Carl Edwards announced his immediate retirement from NASCAR in a press conference Wednesday at Joe Gibbs Racing. A source with direct knowledge of the situation revealed this on Tuesday, although the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Carl Edwards To Retire From NASCAR Healthy And With No Regrets

Edwards, 37, said he has no plans to race again, although he added he wouldn’t use the term “retirement.” The race also said the timing to leave is right because he is satisfied with his career and because the schedule is grueling.

Edwards also said Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s battle with concussions also affected his decision to step away from racing.

“It’s a risky sport,” Edwards said. “I am aware of the risks. I don’t like how it feels to take the hits that we take. I’m a sharp guy, and I want to be a sharp guy in 30 years. Those risks are something that I want to minimize. … Like anybody in a contact sport, I realize that there might be long-term consequences to that stuff. That is a piece of the puzzle [on the decision].”

Edwards will be replaced by Daniel Suarez, the first-ever full-time Mexican-born driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Suarez won the Xfinity Series championship last season.

The newly-retired driver spent the past two years with JGR and had one year left on his deal.

“I can’t come up with a good reason why now isn’t a good time [to stop racing]. … I’m not going to say this whole thing was easy or clean or perfect,” said Edwards, who owns a farm and said he also could be interested in broadcasting. “There was no epiphany moment. This has been something that I really thought a lot about. Part of me went back and forth.”

Edwards has 28 Cup wins and has finished second for the championship twice, in 2008 and 2011. The second time, he lost to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France released a statement following Edwards’ announcement.

“Carl Edwards has made an indelible mark on NASCAR,” he said. “His hard-charging driving style has led to memorable moments that will live forever in the history of our sport. Carl’s passion and personality will greatly be missed — as will the signature backflips that NASCAR fans have come to expect following his victories. We wish Carl nothing but the best as he enters this next phase in life.”

Edwards had a chance at the championship in each of the past two years. He failed to reach the championship round in 2015,  when rain shortened the race at Phoenix. He was one of the four finalists in 2016. Last year, he was leading on a late restart in the championship race when he attempted to block Joey Logano– and crashed out as a result.

Edwards came onto the Cup scene in 2004, when he showed promise after replacing Jeff Burton in Roush Racing’s No. 99 car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-tElSa-wSU

FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 06: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Sport Clips Toyota, races under caution during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 6, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Carl Edwards earned the victory he desperately need to earn a championship-contending spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup finale, winning at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday night in a race shortened by 41 laps due to rain after the start was delayed nearly six hours.

Carl Edwards Wins Rain-Shortened Texas Race To Advance To NASCAR Finale

With his fourth career victory at Texas, Edwards joined Jimmie Johnson as drivers vied for championship-contending spots in Homestead.

That leaves two spots available next Sunday at Phoenix.

Edwards entered the penultimate race before the Nov. 22 season finale eighth in points among the drivers still available for the championship.

“This is huge. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. That’s all we said was needed, just a shot,” Edwards said. “Now we’re going to go to Homestead, we’re going to do what we need to do. This was a great test. We came here and did what we needed to do, we performed, and I really believe we can do that at Homestead.”

Edwards’ three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are among the six other drivers still in contention, and clearly not all of them can advance.

Edwards has been waiting for this victory for a long time: five years, to be exact.

In 2011, back when he drove for Jack Roush, Edwards and Tony Stewart put on an epic battle for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship that literally could not have been any closer.

After 10 races in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Edwards and Stewart wound up tied with 2,403 points each. But because Stewart had won five races that season — all in the Chase — and Edwards only one, Stewart ended up being crowned the series champion on a tiebreaker.

Edwards took the lead on lap 258 late Sunday night after defeating Martin Truex Jr. off pit road.

Joey Logano, another Chase contender, finished second while leading a race-high 178 laps. Truex finished third and Chase Elliott fourth.

FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 06: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Sport Clips Toyota, races under caution during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 6, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

NASCAR has tests planned to continue instituting more changes to reduce downforce in order to improve racing, it has announced.

NASCAR To Institute More Changes To Reduce Downforce, Increase Drivers’ Racing Action

After all, drivers love having cars that are looser on the track and that provide them with greater chances to pass.

As expected after the Sprint All-Star Race, based on changes and testing this season NASCAR said Thursday it will do tests at Michigan and Kentucky with car component changes that take away even more downforce.

Downforce, the aerodynamic effect that helps keep a car in tight contact with the track, prevents slipping and sliding in the corners. However, it also lowers a driver’s ability to control his or her car.

“From the driver’s perspective it’s a way better package to drive,” Carl Edwards told media members earlier this season. “You can make some things happen. … NASCAR can make more progress just by keeping going in this direction.”

Edwards then continued, “Fans that know what they’re watching, know that we’re just driving, wheeling as hard as you can. My shoulders are worn out.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed.

“I love that the cars are harder to drive,” he said after the Atlanta race. “I think all the drivers wanted that, and I think all the drivers will get out of it after today, even the ones that didn’t run good, and say this is the right direction to go.”

Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR’s vice president of innovation and racing development, informed media members that the association hopes to reduce downforce to about 1,500 pounds. In 2015, cars had approximately 2,700 pounds of downforce.

The changes will imply cutting off another inch off spoiler height and a foot off width, as well as reducing splinter width to 2 inches, a slice of 3 inches. There will be no skew or rear-end toe, and the decklid fin will be tapered. In short, the size of the splitter that sits below a car’s nose will be decreased.

To put that in perspective, a Toyota Yaris weighs about 2,300 pounds. NASCAR is taking the aerodynamic weight of a Yaris off cars and replacing it with the weight of a grizzly bear.

For the All-Star Race, NASCAR had teams make changes to reduce suction created by fans designed to cool brakes.

The plan, NASCAR announced Thursday: Take away another 500 pounds of downforce on top of the 900 removed with 2016’s rules. If the Michigan and Kentucky race tests prove successful, downforce reductions will be mandated for 2017.

PHOTO: AVONDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 15:  Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 in Avondale, Arizona.  (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)