Sunday morning’s news that Carl Edwards is leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of 2014 is almost certain to overshadow much of what the veteran driver does on the track the rest of this year.
Edwards wants to make at least one thing clear, however. He insisted he’s 100% dedicated to finishing his time at Roush — the company where he began his Sprint Cup Series career in late 2004 — on a high note.
“I came over here this morning and talked to (crew chief) Jimmy Fennig and all of my guys, and we’re all on the same page,” Edwards said Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Right now we need to win this championship … and that is the mission. I drive for Jack Roush, I drive the #99 Fastenal Ford, and that’s what I do right now. So from a housekeeping standpoint Roush has to announce what they’re going to be doing next year. I’ll soon announce what I’m going to be doing next year, but I just want to be real clear the focus is to win the championship this year.”
Edwards confirmed Sunday that he knows which organization he’ll be driving for in 2015, but was unwilling to elaborate further. He is widely expected to join Joe Gibbs Racing in a fourth JGR Toyota.
“I’d like to wait until I announce exactly what I’m doing and maybe get a little farther away from this season, and what I have to do here, before I talk about my hopes and expectations for 2015 and beyond,” Edwards said.
“I mean, you guys know what I’ve been through from a competitive standpoint. I’ve been really close as a driver to some championships and I know what one point and one race and all that stuff can do, so the last thing I’m going to do or Jimmy Fennig’s going to do is let next year and beyond affect our ability to win this championship. That’s the mission. Part of the reason I’m a race car driver is I like the adventure of it, and I like going and doing new things and learning new things and, sometimes, whether it’s a race-car driver — or anyone — sometimes you just want to make a change, and opportunities sometimes present themselves. And you say, hey, I don’t want to look back and say, ‘What was that like to not take that opportunity?'”
(FoxSports)
