Why Was Kyle Busch NASCAR Rival Carl Edwards’ Favorite Teammate?

Carl Edwards spent the final two seasons of his long career in NASCAR at the Joe Gibbs Racing camp. Though he’d driven alongside many drivers during this stint one person who earned the icon’s admiration was the former Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch. He answered a question back in 2015 about who his favorite teammate at JGR was and said, “I’d say right now I’m really grateful to have Kyle Busch as a teammate because he’s so fast that he’s driving all of us forward. He is setting the bar so high, there’s no excuses.”

The duo raced alongside each other in 61 races during 2015 and 2016 and garnered a combined 14 wins (Edwards – 5, Busch – 9)  between them. Busch’s competitive nature which led him to get back into the 2015 title race despite suffering an injury that forced him to sit out for 3 months appears to have led Edwards to catch an affinity for the driver.

Carl Edwards moved Kyle Busch for the win in 2016. pic.twitter.com/Fvj1zxoTrC

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 20, 2019

Edwards also added that having a teammate who pushed him to do better was one of the most valuable things he could have. Busch ended up being the champion that season and Edwards himself finished 5th.

Carl Edwards reveals the best way to deal with an angry driver after a race

Edwards was known throughout his career for his likable personality. Though he was a guarded person who seldom showed emotions to the camera, he was always careful about respecting the opinions and feelings of others. In the same interview with Gluck, Edwards revealed the inspiration for his goodwill and sincerity when it came to dealing with his fellow contenders. Asked about his preferred way to deal with an angry driver after a race, he opened up about something his father had taught him.

He said, “My dad taught me that if you screw up somebody else’s race and you didn’t mean to do it, you’ve got to go over there and tell them and explain to them it was an accident — whether they want to hear it or not.”

He continued how not giving an explanation would lead to the driver wrongly assuming that the mistake was deliberate or that Edwards couldn’t care enough about ruining their day. He concluded, “So for me, I always try to address it. Some people are open to it right after a race and some people aren’t, and I respect that.” As he said in his retirement announcement in 2017, all Edwards ever wanted to be was a good person.