Carl Edwards' long
INDIANAPOLIS - Carl Edwards, winner of 23 races for the organization since 2005, will not return in 2015, Roush Fenway Racing announced Sunday. Greg Biffle has signed a contract extension to continue in his current ride.
Sunday's announcement by news release was no surprise. Both Edwards and Joe Gibbs Racing officials have been mum when asked if the 2011 Cup runner-up would move to a new fourth JGR team next season.
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Team owner Jack Roush said a driver leaving is part of the business and it was not emotional for him. He said Edwards had told him more than a month ago that he was in serious discussions with another team and did not tell him where he was going.
Edwards also would not talk about his 2015 destination before Sunday's Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
'There are so many moving parts here, and this was the right time for Roush Fenway to talk about their plans for next year,' Edwards said Sunday. 'For me, the right time to talk about exactly what I'm doing next year is the same scenario - there are a lot of moving parts and we'll announce everything as soon as possible.
'But today is about racing. I talked to my crew. I talked to Jack (Roush), to (crew chief) Jimmy (Fennig) and our mission is to go win this race today and go win the championship. From a competitive standpoint, that's the key. That's where I'm at today.'
Biffle, winner of 19 races in 421 career Cup starts since 2002, has said throughout the season that he hoped to stay with Roush, form whom he won a Camping World Truck Series championship and a Nationwide title.
Biffle will now be the leader and most accomplished of the Roush Fenway stable, which will include Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne in Cup rides next season.
'I don't have the words for what Jack Roush has meant to my career,' Biffle said in a news release. 'During our 16 years together, we have won multiple championships and numerous races on every level. I am as excited about what the future holds for me here as I am about what we have been able to accomplish in the past.'
Edwards has two wins and is sixth in the Cup standings for Roush Fenway, which has struggled adapting to the new aerodynamic rules. Biffle is winless and 16th in the standings.
'I will always be thankful for Carl's contribution and the role he played in many Roush Fenway wins and championships,' Roush said. 'We wish him well for the future. In the meantime, we are excited about continuing our quest for a championship with Carl and the No. 99 team in 2014.'
Bayne has full sponsorship from AdvoCare. Stenhouse will have a mix of sponsors with former Edwards sponsor Fastenal for the most races. Stenhouse will lose the Nationwide sponsorship to Hendrick's Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015.
Biffle, whose deal is for multiple years, does not have a sponsor signed for next year. He has been primarily sponsored by 3M.
It is believed Edwards can only take sponsor Subway with him to another team.
But the biggest sponsor of Edwards at Roush Fenway might have been Ford, which reportedly played a pivotal role in his staying at Roush three years ago.
There was no keeping the 34-year-old from Missouri at Roush this time.
It is expected that Edwards will also change manufacturers, driving a Toyota at JGR, which had Matt Kenseth contend for the 2013 title and Denny Hamlin contend for the 2010 crown.
Edwards has been the only Roush Fenway driver to make a serious threat for the Cup title as he tied Tony Stewart atop the standings in 2011. Stewart won the championship because he had five wins that season to Edwards' one.
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