HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Carl Edwards, winner of 28 career races at NASCAR’s top level and considered one of the preseason title favorites heading into the 2017Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, is stepping away from competition to pursue other interests.  The always affable Edwards said Wednesday, “I’m stepping away from full-time driving in the Cup Series. … This is the most scared I’ve been about anything.”

The official announcement was made Wednesday at Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters.

Edwards, 37, was scheduled to compete in the JGR No. 19 Toyota Camry for 2017. It was to be his third season with the organization and his 14th since making his debut in 2004 with Roush Fenway Racing.  Instead, Edwards said he feels “the time is right for me to move on to new adventures in life.”  “This has been a very difficult decision for me but I’m confident that it is the right one,” Edwards said in a statement provided by JGR. “I could not have a better situation in racing than the one I currently have, so stepping away from that certainly took a lot of consideration.”

JGR officials have named 2016 XFINITY Series champion Daniel Suarez to replace Edwards in the No. 19 entry. Suarez had been scheduled to compete full-time once again in the XFINITY Series this season.

“Carl Edwards has made an indelible mark on NASCAR,” said NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France. “His hard-charging driving style has led to memorable moments that will live forever in the history of our sport. Carl’s passion and personality will greatly be missed — as will the signature backflips that NASCAR fans have come to expect following his victories. We wish Carl nothing but the best as he enters this next phase in life.”

Edwards is a 10-time qualifier for NASCAR’s championship-determining Chase and finished second in the title battle twice — in 2008 he placed second behind Jimmie Johnson in the standings and in 2011 he lost the title to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker.

Overall, he had six top-five points finishes in a career that spanned 13 seasons (2004-2016).

Most recently, he finished fourth in the 2016 standings; his shot at the title ended with a crash on a restart just 12 laps from the finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I have a lot of interests in life outside of sports that deserve my attention and I feel strongly that the time to do that is now,” Edwards said. “I’ve been racing for more than 20 years. It’s amazing the opportunities that racing, and NASCAR in particular, have provided me. The people I’ve met and the things I’ve been able to do. I’m very grateful for all of that.

“I’m satisfied with my career and my accomplishments. Racing for me has never really been about trophies. Of course I love winning, but there is a thrill to going into a corner at nearly 200 mph competing against the best in the world. I absolutely love that. Obviously there are risks involved in racing that I never take for granted, either, and I’m happy to be able to walk away from the sport fully healthy. I just believe that it’s hard to start the next chapter in your life until I close this one. It is an awesome sport, but very demanding with year-round commitments and a lot of time on the road.”

Officially, his last victory came at Texas Motor Speedway in last year’s AAA Texas 500. It was his fourth win at the 1.5-mile track and guaranteed Edwards a berth in the Championship Round.  
The Columbia, Missouri, native scored his first victories in 2005 in both the XFINITY and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, sweeping races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That same season, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne also scored their first victories in the sanctioning body’s top series.

Edwards’ resume includes four wins at Bristol, three at Atlanta and two at Pocono, Michigan, Las Vegas, Homestead, Phoenix and Richmond. He scored single wins at Dover, Auto Club, Sonoma, Charlotte and Darlington in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

He also won the 2011 Sprint All-Star Race, a non-points event, at Charlotte.

JGR founder and owner Joe Gibbs said Edwards’ decision was a surprise to the organization.

“Certainly this was not something that we were expecting as we prepared for the 2017 season,” Gibbs said. “However, it was clear in our conversations with Carl that he had given this careful consideration and believes strongly that it is the direction he needs to go in.

“We support him in that. We loved having him be part of our team the past two years and we will miss him, but we hope he is happy in whatever is next for his life.”

Edwards failed to win at only nine of the 23 tracks currently on the schedule: Daytona, Martinsville, Talladega, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Chicago.

He made 445 career starts and won 22 poles — his six poles last year led the series. He also ends his NASCAR racing career with 124 top-five and 220 top-10 finishes. Five of his career wins came at JGR while his 23 with Roush Fenway trailed only Mark Martin (35) and Matt Kenseth (24) for that organization.  He is a former XFINITY Series champion (2007) with 38 wins in that series and a six-time race winner in the Camping World Truck Series.

Suarez said the move up to the Monster Energy Cup Series was “my dream, but I did not expect it right now.  “I can’t wait to get started,” he said. “I have a lot to learn but I couldn’t ask for a better situation. I have the support of a great team around me.”  Suarez will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in next month’s season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 26, 2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.)

“Once we learned that Carl would not return next season, Daniel was really the obvious choice,” Gibbs said. “He is a great fit for our team and our partners. … This may be a little bit earlier than we anticipated, but he has earned the opportunity and we are excited for his future.”

In addition to the No. 19 Toyota, JGR also fields Monster Energy Cup Series entries for Busch, Kenseth and 2016 Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.Edwards is the third winning driver to walk away from the sport in the past year — four-time champion Jeff Gordon retired following the 2015 season to move into the TV booth with FOX for its NASCAR coverage while three-time champion Tony Stewart wrapped up his NASCAR career at the close of ’16.

FOX officials said in a statement that there are no plans for Edwards with the network at this time.
“FOX Sports has really enjoyed having Carl in the booth and on our air in various capacities over the years, but speculation that he may be climbing out of the car to join the FOX NASCAR broadcast team is unfounded,” John Entz, FOX Sports President, Production & Executive Producer, said. “Our team is set for the future and we wish Carl well in whatever he chooses to do next.”