On Sunday, for the first time in quite a while, Carl Edwards emerged from the backwoods of Missouri to show his face at Darlington Raceway, as part of being honored as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Edwards, who over the course of his 13-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series accumulated 28 victories, joined Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX Sports booth in the second stage of Sunday’s 400-mile event.
Talking openly with Joy and Bowyer, the subject of a potential return to the NASCAR Cup Series was brought up, to which Edwards seemed more receptive than he has been since retiring at the conclusion of the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season.
“It was easy to not race when I first stepped away, but it’s getting harder and harder,” he admitted. “I like sliding stuff around and driving cars. So there’ll be a time when I go do something. Maybe sim work or something like that… to see if I could still drive. It’s a step-by-step process.”
When reflecting on the possibility of a return, Edwards added: “I love racing cars. I love driving cars, but I want to do it at 100%. For me to step away from the sport when I did, I got to go do the things that I wanted to do at 100%, and if I ever come back, I want to be able to give it all I got.”
While nothing is anywhere remotely close to being official, yet, it appears that returning to the NASCAR Cup Series could be on the mind of the 43-year-old driver, despite spending more than half a decade away.
Although, there is one thing that can be said for certain. Fans, industry members, and people working in the garage probably wouldn’t be opposed to Carl Edwards being part of NASCAR again, no matter the capacity.
