Carl Edwards enjoying retirement, not planning return to NASCAR

Carl Edwards is enjoying life away from the racetrack and the retired NASCAR driver isn’t planning on returning to racing.

Edwards, 38, unexpectedly announced his retirement in January 2017, following a season where he nearly won the Cup Series championship. Since then, he’s largely stayed out of the public eye and is living in his hometown in Columbia, Missouri .

“I’m basically just doing what I told everybody I was doing, spent a lot of time with friends and family and traveling a lot, farming a lot, and really enjoying it,” Edwards said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday night.

Edwards began racing in the Cup Series in 2004, earning 28 wins in 445 starts. He twice finished runner-up in the championship — including losing on a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart in 2011 — and four other times finished fifth or better in the points standings. Edwards, who finished his career with Joe Gibbs Racing, is regarded by many as one of the best drivers to never win a premier division title.

As for a possible return, Edwards dismissed the idea when asked by host Claire B. Lang.

“I don’t have any plans to come back,” Edwards said. “I do miss a lot of people. I stay in touch with a lot of folks and have fun, but I really appreciate the time from Joe Gibbs and everyone else to go do the things I want to do.

“I do miss the fans and there are a couple races I’d like to be a part of, but for the most part I’m having a lot of fun.”

Edwards has been rumored to be mulling a run for public office and when asked by Lang about the possibility, seemed open to the idea. It was speculated last year he could challenge incumbent Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) for her seat in the U.S. Senate in the 2018 election.

“You never know,” Edwards told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I think, like probably almost every person listening to this channel right now, I believe in America, and I believe that the Constitution is the set of rules that let us have all this success and this freedom.

“And I think, like anyone, I care about that being there for generations to come. So yeah, if sometime in the future, there’s a chance for me to help that cause, to try to lend some assistance to not letting us get off track, then heck yeah, I’d consider it. But no, there’s no campaign started. I am not going to be doing anything anytime soon.”