Carl Edwards reacts to joining Prime Video broadcast, addresses possible NASCAR return after Kyle Larson offer

Carl Edwards explained why he decided to turn down Kyle Larson‘s offer to pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet during All-Star Race practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Edwards, speaking with Danielle Trotta and Jordan Bianchi on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, said that now’s not the time to get back behind the wheel of a racecar. The NASCAR Hall of Famer didn’t shut the door on a possible return in the future.

“I’m going to turn down that really amazing offer for now if it’s a real offer. Nobody’s actually [extended the offer],” Edwards said. “If something — the stars align and I wake up and say, ‘Oh, I need to do this,’ then yes. But right now, it doesn’t fit with everything I’ve got going on and I’m not just dying to do it.

“So, I think I’m gonna pass on it. But yes, really cool offer. And an amazing amount of pressure because I think he’s [Larson] maybe the best driver in the world right now. That’s one of the best cars that’s ever run. So, I might kick myself for turning it down.”

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 declines Kyle Larson’s offer to serve as substitute driver during All-Star practice

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.”

Edwards said no. But the 45-year-old does have interest in learning more about the Next Gen car. He made a plea to NASCAR teams: If you have an available sim, give him a call.

“100 percent,” Edwards said. “Any team that has a sim that will let me come drive it, I wanna drive a little bit. I want to understand these cars. … I drove the TRD sim, and I don’t know if the fans know how hard these cars are to drive. Think it was two years ago I drove at Charlotte — it’s a completely different animal.

“There’s a battle going on in these cars that I did not understand, and I still don’t understand. So, I wanna know more, wanna drive sims — I’m up for it.”

Carl Edwards to join NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast team

This coming May, Edwards won’t be driving the Next Gen car. But he will be offering his commentary for Amazon Prime Video. Edwards is joining Prime Video as a pre- and post-race studio analyst, Bianchi reported Tuesday. Edwards will partner in the on-site studio with host Trotta and fellow analyst Corey LaJoie, currently part-time driver in the Cup Series.

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.

“The thing I’m excited about, and I feel like I can hopefully accomplish, is to get to talk a little bit about — especially since I’m not competing anymore, I got nothing to hide — there’s no trade secrets I don’t want to talk about,” Edwards told Bianchi. “I want to share with the fans what might be going on inside of that helmet, inside of that car.

“I want to ask the drivers, before, after, maybe away from the track, ‘What’s going on? What is really driving you? What are your fears? What are your hopes? What are the difficulties? What are the things that you’re so good at that maybe aren’t obvious for someone just watching the racing?’”