NASCAR Star Who Abruptly Quit Accuses Sport Of Rigging Races

PublishedMarch 14, 2025 10:25 AM EDT|UpdatedMarch 14, 2025 10:25 AM EDT

Bubba Wallace on NASCAR, Overcoming Setbacks, Politics in Sports & Tennessee Football

On the latest show, it’s a family affair as Bubba Wallace joins his cousin Trey for an in-depth interview on life as a NASCAR driver. What does he take away from the current landcasape of the sport? How has he learned to move past a bad weekend? In today’s political climate, what is Bubba’s thinking on how folks from the left and right try to get along in an ever-changing sport? How long has Bubba been a Tennessee fan, and what does he think about the Vols right now? Also, what can student athletes learn about NIL in this new era of college sports?

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We all knew it was coming at some point, but we just didn't know when or where. We knew, though.

NASCAR fans have always known.

Carl Edwards – Cousin Carl, as he's known around the garage – finally came out of hiding this week to speak to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Remember Carl Edwards? We last saw him on the track back in 2016 (!!!) when he lost the championship to Jimmie Johnson in absolutely gut-wrenching fashion.

It was so hard to swallow, that Carl decided to retire the next year. True story. It was shocking at the time, and, frankly, it's still shocking today. It was NASCAR's ‘Barry Sanders’ moment.

Anyway, Edwards was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year, and he's slowly been jumping back into the spotlight ever since.

Finally, on Junior's podcast this week, he told us all a truth we thought we knew a decade ago, but weren't quite sure: NASCAR rigged that championship race.

Rigged!

Will NASCAR ever admit it? Of course not!

There you have it, folks! Just like that, we have a case CLOSED. A 10-year-old cold case, closed. Just like that.

Look, I don't know if NASCAR rigged that race. I don't know if they threw a caution with 15 to go to bunch 'em back up and make it more exciting, which led to the above wreck you just watched, which led to Jimmie Johnson inexplicably winning another title.

Obviously, NASCAR will never admit that. My guess is they're not pleased with Cousin Carl this morning. My guess, also, is that he doesn't give a shit.

He was heartbroken after that championship race. I've never seen anything like it. I mean, LOOK at this interview:

Just painful. You can tell he's hurting. You can feel it in your bones the whole time. I remember watching this race live and thinking that Carl would never recover.

And he never did. He just … quit. He left in his prime the next year. All because NASCAR threw a caution with 15 to go at Homestead.

Did they throw it on purpose, as he says? No clue. We'll never know, I reckon. That's something you take to the grave with you.

But for those wondering why he left … now you know.

Rest easy tonight!