August 15, 2020 | By Lee Spencer

Carl Edwards runs simulations at TRD facility in Salisbury. Is a return likely?

Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play—well, maybe.

Carl Edwards walked away from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team at the end of the 2016 Cup season. But sources say the 41-year-old former driver has been spotted at TRD facility in Salisbury, N.C. 

Could The Carl be planning a comeback? 

Doubtful. Edwards reportedly was driving simulations of the Daytona International Speedway Road in preparation for Sunday's Go Bowling 235 because other JGR drivers were unavailable.

While it’s unlikely that the 28-time Cup winner and 2007 Xfinity Series champion is pursuing a full-time return during the COVID-19 pandemic, a racer with Edwards’ talent and experience could certainly come in handy running simulations and offering feedback for Toyota Racing Development and JGR. 

If consulting wasn’t enough, Edwards, an avid fitness junkie, could easily slide behind the wheel of one of the top-five Toyota Camrys should one of the current drivers be sidelined, as was the case for Jimmie Johnson last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and for Austin Dillon this week at Daytona.

Stay tuned.