NASCAR: Carl Edwards to return, drive for Team Penske in 2020

Carl Edwards is set to come out of retirement and drive for Team Penske in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season on a three-year deal.

NOTE: The following is an APRIL FOOLS’ DAY joke from 2019.

After unexpectedly walking away from the NASCAR Cup Series following his heartbreaking end to the 2016 season that resulted in what would have been his first career Cup Series championship narrowly escaping him, Carl Edwards had made clear that he never planned to compete in the Cup Series again despite the fact that he missed driving.

Even after Daniel Suarez took his place behind the wheel of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, there was speculation that Carl Edwards would return to the Cup Series, perhaps driving for Team Penske. However, this speculation was repeatedly shot down.

But following an unexpected turn of events, this speculation has been confirmed.

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The 39-year-old Columbia, Missouri native is set to return to the Cup Series, and he is set to return to Team Penske on a three-year deal beginning in the 2020 season as he sets his sights on winning his first career championship after several seasons during which he came close to doing so but ultimately failed to pull it off.

Team Penske are set to fully acquire the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, which is currently driven by Paul Menard, to become a four-car team. Wood Brothers Racing currently have a technical alliance with the three-car Team Penske team. Edwards is set to drive the #21 Ford next season and become a teammate to Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, who drive the #2 Ford, the #12 Ford and the #22 Ford, respectively.

So far in his Cup Series career, which has spanned from the 2004 season to the 2016 season, Edwards has driven in 445 races. From the 2005 season through the 2016 season, he competed as a full-time driver. In his 445 career starts, he has earned 28 victories, 124 top five finishes, 220 top 10 finishes and 22 pole positions. He has an average starting position of 14.2 and an average finishing position of 13.6, and he has led 6,136 of the 127,758 laps that he has completed.

Edwards finished in a career-high second place in the championship in the 2008 and 2011 seasons, although his best chance at winning the title arguably came in the 2016 season. As one of the four Championship 4 drivers, he was leading the season finale toward the end of the race before a caution flag came out.

On the ensuing restart, which took place with just 10 scheduled laps remaining in the race, Edwards was involved in a massive crash, which ended his championship hopes and relegated him to a fourth place finish in the standings, which was his fifth career top four finish and his sixth career top five finish in the standings.

Unfortunately for Carl Edwards fans, this news will only be true for one day, and that day is today, Monday, April 1. After today, reality will kick back in and Edwards will still be retired with absolutely no plans to return to NASCAR Cup Series competition for Team Penske or for any team in the Cup Series paddock. Please check your calendars accordingly so you do not confuse this story with a non-April Fools’ Day story, and be sure to have a Happy April Fools’ Day!