NASCAR: Edwards to announce retirement

Joe Gibbs Racing has called two separate press conferences at its Huntersville, North Carolina, shop for Wednesday morning with the expectation Carl Edwards will announce he's leaving the sport.

FoxSports.com is reporting Edwards, 37, will depart JGR as well as NASCAR to pursue other interests. Fox Sport also reports defending Xfinity Series champion Daniel Suarez will be named the driver of the No. 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car. In 220 starts, Edwards has 28 career win, 22 poles, and 124 top-five finishes.

Last year, Edwards was in control of the championship fight at Homestead-Miami Speedway before being involved in an accident with fellow title contender Joey Logano with 10 laps to go. Edwards finished fourth in points after winning three races and leading almost 1,000 laps during the season.

When it comes to the Chase era, Edwards will be remembered for being a part of what could go down as NASCAR's most memorable championship battle. In 2011, Edwards finished tied for the championship with Tony Stewart, with Stewart earning the title based on wins. Stewart captured his fifth victory of the year in the season finale at Homestead in a race where Edwards, who had one win, finished second.

In 12 full years at the Cup level, Edwards has finished in the top five in points six times. The Columbia, Missouri, native has competed in the Cup Series since 2004. Edwards also has six career wins in the Camping World Truck Series and 38 wins in the Xfinity Series. He won the Xfinity Series championship in 2007.