Carl Edwards made it official this morning at the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) press conference. He IS stepping out of the #19 JGR car as a full-time driver.

However, he said he would not use the ‘R‘ word yet, leaving the door open for his return to racing in the future. Carl did say that if he ever decided to get back in the driver’s seat, he would call JGR first.

That being said, Carl gave three main reason he is stepping away from NASCAR as a driver. He is satisfied with his career accomplishments, he wants to spend more time with his family and friends, and he wants to stay healthy by minimizing the risk of injury that can happen as a stock car driver.

You can watch the entire JGR-Carl Edwards press conference at the top of the page.

JGR announced that the reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Daniel Suarez will take the wheel of the #19 JGR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry for the 2017 NASCAR season.

Good luck to Carl Edwards in whatever he pursues in the next chapter of his life, he will be missed by fans and his NASCAR family.

By: Buck Stevens