Dale Jr Download with Carl Edwards

KTMLew01

KTMLew01

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Turns out I was partly right about why he quit/isn't interested in doing more. Part of it WAS his concern about head injury. Great interview although, just for me, I wouldn't be buddies with Carl. The intensity of personality is hard for me to wrap my brain around. I've never been a very competitive person. Did some racing but was all just for fun. Noticed, in most of the drivers interviews, most are kinda the same person. Readily admit they wish they'd enjoyed it all more. Put too much pressure on themselves. It just wasn't fun.

It's fundamental part of a pro racecar drivers DNA.
 
This was the first time we've seen Carl visibly uncomfortable talking about the Homestead situation. This whole time it had always been about the head injury stuff, which he does still mention, but hearing him finally get into the rest of what was going thru his head at the time makes a ton of sense.
 
He lost perspective IMO. Flipped flopped the other way and went sailing for a year. I mean, he had tons of success. I thought at the time he got tired of the B.S. and that appears to be partly true, but he took himself way too seriously. I think part of it is wife support or lack of with some of these drivers. That could have been a factor with Carl, I don't remember his wife being around much, that seemed like a totally different deal separate from racing. But here he is now lol.
 
StandOnIt said:
He lost perspective IMO. Flipped flopped the other way and went sailing for a year. I mean, he had tons of success. I thought at the time he got tired of the B.S. and that appears to be partly true, but he took himself way too seriously. I think part of it is wife support or lack of with some of these drivers. That could have been a factor with Carl, I don't remember his wife being around much, that seemed like a totally different deal separate from racing. But here he is now lol.
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I agree. Carl works the narratives. Says he wanted to be a better husband and father....well, quitting is one way to create space for that, but another is to bring your family along as many drivers do, right? He didn't want to do that, and I respect that, but maybe include that thinking in your explanation.....not that we need one, but now he is offering......It is interesting to me how pissed off he was with the Homestead yellow. I have heard that from Toyota as well. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Part of the game...but to be so brazen to accuse NASCAR of a fake yellow at a season defining moment is really....well, interesting? Just weird IMO. It seems that there are plenty of people who feel he is fake. Maybe that is what hits with me....
 
StandOnIt said:
He lost perspective IMO. Flipped flopped the other way and went sailing for a year. I mean, he had tons of success. I thought at the time he got tired of the B.S. and that appears to be partly true, but he took himself way too seriously. I think part of it is wife support or lack of with some of these drivers. That could have been a factor with Carl, I don't remember his wife being around much, that seemed like a totally different deal separate from racing. But here he is now lol.
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.....and sailing across the ****** Atlantic with a kid? Sorry, that's weird. Can't imagine the **** they ran into. Okay Carl. Live your best life. I'd rather listen to Bowyer...and that is saying something....
 
Thanks for the replies that back up my spidey senses about him. What is the term for people that lack empathy and sometimes just learn to act like they have it? That's my impression of Carl. He's 100% faking being "human". Are we being too critical? IDK?

I mean...I've posted crap here that when I go back and read it weeks/months later, think WTF was that about. We all have moments. I probably have more than most.
 
2 Sweet said:
Yep.

I think Carl is a psycho, honestly. Never trusted him. He's Eddie Haskell
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As someone who has known Carl and his family since his early days starting out at my local tracks, I can confirm that his nice guy act is just that - an act.
 
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dirtfan said:
As someone who has known Carl and his family since his early days starting out at my local tracks, I can confirm that his nice guy act is just that - an act.
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Looks like he put too much pressure on himself and was a damn instapot underneath. I can't imagine anyone would be overly friendly in that setting.
Revman said:
I agree. Carl works the narratives. Says he wanted to be a better husband and father....well, quitting is one way to create space for that, but another is to bring your family along as many drivers do, right? He didn't want to do that, and I respect that, but maybe include that thinking in your explanation.....not that we need one, but now he is offering......It is interesting to me how pissed off he was with the Homestead yellow. I have heard that from Toyota as well. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Part of the game...but to be so brazen to accuse NASCAR of a fake yellow at a season defining moment is really....well, interesting? Just weird IMO. It seems that there are plenty of people who feel he is fake. Maybe that is what hits with me....
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Kyle Larson had it right marrying Brad Sweet's sister. Same for Chris Bell marrying Chad Kemenah's daughter. Find a girl who already lives in the racing life and your personal life will go much better. It can't be easy having 34 road games a year
 
Carl Edwards, IIRC, made his own break by mortgaging everything he owned for a ride at the Copper World Classic. For that, I respect him a ton. In terms of how I personally feel about him? He's not a horse jockey like a lot of race car drivers and I think was willing to engage in some back and forth in part because he recognized almost none of the people he was getting into it with would do anything. In spite of this, he never made an identity for himself as a wrecking ball in the way so many others did. He generally raced pretty cleanly. Carl could have been a "monster heel" or at least an interesting foil for the sport when it needed someone to market against Jimmie but didn't have it in him and never was. The structure of the championship changing as it did during his entire career I think had an effect on this as it has everyone. The chaos we have now ensures we'll never have that kind of rivalry again.

I basically just fast forwarded the video up to the point at which he starts discussing Homestead and the aftermath because, TBH, I don't know that I care enough to engage with more than this. It was pretty clear that Jr. wasn't buying what Carl was selling (at least IMO) about the way it ended not having any substantial effect on him. I don't either. That's not to say that what Carl is saying something that he wouldn't cite as being true, but rather it appears to me that he is citing it in the way that works best for him to reintegrate himself into the sport ("I just realized it wasn't going to happen and it was time to move on") and not constantly grind on him. For all of what he's found value in outside racing, here he is again regardless, which I think is as telling as anything about whether or not he had ever truly moved on.
 
I watched the entire thing last night, and it's way cringey. Carl doesn't even listen to what Jr. is saying because he is thinking about the next thing he wants to say. I thought it was particularly interesting when Jr. wasn't buying into his bull**** about Homestead, and Carl became somewhat defensive. While Carl creeped me out, my respect for Jr. (yeah, I know released from the Pen) grew big time. Jr. is an amazing interviewer. I get the feeling that he doesn't give a **** if he pisses someone off, and word spreads that he is a tough interviewer. If this gig falls through, he will move on to something else. Also have deep respect for his love of this sport, and that he is willing to defend that passion. Junior is a ****** treasure.
 
Revman said:
I watched the entire thing last night, and it's way cringey. Carl doesn't even listen to what Jr. is saying because he is thinking about the next thing he wants to say. I thought it was particularly interesting when Jr. wasn't buying into his bull**** about Homestead, and Carl became somewhat defensive. While Carl creeped me out, my respect for Jr. (yeah, I know released from the Pen) grew big time. Jr. is an amazing interviewer. I get the feeling that he doesn't give a **** if he pisses someone off, and word spreads that he is a tough interviewer. If this gig falls through, he will move on to something else. Also have deep respect for his love of this sport, and that he is willing to defend that passion. Junior is a ****** treasure.
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Practically speaking, Jr. is unf*ckwithable. He's too big and popular for anyone to sanction for saying something they don't like and no one has an independent bullhorn to speak to the public to that is remotely as big for this sport. Shaq right now is taking hits for how he's talking about the NBA, most specifically that he straight up doesn't watch mid/small market level teams. Similarly, Shaq is just too respected, too known, too famous to ever have the NBA tell him to take a hike even if he's effectively hurting their business.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
Gotta be honest, this is the only place where I see these 'Carl is a fraud' takes. Not sure why that is, just something I've noticed lol.
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It's actually funny to me. I watch racing dispassionately whereas a lot of the forum is VERY passionate about some component of NASCAR, whether it is a driver or team owner or manufacturer and their entire interaction with racing is built around that. People get in their feelings here about all sorts of stuff I can't imagine caring about.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
Gotta be honest, this is the only place where I see these 'Carl is a fraud' takes. Not sure why that is, just something I've noticed lol.
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I'd go with odd duck, or unconventional, but one thing he was was charismatic. He was a sponsors darling, Carl never had a problem getting sponsors and he was racing in a period of sponsor down turns. I think he will do well as an annalist, probably do his homework which is more than I can say about most of them that call themselves that.
 
virtualbalboa said:
It's actually funny to me. I watch racing dispassionately whereas a lot of the forum is VERY passionate about some component of NASCAR, whether it is a driver or team owner or manufacturer and their entire interaction with racing is built around that. People get in their feelings here about all sorts of stuff I can't imagine caring about.
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Carl was a good driver & highly competitive. As a NASCAR fan that’s all I need to know. If I was a psychologist I might care about some off track things he did.

It’s the same thing for me with Dale. He won a lot of races & champs & is an all time great. However some choose to attack his parenting & his number of marriages etc. If I was a marriage counselor I might care about those things.

I tune into NASCAR because I like the racing. I know some fans like to know about a driver’s wife or kids or other personal things & that’s fine by me.
 
AlTerego said:
Carl was a good driver & highly competitive. As a NASCAR fan that’s all I need to know. If I was a psychologist I might care about some off track things he did.

It’s the same thing for me with Dale. He won a lot of races & champs & is an all time great. However some choose to attack his parenting & his number of marriages etc. If I was a marriage counselor I might care about those things.

I tune into NASCAR because I like the racing. I know some fans like to know about a driver’s wife or kids or other personal things & that’s fine by me.
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You look at the Indycar or F1 threads and it's like "Yeah man, McLaren is really improving this year!" Sports cars: "Wow, isn't this a great GTP field?" and then you get to NASCAR threads and LMAO does the tenor ever change. Not in a "everyone is negative about NASCAR" but more like the way in which people create pet names for the entities they hate and love and all that. TBH that feeling trickles down to attending the races too. I think the vibe at a pavement late model race is completely different from going to see dirt open wheel cars or a vintage/club race or whatever. I can't speak too much about the dirt side of late model racing but I definitely gather plenty that there's a separation there from the open wheel folks for largely the same reasons.
 
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