Carl Edwards declines Kyle Larson's offer to serve as substitute driver during All-Star practice

In January, Kyle Larson publicly offered Carl Edwards the opportunity to pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet during All-Star Race practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Edwards is going to decline the offer, he told Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic. Kevin Harvick filled in last May for Larson, who was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway preparing for his Indy 500 run. Larson is once again competing in the Indy 500 this coming May, meaning he’ll need another substitute driver for practice at North Wilkesboro. Larson told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports he wanted Carl Edwards to do it.

“I’ve not talked to him and Bob, you can blow this out there. He’s probably not going to see it anyways, but I would love to have Carl Edwards do it,” Larson said. “I think it would be great. That’s my pick this year. I’ve mentioned it to Jeff Gordon and Cliff [Daniels], but nobody outside of that.

“So, it’s not anything serious right now, but that’s who I would pick. I think that would make a huge splash in the sport and be great. Carl, if you happen to see this, please jump in the 5 car. We want you.”

A 28-time winner in the Cup Series, Edwards retired from NASCAR competition in 2016 during the prime of his career and has stayed true to his retirement since. In that time, several fellow legends such as Jimmie Johnson have returned on a part-time basis, but that hasn’t been the path for Edwards.

Carl Edwards to join NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast team

We have seen more from Edwards since being elected to the Hall of Fame last year. Edwards drove the pace car ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway this past September. This coming May, Edwards won’t be driving the Next Gen car. But he will be offering his commentary for Amazon Prime Video.

Edwards, 45, is joining Prime Video as a pre- and post-race studio analyst, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported Tuesday. The streaming platform will broadcast five races this season as part of NASCAR’s new media rights deal. The Prime Video schedule begins May 25 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway — one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events.

Edwards will partner in the on-site studio with host Danielle Trotta and fellow analyst Corey LaJoie, currently part-time driver in the Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Adam Alexander (play-by-play), and Steve Letarte (booth analyst), will call the race from the booth.