NASCAR has never lacked creativity when it comes to iconic race-winning celebrations. Kyle Busch does his trademark bow, Ross Chastain smashes a watermelon, and Shane van Gisbergen throws a football into the stands to name a few. However, Carl Edwards’ backflips might just be the fandom’s favorite. The Hall of Famer recently revealed the origins of the infamous celebration, ahead of a broadcast for NASCAR.
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“Alright, so the backflip origin story. I was watching a World of Outlaws race. This guy won the race. He got out. Did a backflip. It was Tyler Walker. I was like, ‘This is the craziest thing ever!’ So, I started doing it at Capital Speedway in Holts Summit (Missouri) in the dirt car and then was fortunate enough to win our first race in the No. 99 truck in Kentucky and I thought, ‘Why not?”
We'll miss the flipping #NASCAR driver in 2017. Here's every single one of #CarlEdwards' unique victory celebrations. pic.twitter.com/uCUNHpNkPN
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 10, 2017
It does come as a shock that Edwards copied the flip from another driver but it is no less admirable because of that. He went on to explain how he felt every time he did a flip and said, “You’re standing there and the crowd’s cheering and you’ve just won a race, it was just a perfect expression for just how excited I was.” Performing the flip was perhaps the only thing better than watching it.
An iconic celebration with humble beginnings. pic.twitter.com/EFfTSIfSgq
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 3, 2024
Edwards isn’t sure of how many flips he has done over his career. He won 28 races in the Cup Series, 38 in Xfinity, and six in Trucks. The math is pretty simple. It has been a while since he pulled the celebration off but it is unlikely that fans will get to see him do so once again. Fortunately, there is enough footage from the past to look at and hype the legend up.
Edwards’ career as one of the top drivers of the 21st century
“If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me,” is what Edwards would tell team owners when handing out his business card. He worked as a teacher while chasing a career in professional motorsports. His resilience led him to the gates of Roush Fenway Racing and a ride in the Truck Series.
His success there soon gave him entry to the Xfinity and Cup Series. He won the Xfinity championship in 2007 and finished in the top two in the standings for five straight years. He spent 13 years in the premier tier during which he collected several accolades.
He won the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500 in 2015. He finished second in the standings twice and heartbreakingly lost the title to Tony Stewart in 2011 through a tiebreaker. Despite the lack of a Cup Series championship, he stands tall as one of the Greatest 75 Drivers in NASCAR.
