Retired NASCAR driver Carl Edwards named inaugural Nashville Superspeedway Legends Plaza honoree

LEBANON — Nashville Superspeedway announced the creation of its Legends Plaza on Sunday. Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, a six-time race winner at the race track, was fittingly named as it's inaugural honoree.

"This is more than an honor," Edwards said. "For me NASCAR is a dream, and I got to do it."

Open all year to fans, the Legends Plaza is set to be built at the track's entrance. Sizable bronze guitar picks, featuring inductees' names, accomplishments, and signatures will line the walkway of the plaza. Edward's pick was unveiled on Sunday with Edwards in attendance at a press conference before the Ally 400.

Edwards retired at 36 in 2016 with an early exit from the sport. Edwards left racing with 28 Cup Series victories and 220 top-10 finishes. He had five Xfinity Series wins and one Truck Series win at Nashville Superspeedway. He was named one of NASCAR's top-75 drivers and is in the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. With his retirement, his victory backflipping days seem to be behind him, too.

"I haven't done a backflip on hard ground in a long time," Edwards said. "It'd be pretty cool to be able to do one, but I'd have to warm up though, because if the first one was on camera it could be bad."

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Edwards earned the nickname "Concrete Carl" for his success at Nashville Superspeedway, which is a concrete track. He posted 11 top-five finishes in his Xfinity Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway. He placed 13th in his only finish outside the top 10 at Nashville.

In his retirement, Edwards has spent more time with his family and has made various appearances on television and film. In 2016, Edwards was a FOX NASCAR guest analyst for an Xfinity Series race at Texas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR: Carl Edwards inaugural Nashville Superspeedway legends honoree