now. There’s all sorts of things that I might be giving up in the future.’ Then, I’m going to get to Homestead at the end of 2017. I’m going to do everything just right. They’re going to throw a caution with five to go, and we’re going to put all this on a restart? I thought, ‘Damn, I don’t know.’ If spending a whole year of my life, and all the things you give up and possibly give up for, you know, one restart?

“Like, that’s a big deal. You have to weigh that. Yeah, I guess, really disappointing. But it actually helped me to say, ‘Hey, you know, this is the reality. This is how it could go.'”

All told, Carl Edwards seems more than comfortable with the decision he made to retire, even if he left some wins and potentially a championship on the table. Regardless, he was still inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and remains one of the best drivers of his generation. Most importantly, he has no regrets about his decision.