Carl Edwards is one of those racers who walked away when they were on top of their game. After retiring in 2016, he distanced himself and kept appearances to a minimum.

Michael Edwards, Carl’s son, has been signed by Toyota Gazoo Racing, and he is now part of the carmaker's developmental driver program. During his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2025, Carl Edwards mentioned that Michael really wanted to race.

Carl was spotted at the inaugural Arlington GP, where his son, Michael, was racing at the Toyota GR Cup Season opener. While speaking to Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe, and Townsend Bell, he was all praises for IndyCar, and was also amazed by how the drivers race here.

He said, “I lived in this NASCAR bubble forever, and I didn't realize how amazing IndyCar is. It is a lot of fun to be here with you.

I've just been amazed as I sat in the horseshoe the last couple of days spotting the guys at how much their hands are moving and how hard these guys are driving these cars. You think they're stuck, but man, these guys are wheeling these racecars.”

While Carl spent the majority of his racing career with Roush Fenway Racing (now RFK), driving the No.99 Ford Mustang, he ended his career at Joe Gibbs Racing, driving the No.19 Toyota.

This makes Michael’s journey different from his father’s, as he is starting with Toyota Gazoo Racing right away. This could be due to a variety of reasons, but it could mostly stem from Carl’s experience.

While speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, he mentioned the contrasting cultures between Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, noting that while the former had a central figure who could do everything, the latter believed in delegation.

He spoke, “He (Joe Gibbs) gave up all the control and put it in the hands of others, and then let them kind of run the ship. He just facilitated it, whereas Jack could really run everything himself. He was like the central computer, the actual mechanical brain behind everything, and it was totally different.”

When The New Generation Deviates From Legacy

Carl’s son racing for Toyota isn’t the first time that a racer’s child has chosen a different manufacturer, despite their parent having a long-standing relationship with a particular manufacturer. Not too long ago, Keelan Harvick made headlines for signing up with Toyota Racing Development USA.

This came as a surprise to many, as his father, Kevin, also a NASCAR Hall of Famer, drove Fords for the majority of his career and had no prior connection to Toyota during his racing days.

However, the senior Harvick recently revealed why this decision was made. In an interview with Short Track Scene, he said it was not a sudden decision but one that followed months of discussion.

There is also the fact that Toyota has one of the best driver development programmes. After all, the car maker has given us greats such as Christopher Bell, Corey Heim, and John Hunter Nemechek.

Addressing the same, he spoke, “I think the choice was pretty simple. It’s been a conversation that we’ve been having for the last eight months about what the direction was going to be and what was best for him.

It’s just a great group of people with the resources and the structure. Their development program is really unmatched. So I think for Keelan to be able to have that path and for us as parents to be able to have that partnership with a group of people you can work with together is important to us,”

Keelan Harvick will join forces with Rackley W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick Inc. to participate in late model races across the nation, driving the No.62 Toyota Camry, with ExxonMobil as the primary sponsor.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi