Carl Edwards to retire from NASCAR

Carl Edwards will not race in 2017 for Joe Gibbs Racing and intends to retire from NASCAR immediately, Fox Sports reported on Tuesday. Multiple sources confirmed the news to SB Nation.

Regarded as one of NASCAR’s top stars, Edwards won 28 Cup Series races and amassed 124 top-five finishes and 220 top 10s in 445 career starts. Twice he finished second in the championship standings, including losing to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker in 2011.

The 37-year-old Edwards also was one of four drivers to qualify for the 2016 championship finale, a race where he would lead the most laps among the title-eligibles before contact with Joey Logano caused him to crash out with 10 laps remaining. After the accident, a disappointed Edwards walked slowly from where his car was stopped in Turn 1 to Logano’s pit stall where he absolved Logano of any wrongdoing and wished Logano’s team luck.

No reason was cited for Edwards’ sudden retirement, but his decision is a shock. In the prime of his career and with one of NASCAR’s top organizations, he was well positioned to continue winning races and contending for the championship on a yearly basis. Immediately following his crash at Homestead, Edwards spoke enthusiastically about how he was looking forward to 2017 and atoning for how the 2016 season ended, when a failed attempt to block Logano caused him to spin into the inside frontstretch wall then careen back up the track into the outside wall.

Beyond being one of the best drivers of his generation to never win a title, Edwards will also be remembered for the memorable way he punctuated each race victory. He would stop his car on the frontstretch, stand on the window opening and perform a backflip.

An immensely private person, Edwards eschewed social media platforms and was one of very few NASCAR personalities not on Twitter. And whereas most drivers live in the Charlotte, N.C., area, the hub of the sport, Edwards continued to live in his hometown of Columbia, Mo., choosing to commute to North Carolina for team meetings by flying his own plane.

JGR will name rookie Daniel Suarez to replace Edwards as driver of its No. 19 Toyota, according to Fox Sports with sources confirming to SB Nation. The 25-year-old Suarez is the reigning Xfinity Series champion, the first foreign driver to win a NASCAR national series title.

JGR has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning.