By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor
Nobody expected to wake up Tuesday morning to news that one of the four drivers who competed for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship would be leaving the sport. However, a report from Tom Jensen of Fox Sports suggests that Carl Edwards will step away from NASCAR in 2017.
According to the report, Edwards will be pursuing interests outside of driving a race car.
Joe Gibbs Racing has a press conference scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, and it is expected that Edwards will officially announce his retirement during the conference. The report also states that it’s expected that Daniel Suarez, who won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship last year, will take over driving duties of the No. 19 Toyota Camry for JGR.
If this really is the end of Edwards’ racing career, what a career it was.
At just 37-years-old, Edwards has racked up 28 career Cup Series wins and he recorded six top-five points finishes in 12 years.
Additionally, Edwards has accumulated another 44 wins between the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. Edwards is known for his patented back flip victory celebration, and if he is done driving cars in circles, he will be known as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
