I hear you on this. I really don't care about a driver's life either as long as they aren't hurting anybody. I don't like the way he shows up as a personality. My two cents. He loved the attention....business cards and all of the bull****, and then felt like he owed nobody anything when he bailed. Now that he wants a piece of the pie, he knows he has to address that or that will be everybody's focus, and then goes into some bull**** about it was never meant to be. He says he was screwed by the sanctioning body which runs the same sport he will cover....bias? He is all over the board trying to say what people want to hear all of the time, and really doesn't say much. Then, when Junior holds him accountable for the bull****, he gets frustrated because his cheesy smile and bicep flex doesn't get him off of the hook. I liked Carl more when he went away, and lived whatever life he was living....which while I don't really care sounds like a bunch of bull**** to me.....a little kid in the middle of the ocean....but whatever.....I had more respect for him when he give it all up, and went on his way. Now, very much like Mark Martin....he is drawn back to the attention likely because of the HOF stuff.....Mark disappeared too until the attention drew him back.
BTW....Carl was never really a Toyota guy. Toyota loved him, but he was never a Toyota guy. He came because Jack had his team so messed up, and I believe that Carl was desperate for a shot at the title. A walk off was always the plan IMO. I do remember that one Toyota exec said that after signing Carl, they waited for him to come to the brand. **** that. Sign the PSA, and promote the product. Not Carl. No driver is bigger than the OEM IMO. On the Toyota front.....Carl threw JGR into a tailspin by bailing.....but he wanted to be a sailor.
Larson offered Carl his car at the All Star race. Carl declined? Why? Carl has never driven the Next Gen. I am not sure that he has in interest in the technical aspects of the sport. Why? He is supposedly going to be an analyst. I think he is going to rely on his smile and biceps, and maybe some grab cheek with Trotta.