"I don’t know where I stack up": When Carl Edwards assessed his standing in NASCAR’s highest level

Carl Edwards had a stellar start to the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series winning two poles and two races in April. Yet when asked about his place among his fellow competitors he was uncertain whether he measured up.

Edwards spectacularly started the 2016 season with back-to-back wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Apart from that he finished in the top five three times and a further three times in the top ten in his nine starts in the season so far. After his victory at the Toyota Owners 400, he sat down with USA Today’s Jeff Gluck for the publication’s weekly 12 Questions series.

During the interview, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked where ranked among the 2900 drivers, who had competed in the NASCAR Cup Series till then. Edwards responded humorously at first but then offered a sincere reflection.

"In my own mind? Well… (Laughs) We’re all pretty confident in ourselves. But all joking aside, it shocked me when I got to the Cup Series, how good all of these guys are. You can ask any of those 2,900 drivers what they think about the guys they’ve competed with and I guarantee you they’ll all say the same thing," he said.

Despite multiple Cup wins and finishing runner-up twice in the Sprint Cup Series, Edwards chose to focus on the sheer talent of his peers. In his characteristic humility, Carl Edwards told USA Today:

"I watch guys do things every week that television might not catch and fans might not see, but it’s spectacular how good all these guys are. So I don’t know where I stack up, but it really means a lot when you can beat all the guys you’re racing against."

The #19 Toyota racer belonged to an era filled with racing stars as he competed alongside the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin.

(L-R) Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards shake hands after the Champion's Week Awards Ceremony - Source: Getty

Johnson beat him to win the 2008 Cup Series. Edwards came close again in 2011 when he was tied on points with Tony Stewart but the latter won the championship with four more wins than the JGR driver. The presence of such stalwarts added to Edwards' belief in the competitiveness of the sport and his respect for them.

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When Carl Edwards wanted to "have a couple more cracks" at the 2011 finale

While Carl Edwards has had his share of success with 28 Cup Series victories, he still wishes to relive some of his races. During the interview with USA Today, Edwards talked about his wish to race in the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series finale again at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"Well, Homestead in 2011 (when he lost the championship to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker) – I’d like to have a couple more cracks at that. I feel like I ran a really good race, but who wouldn’t want another shot at that?," he recalled.

The 2011 season saw one of the most intense conclusions to a NASCAR Championship. Edwards, then the Roush Fenway Racing #99, started in pole position and dominated throughout the race leading 119 laps. Stewart who had pitted under a yellow flag as rain interrupted the race on Lap 231, took advantage of his fresher tires as Edwards could not hold on to him in the final stretch.

This would be the closest Carl Edwards would come to a championship as he surprisingly retired from racing at the end of the 2016 season.