"I couldn’t go to bed tonight": When Carl Edwards’ championship gamble with Joey Logano backfired

In the final moments of the 2016 season finale of the NASCAR Cup Series, Carl Edwards made a risky move to block Joey Logano in his pursuit to win the championship title, which ended up with Edwards' car being wrecked. Later on, Edwards reflected on the moment, and although he confessed that the move was his fault and a big risk, he also admitted to not being able to sleep at night if he had just let Logano through.

With ten laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Carl Edwards, driving the #19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing started second on the restart with Logano in the #22 for Team Penske right behind him. The #22 car had a better restart than the JGR driver, making Edwards go low to stop Logano from passing him, which caused a wreck that the Team Penske driver was able to get through, but it brought an end to the #19 driver's race.

Later, Edwards spoke about how his crew chief, Dave Rogers, had given him the encouragement to make big moves during the race, with him in the championship four and the title on the line.

“I just risked too much and Dave told me before this race, ‘It’s a pretty big reward and remember risk gets reward’ -- and I just had to push it. I couldn’t go to bed tonight and think that I gave (Logano) that lane." [via Fox Sports]

2016 ended with Carl Edwards taking the fourth place finish in the standings, and Joey Logano finishing the season in the runner-up spot. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson scored his seventh championship title that day.

The Miami race ended up being the JGR driver's final, with Edwards announcing that he would be stepping away from the sport just before the 2017 Cup Series season got underway.

"I’m so grateful that we didn’t win that championship.": Carl Edwards opens up about Homestead race in HOF speech

Carl Edwards accepts his induction into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame at Charlotte Convention Center Crown Ballroom, February 7th 2025 - Source: Imagn

Earlier this year, Carl Edwards was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where he gave a speech looking back on his career in the sport, as well as focusing on what he's been grateful about. One of the things that the former Cup Series driver spoke about was losing out on the 2016 championship, which he is happy he didn't win as it gave him an opportunity to reflect.

Speaking at the induction ceremony in February of this year, Edwards said [via Sportsnaut]:

"That restart didn’t work out, and this is something, the theme of this is gratitude and this is going to sound strange, but I’m so grateful that we didn’t win that championship. I’m so grateful. It gave me time to go home and think about a few things. I looked at my career, it was beyond my wildest dreams. I mean, beyond my wildest dreams"

Carl Edwards stepped away from the Cup Series after having 445 race starts, 28 race wins, 124 Top-fives, and 220 Top-10 finishes.