Carl Edwards emphasizes gratitude during NASCAR Hall of Fame speech: ‘You let me win both ways’

“If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me.” 

Those were the words etched on business cards that a young Carl Edwards, then working as a substitute teacher, handed out to anybody and everybody he could while looking for any opportunity to race in NASCAR. 

Edwards was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, completing a journey that the 45-year-old likely never expected to go on in the first place. 

Edwards won 28 Cup Series races in just 12 full-time seasons. He won 38 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in just seven full-time seasons, including a championship run in 2007. Add six Truck Series wins to his resume, and you have a man well-deserving of being forever enshrined in NASCAR history. 

Edwards’ sudden retirement following the conclusion of the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season shocked the NASCAR world. Edwards seemed to be in the prime of his career and was coming off of a Championship 4 appearance with Joe Gibbs Racing. Since his retirement, he seldom made appearances at NASCAR events, essentially disappearing from the public view.

Edwards made sure to address the elephant in the room right of the bat. 

“I left eight years ago. I thought I was truly turning my back on this whole sport,” Edwards said in his speech on Friday evening. “I thought I was making a choice between this sport and my family. Every prize has its price, and for me, the prize of my family was worth that price.”

“What you’ve done, here, though, is let me win both ways,” he added, addressing the crowd. 

One of the most important figures in helping bring Edwards’ career to life was car owner Jack Roush, who was impressed enough by Edwards’ starts in the 2002 Truck Series season to sign Edwards for 2003. 

“I learned so many things from Jack,” Edwards said. “It was unreal. I had the best teammates in the world. During that time, I learned that teamwork is the most important thing in life, period. I carry it with me every day.” 

Edwards left Roush following the 2014 season, signing with Joe Gibbs Racing.

In 2016, Edwards had one of the best seasons of his career with, winning three races and making the Championship 4. However, an ill-timed block on a late restart took Edwards out of the race and out of championship contention. It was a heartbreaking way for Edwards to lose the title, but as Edwards described, the end result was exactly what he needed. 

“I’m so grateful we didn’t win that championship,” Edwards said. “It gave me time to go home and think about a few things. I looked at my career. It was beyond my wildest dreams.” 

Edwards may have never captured a Cup Series championship, but his impact on the sport can’t be understated. His story is one of a classic, scrappy underdog: a substitute teacher from Columbia, Missouri, handing out business cards and looking for any opportunity to race. 

There is one tiny chapter of his NASCAR career that could still be written, however. Kyle Larson will have to miss practice for the NASCAR All-Star Race in May due to Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Larson has expressed that he would want Edwards to potentially drive the car during practice. 

Edwards’ response? 

“That car, that team, it would be so much fun to do, the racer in me says that,” Edwards said. “The realist says, ‘You haven’t driven a car for eight years, you’ll screw it all up and it’ll be terrible.’ I don’t know what to do about that.”