In his extensive conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. last week, Carl Edwards covered a wide range of subjects. On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Edwards talked about his career in NASCAR, his sudden retirement, and his new job in broadcasting. Additionally, he charged that NASCAR only raises caution flags for entertainment purposes. Earnhardt asked Edwards about the “biggest misconception” about his life since he left the sport in 2017 at the beginning of an hour-and-45-minute show. Before returning the question to the presenter, Edwards stated that it would depend on what other people had to say. Edwards was asked if he had a bunker by Earnhardt. “No,” answered Edwards, with a loud chuckle. “I don’t have a bunker.”
Then Earnhardt Jr. inquired as to whether he engages in any severe “prepping.” In his subsequent reply, Edwards was less certain. “I don’t think an inordinate amount,” stated Edwards. “I mean, my cupboard does contain groceries. By the way, I would never tell anyone if I were. The first rule is that. Additionally, Edwards and Earnhardt acknowledged that they had a large bucket of long-lasting dehydrated food on hand in case something went wrong. Discover all of the incredible discounts we’ve found on outdoor, running, and other gear. The topic of discussion shifted from alleged survivalist strategies later in the interview to Edwards shocking the NASCAR community by retiring.
After deciding to return despite some hesitation, he was driving home to Missouri from Key West when receiving sudden clarity. “I turned right, went in, told Coach, ‘Hey, I’m done,'” Edwards recalled. “It was the same intensity of feeling that I know what’s right for me, for my life, as when I was 15 years old and everyone was saying, ‘You’re crazy. You can’t race.’ When I decided to stop 20 years later, it was the same thing.” Edwards recalled initially feeling “embarrassed” when telling people he was focused on being a better husband and dad. Somebody “real high up” in NASCAR called six months into his retirement to ask if he was “done being on vacation.”
However, his eyes watered when remembering a moment that validated his decision to walk away. One morning, his young son ran into his room and jumped onto Edwards’ side of the bed for the first time. “It’s been a hell of a good thing since I stepped out of the racecar,” Edwards said.
