The Tragic Career of Carl Edwards

[@EllyProductions49]

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[@KyleBusch-2023]

you know. carl edwards 2011 season, reminds me of matt kenseth's 2003 championship season

[@penskegamer22]

another sponsor dude?

[@shoey6123]

Glad to see you got a sponsor, but I got to be that pisslord who tells the masses to buy wired earbuds instead and get a bluetooth adaptor. A pair of Truthear Hexa's and a $20 Fiio bt reciever will smoke the raycons for breakfast.

[@freewillygoss]

You're officially a KZbinr with this one

[@HangmanOfficialUploads]

Damn, Raycon is still around after Dankpods tore it a new asshole?

[@DennyDeliversYT]

at this point, society should just accept that GTA 6 will be released before carl edwards ever gets back in a racecar

[@wireycoyote3544]

And 3 more editions of Skyrim.

[@Duster2582]

We’re getting GTA 6 before a Carl Edwards return…☹️

[@christiankallio8586]

You watch Carl will come back for 1 race either Cup or Xfinity and we'll have Carl returning before GTA 6

[@mrgeebers]

*GET OUT*

[@nickstarlingch]

I mean, yeah, it's coming out this year or next. I think Q4 2025.

[@EmoDKTsuchiya]

He beat Michael Schumacher forever beating the "Nascar driver go left" meme so he's a Legend

[@jamiegioca9448]

The commentators drowned in copium that day, it was a riot

[@swingAE86]

Connor zillisch can be the next potential guy for that torch

[@driver8703]

Edwards beat a 2 years into retirement, having not raced anything in that time, Schumacher and lost the very next round to well known “mid” F1 driver David Couthard. Calm down. Not to mention Edwards next appearance on the ROC he didn’t win a thing and was a second slower than his teammate Tanner Foust.

[@Goofygoblin454]

@@driver8703holy cope bro jus accept the loss it’s been over 10 YEARS😂😂

[@driver8703]

@ ain’t no cope about it, I don’t like either one. Hell he didn’t even qualify to race in his next ROC appearance. And beating a retired Schumacher is as close to a championship he’ll ever get, so cope on that slap nuts

[@RawGator]

I see Carl Edwards, I click

[@MotoMac805]

Same

[@TexasNightmare24]

Same

[@jkspeed3677]

You came back before him and GTA6

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

Why are you here? I thought you were canceled.

[@penskegamer22]

bro remembered his password

[@TotoDG]

2:00. Casually dropping a big piece of NASCAR lore like “Carl Edwards and Ken Schrader are cousins” and acting like it’s no big deal.

[@AngryKirbyHatesYou]

That's why his nickname was cousin carl, it was a known commodity

[@partiallystatic]

kenny also mentions this in his feature episode on the dale jr download

[@kilekiesgen5596]

7:18 he didn’t just finish 3rd in points, he tied for 2nd but lost the tie breaker because Greg biffle had more wins. It really was just the worst foreshadowing wasn’t it.

[@jacksonwade]

I met Carl Edwards at work last year at K1 speed, he raced under a false name during a birthday party, but I knew it was him. The natural speed of being faster than 75% of workers, the raw talent was amazing to see first hand, I had a short conversation with him, and he is happy living his own life under the radar. He is just another guy now. So kind and humble on and off the track. Meeting your favorite driver or celebrity can sometimes leave a bad taste in your mouth but Carl made me appreciate the time I had watching him that much more.

[@ANWRail22]

Screw the chase, screw the playoffs, screw the format, the officiating, the constant changes to the rules and screw NASCAR. Carl Edwards was the guy and perhaps the benchmark for how this sport rewards the wrong athletes. He deserves his championships that never were, not the abuse taken from the competition that performed worse than him.

[@realbaron5714]

He was a victim of "Jimmie Johnson's Era".

[@ANWRail22]

@realbaron5714 Agreed.

[@Akane-Jinn]

I love the idea of somebody who doesn't know who Carl Edwards is finding the thumbnail, and thinking why is that man lying down while floating

[@jjnolastname8386]

I am that guy, I was wondering why he was on his back doing like bicycle kicks😂

[@andre2005XD]

i thought he has injured😂

[@brycezatchey4961]

Edwards walking away in 2016 is one of modern NASCAR’s biggest butterfly effects. Jimmie Johnson wins his 7th because of Carl’s wreck, completely changes the career path of Daniel Suarez, Furniture Row shuts down and Truex fills the ride that still could have been Carl’s, etc. Miss him a lot, hope we see him more often at the track

[@jmjrulz9482]

Saurez replaced Carl in the 19. Truex got the ride in 2019

[@brycezatchey4961]

@ I’m aware of that, but Carl was only 37 when he retired. As long as he was still solid, that ride easily could have been his in 2019, leaving MTJ with a question mark. Maybe Toyota still would see Carl as a cornerstone at JGR and not pressure Furniture Row into shutting down? I guess we’ll never know

[@thetechfromheaven]

Carl's retirement totally influenced current Daniel's career at Trackhouse. It could've should've been a totally different driver that started that team.

[@gregd806]

Didn't this inadvertently influence the 2017 championship of Truex?

[@platypinetwork]

Is it a wider web than larson's iracing incident?

[@Clabel]

I speak for all Cousin Carl fans when I say, thank you for providing such an amazing look into the career of the guy we still love so much.

[@enzio24]

As 24 fan and also love to see what Carl did I always loved him.

[@xander_jeffrey]

Couldn’t have said it better myself my fellow Carl worshipper.

[@josephharrison5639]

The fact he and Jimmie were so close in nascars historic moments in the 2000s and 2010s should tell you how good Carl was

[@ST0NE_206]

growing up I always called him The Backflip Man because of the way he did that while celebrating his race wins, looking back it’s a shame he never won a championship

[@Thefrogbread]

Kraken fan spotted

[@ST0NE_206]

@@Thefrogbread yessir 🔥

[@patrickroden4481]

I was so fortunate to be at Richmond in 2016 for the bump and run. As long as I could remember I had always wanted to see him backflip in-person. Lo and behold I got to see his last that day. Still my favorite moment I've ever seen in-person

[@Dude-zm4gj]

I like to think that what made Carl great in a racecar is also what made him a great loser: grit, stoicisim, humility. Be like Carl. Lose like a winner. Great vid.

[@robertstone9988]

A grate looser? Is that why he right hooked Brad twice? Carl was good but he was not a good guy

[@Dude-zm4gj]

@@robertstone9988 They both flipped each other in the air. Thankfully they were both alright. May he who is without sin drop the first black flag.

[@thecheetosnfl]

This was one of the saddest Elly videos to watch. The man was the Kasey Kahne of Cup Championships

[@JackCallSports]

Our generations Mark Martin

[@oIRONITEo]

Mark had more class then Carl. Some of the on track incidents he had with Kes were some of the worst things I'd seen on a race track.

[@markjackson6431]

@@oIRONITEowahhhh wahhhh cry harder

[@oIRONITEo]

@@markjackson6431 just stating a fact lol.

[@ayrton42]

Martin had an incredible career, he just happened to do it during the reign of Earnhardt and Gordon. Edwards was a dynamite driver, but his peak came when Johnson and Stewart were at their best. Both great drivers who just happened to be up against the best of all time.

[@IrishmanGFS]

Mark didn't try to murder anyone.

[@2tuff.saints]

Edwards retired too soon he was at the prime of his career. But at the end of the day it was his decision and there’s nothing we can do to change it.

[@Pensfan5919]

He should have at least 2 Cups. I truly think the entire idea of the Chase was meant to punish Jack Roush for not winning via curb stomping other teams the way the 3 and 11 had done before them.

[@calvinstraveldreams]

It made it so that even though Roush had 5 teams, they wouldn’t have as much of an advantage in championship battles, especially as Roush tended to shuffle personnel and crew chiefs between teams every year or two (sometimes even MORE frequently)…this REALLY hurt Roush in the long run by ending driver/crew chief combinations before they could truly become dynasties, and making it so that every driver, regardless of accomplishments and potential, would effectively have to start from scratch every few years (contrast this with Hendrick Motorsports where the Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus partnership lasted from 2002 to 2018, and won SEVEN championships and 83 races in that timespan). Honestly, if I were Jack Roush I would have tried to keep the #16 (Greg Biffle and Doug Richert), #17 (Matt Kenseth and Robbie Reiser), and #99 (Carl Edwards and Bob Osborne) teams intact for as long as possible given how successful those partnerships were (especially in 2005, where they accounted for 11 wins combined, many at impound races (which are very tough given that the setup cannot be changed between qualifying and the race start) as a further testament to the strength of those teams), and basically adopt a McLaren-like strategy of treating the Cup teams equally up to race 19, and then pool extra resources into whichever one looks most competitive, especially on the Chase tracks given that almost every Chase race until 2020 was the second date at a given track…

[@needsmetal]

it was also done to stop Gordon from winning more titles

[@etatboi]

The transition at 10:02 was SMOOTH

[@allennixon4745]

Out of all the championship losses Carl suffered 2011 is still the most heartbreaking to me that was his best chance at winning it til Tony’s 5 win season stopped him.

[@HINTERhunt53751]

As someone from Europe I never watched nascar when I was younger, but I saw a race with my dad on tv when I was really young. Because I knew none of the driver´s I picked my favourites based on their names. The lifelong Thomas the Tank Engine fan inside of me went for Edwards and Gordon. All these years later I can´t help it but feel proud of that decision.

[@Taylay7573]

I'm pretty sure if NASCAR didn't have the playoffs I think Carl Edwards could have been a four-time champion or something

[@Mustard42-fc2rl]

He would be 2-time champ (2008 and 2011)

[@Taylay7573]

@Mustard42-fc2rl oh ok

[@BlueJimmie48Fan]

Not enough people are talking about how Dylan Lupton changed NASCAR history. If it wasn't for him, Jimmie would not be a 7x champ, Logano would not have caused the restart wreck, Edwards would have captured his first title, and Carl more than likely wouldn't have retired so unexpectedly.

[@BrianIsTheGOAT594]

And somehow Dylan Lupton is still racing in NASCAR...

[@wubbawallace]

@@BrianIsTheGOAT594 $$$, that's why

[@turgid_member8717]

I can't blame that on Lupton, that's on NASCAR. Lots of drivers get a little squirrelly, shouldn't have been a caution.

[@aaronmaharajh441]

NASCAR decided that the caution was for that incident. They screwed Carl over in 2006, 10 years befpre 2016

[@robertstone9988]

How did joey start that wreck? Last I checked Carl's bad block caused that wreck.

[@marzuuuuski]

I'm a Vikings and Brewers fan, but Carl Edwards wrecking at Homestead in 2016 is still the most heartbreaking moment I've had to sit through as a sports fan.

[@tbird1991]

Why does being a Roush fan always have to have so much pain. We have perennial bridesmaid Mark Martin, finally win a few chips, and then immediately go back to having perennial bridesmaid Carl Edwards. I just wanna see our boys win it all :(

[@girlwithaguitar24]

If the Chase/Playoffs have a million haters, I am one of them. If the Chase/Playoffs have a dozen haters, I am one of them. If the Chase/Playoffs have one hater, that is me. If the Chase/Playoffs have no haters, then I am dead.

[@happylittlemountains3724]

Amen

[@markconro5796]

I feel attacked. 20 years ago this year I started really watching NASCAR because of Carl

[@unclebeans7867]

The more videos I see talking about cup drivers near miss championship runs from 2004-now, the more I realize that the chase/playoffs have always been bullshit

[@Mister_Matt_X]

Carl deserves the credit for his work and effort behind the wheel in the Cup Series.... even though he didn't win the Cup Series Championship.... At least he won Daytona in the Truck Series.... good for him.

[@lookatthatggman]

The 2016 finale is the only race in NASCAR history that I don't personally think I could ever watch again with how much pain it brings me. That being his last race, that being how it ended, the Championship feeling robbed from a flukey caution, all of it. Hurts too much for me, he was always my guy.

[@rudyk5518]

Keep in mind if NASCAR never went to the Chase/playoffs, Edwards would be a 2 time cup champion.

[@Aideboii]

Carl deserves so much more than he got

[@CharlesSalt]

😢😢😢 Carl was my childhood hero. As a little one, I just loved his backflips. Was at the races where he won on my hometown track, Phoenix, and there was the spring of 2016 where he and Harvick were close at line. In that year’s championship, that was the day Logano became my biggest enemy in the sport. In 2023 at Nashville, I actually saw him and got a picture. And as a Daniel’s Amigo, it was awesome that he carried on Carl’s number through today.

[@themumblebrapper]

Glad a Carl video's came from you now, one of the best nascar youtubers talking about one of the best Nascar drivers

[@BarberDude]

Dude, you make the BEST nascar docs! This was awesome. Thanks for what you do!

[@happylittlemountains3724]

I second this!

[@COCarDude]

I miss Carl Edwards. I met him back in the day at Colorado National Speedway, and he was super friendly. I hate that he never got his cup title.

[@monsterouseggman627]

Might have not won the drivers championship but he was at least the peoples champion

[@matthewadkins9116]

As a fan of his since the truck series I can say every one of those defeats was gut wrenching. It all ended so suddenly. I got to tell him how much he meant to me as a fan in the garage in Darlington in 2023. I'm so sad that I won't be able to be at the Hall of Fame to watch him be inducted in a few weeks although I only live a few miles away, but I will always be a fan. Thank you for treating your fans so well and always being a class act. We miss you!

[@f1champ551]

Sterling Moss = Carl Edwards.... Both most popular and beloved drivers to never win a championship of their own motorsports organizations... F1 and NASCAR... 😢

[@stellar8098]

Its just sad to see these drivers performing so well and consistent and then just not winning the championship It also reminded me of Gilles Villeneuve

[@p1motorsports694]

F1 is trash

[@apslup]

⁠@@stellar8098Gilles is a bit different since while he did have a failed championship campaign, he died young so we couldn’t really see what he could do. he probably would’ve had to leave ferrari to do so

[@PescaraProductions]

Two of the people I miss the most from NASCAR today are Cousin Carl and Bowyer. Both blighted by luck in completely different ways. But the sport is so much poorer without both of them

[@kianmagas6129]

Nobody makes the NASCAR vids like you, Elly. Keep up the excellent value. You keep me watching and keeping up with the sport even when NASCAR keeps dropping the ball.

[@NascarClipsAndMoreYT]

Edwards Deserved A Championship.

[@Roachyboi1111]

1:04 Hey, that's my town!

[@Nr2055-CB]

I cannot sleep every single night because I always wonder why Carl Edwards doesn't have a championship

[@Brosati68]

That last “Tony Stewart wins it” killed me 😂 the editing on your vids are beautiful

[@RealGage]

Great video!

[@lugiz11]

Great Video as always Btw nice Song choice with Finished Symphony

[@penskegamer22]

intro shows that carl is just a chill guy when it comes to losing

[@Soyunpringleconsalsa]

3:31 sponsor skip

[@SharpeRacing]

Carl Edwards is my hometown hero. Forever second to Jeff Gordon in my favorite NASCAR driver list, but he was always there to root for in solemn remembrance of my hometown Columbia, MO. Oddly enough he and I went to the same high school and same university, but only by a couple decades apart from one another. I remember him fondly from my days as an early 2000s NASCAR fan. Sadly, it's gut wrenching that he never won a Cup championship.

[@tylerclifton4759]

Met Carl just this past year, could not have been a kinder guy. Chatted about everything under the sun, wish he could’ve won a cup title

[@originalname02]

rawgator coming back and elly posting is the most epic combo for one day

[@ZNZDerby]

Mark Martin and Carl Edward’s are so similar yet so different, the two greatest who never won the cup. Being a Johnson fan it brought joy seeing him win his championships, but it stung knowing who was second place.

[@budsodastories]

I remember when Carl won his first cup race wow it was so exciting that was sheer grit and driving the wheels off it.

[@Nasrul260]

I'm not a Nascar kind of guy but both Carl & Kasey suffered the same problem of basically losing more than you could win. With the only difference being that Carl backflips after every race, even if he didn't win.

[@realbaron5714]

He was one of the best drivers in those times, sadly he didn't won a championship by many circumstances but final of 2016 was enough for him.

[@hockeylake7219]

Love the Arceus music! Would love to see Carl come back and do a one off at some point

[@platypinetwork]

I was in 6th grade when Carl's 2016 chase happened. I had an English teacher named Mrs. Hightower who grew up in Missouri and was a Carl fan. The day after that race, she took a sick day. I still remember when she had a study hall, had her headphones on, watching the press conference, and bolted out of the room crying. Oddly enough she was also a McMurray fan and ended up leaving my school system the year before my sister was in 6th grade, but she's still teaching somewhere else in the county

[@WilliamBlanksJr]

I don't comment often, Just wanted to say, What A Great Video!!!!!!!! So love your channel and the AWESOME content you produce.. Lifetime Viewer!!!!

[@JJ_R3ACH]

I agree. Carl wasnt done yet. But i respect his decision to step away

[@aaronkristofer18]

loved the slapshoes reference towards the end

[@chatruc]

Carl left NASCAR since he realised Cup championships had no meaning as they used to have. A backrunner barely spinning was enough to stripped him that crown, so he thought "this can happen every year"...and was and is still right. The playoff format is no sense.

[@defy_charger39]

I hate that carl never got his title. Such a good guy and deserved at least 1

[@play_er9092]

Carl Edwards: A people's champion.

[@Juno7900]

Nice nod at the "Cousin Carl" tweet lol

[@Lurkzz]

What a polite and good man. He may not have won a Championship but he has won my absolute respect.

[@markchalled3976]

Edwards competed in NASCAR in a time like golfers during Tigers reign. He was great no doubt but... Another great video. Thanks Elly.

[@maegenyoungs2591]

Carl was a part of the era in modern NASCAR history. All the greats raced. It’s so boring now..

[@seannolan9857]

Fun fact: If any of the systems NASCAR has ever used were used throughout Edwards' career, he would be a champion. Under the Latford system, he wins 2008 and 2011. He also would win those seasons under any of the point systems used from 1949-1971. Under the original Chase, he'd win 2011, as his top fives would have been worth slightly more before we went to one-point-per-posistion. If we kept the 2011 format, he would have won 2015. If the 2014 format of elimination playoffs were around earlier, he would have won 2010. While a lack of playoff points would eliminate him that year under the current system, they would save him after his disastrous round of 12 in 2008 and allow him to win that title. So essentially the only thing that kept Edwards from a championship is the exact order that the systems were changed in.

[@bradenyingst3158]

Every time I see those races a little bit of me thinks it might change, but it never does😔

[@ralphismyname4940]

Love it when SVG catches strays but like…positive strays

[@Nascarfan24dude]

I miss Carl, him and Jeff Gordon were my favorites. Back to back retirements too.. ):

[@JohnCharb87]

Always good to hear the final stage theme to SSX (2000).

[@karelpgbr]

I’m a European, the internet and tv-provider I have broadcasts NASCAR, and I love it, but I know nothing about its history (other than it came from bootlegging, but who doesn’t know that) Really great video

[@MikCreeper]

New Elly vid, W day!

[@LogsHall336]

Should be a 2 time champ 😢

[@cadehiggins2458]

Awesome video man

[@OfficialMichaelL]

So my grandpa was a huge fan of Carl Edwards and I was a huge fan of Jimmy Johnson so the rivalry between us was massive.. I miss the old days

[@Dat-Mudkip]

If there was a medal for "Best Runner Up", it would be Carl Edwards. (Mark Martin would finish second in that same competition lol)

[@aj_jk1337]

Hardly tragic, ask anybody in the sport- his investments have paid extensive dividends. Hes one of the wealthiest drivers in the sport. Also arguably the most athletic. He made it out with a hell of a lot of money and his health, definitely a winner and all time great.

[@JmarcusKmart12]

This video is amazing and made me tear up with the sad music playing. And I guess that goes to show that Carl respectively took L's instead of just crashing out. Kind of glad he's going into the Hall of Fame he deserves to be in it. :)

[@FireboltPrime]

While he wasn't my favorite driver growing up, I'll always remember Cousin Carl fondly... and lament at what could've been

[@blacklilac2788]

In my opinion Carl showed us who he really was in 2010. And it's fitting that he lost that championship because he made a bad block. Perhaps had he looked inward instead of getting mad a Keselowski, he would've learned not to do that.

[@TSi99999]

Good show great editing

[@HirokaAkita]

Between this, Daniel Suarez not winning the 2017 Alabama 500, and Martin Truex Jr. outright having the worst luck possible... *_I'm starting to think that the JGR 19 car was simply cursed._*

[@lolodatruf8648]

Still haunts me that Carl doesn’t have at least 2 titles if only we had a real point system

[@BDSFormula1]

2:21 THE JACKSFILMS MUSIC

[@cjearnest203]

YOOOO

[@gibgob1]

one of the most deserved hall of fame entries. sure he didn’t win as many championships or races as other entries, but he was still a fantastic driver, and one of, if not the most humble on the grid

[@Joshallenprodz_17]

THE GOAT DROPPED

[@Newmanfan4ever39]

i still lowkey think losing the title in 2016 was the last straw and made him retire

[@atkearly1]

Makes me wonder why he didn't run a couple seasons in SRX. Of course, we'll never know if he'd compete for a championship in that. Since that is canceled after three years.

[@sensori.]

10:03 what a transition

[@zavtparticles]

i'm honestly running out of drivers to enjoy watching

[@Carsboy95]

As an Edwards fan, this videos certainly reminded me of things I didn’t wanna be reminded of again lol

[@coconut_helmet]

2011 ain’t Stewart’s championship but that championship is more legitimate than Logano in 2022/24🫥 keep it up Elly💯

[@ic3man]

True

[@shado87j82]

Ironic that my two favorite divers are mark Martin and Carl Edwards Jr.

[@Livyjedi]

So in 2006-2007, my 5th grade teacher was a huge Carl Edward’s fan (life size cut out in the classroom and everything) and promised us an 100% homework grade if he won so I distinctly remember how he did that season 🙃.

[@maxversthappening8166]

if i could give my life for carl edwards to get a championship i wouldn’t hesitate

[@PKInTheUniverse]

I’m happy Carl got to retire on his own terms. I was a fan and it was sad to see him see so much heartbreak. But he’s a multimillionaire living his best life. He never got divorced, never had to retire because of a concussion. I’d rather be Carl than be Kurt Busch any day of the week. The older I get as much as I love racing there is so much more to life than that.