It’s the summer of 2024, and Hendrick Motorsports Director of Racing Communications Jon Edwards is with a group of friends and fellow NASCAR colleagues at a Charlotte FC soccer game.
There is talk of an upcoming assignment that needs to focus on Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A return to racing on the oval is a big deal, and that will likely be the piece’s angle. Edwards leans forward in his chair to look over at the writer.
“How about Jeff Gordon?” he said. “He did win the first Brickyard 400. It’s the 30th anniversary of that race and that win. And now we’re back on the oval.”
It brought laughs to the group. Of course, Edwards couldn’t turn his racing brain off. But he also wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to help.
The conversation didn’t need to go much further than accepting the offer. There was no turning down a chance to talk to Gordon.
Edwards went back to his beer. Charlotte FC continued an entertaining back-and-forth with Orlando City, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
It was the easiest interview ever put together. But that’s how Edwards operated.
It didn’t matter whether it was a simple question to glean information or a request for a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Edwards, who died unexpectedly last week, understood the job of working with the media and doing his best to provide whatever was needed.
Image courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
The above story is one reason why he was referred to as the gold standard: because of how he treated people and his approach to the job. If one were to walk through the garage and ask for an Edwards story, that phrase would likely be used alongside an example of how he helped make something happen.
I don’t remember the first time I met Edwards, but that doesn’t bring sadness. Instead, it seems perfect because it feels like he was always there. He gave everyone a chance, whether you were a veteran beat reporter he had interacted with hundreds of times, or someone working their way towards such longevity.
Over the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, so much was said about Edwards. And it was all true. There was no need for exaggeration; no prompting for stories or kind words because they came naturally. There was shock and grief all around, along with shared pain with those who you knew were grieving at Hendrick Motorsports.
“I can’t speak for everybody on the team, but for me, walking in (Sunday), it was different,” said Gordon, who had spent over 30 years alongside Edwards. “It was tough. I think that we’ve gone through a lot as an organization over 40 years, and when you have experience in most things, you realize what would that person want, and try to fulfill that.
“Jon would want us to be here racing. I don’t even think he would want us to honor him. He would want us to not say his name at all. He wants to go under the radar and be this kind of unsung hero, I guess. But there’s no other way to do it, any other way, for a great like him. Sometimes, it’s (racing) therapeutic, but it’s also not really an option either. You just try to learn from it and grow from it and bond together as an organization, as a team together, and I think that’s what Jon is going to do in this case for us.”
Gordon laughed when saying Edwards wouldn’t want to be mentioned. The room laughed, too, because everyone knew it was true.
Oh, Edwards would have hated all the attention. He would not have wanted to see the crying, nor how many people talked and laughed while remembering him. We all needed that, though. In a way, having to go to the racetrack the day after his passing was the best possible outcome, because there was no sitting at home in sadness. Instead, the sadness was embraced by friends and racing family, and we could all lean on each other.
“I don’t know how it is for everybody else, but it still doesn’t feel real,” Larson said. “It all happened so fast. Obviously, it’s sad, but still shocking at this point. I think sometimes death takes a couple of weeks to sink in. We’re all sad and want to make him proud. But at the same time, I think he would not want us to be sad right now. I think that’s what is keeping the spirits high.”
Image courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
Edwards was as straightforward as they come — someone who loved his job, his friends, and racing but didn’t need the flattery.
He was someone who kept you on your toes, too. There is a rare gift that some have of being quick-witted, and Edwards had that. And he would pounce when given the opportunity if, say, someone couldn’t adequately express her thoughts and started talking fast and jumbling her words. Oh, how he would start picking on her, and laugh while doing it.
The smile – well, sometimes smirk – as he kept the digs going while the person became increasingly flustered, was where he thrived. No matter how embarrassed you felt, the teasing was truly done with love and admiration. Edwards was never malicious. Plus, you knew it was going to happen again and again.
Two weeks ago, on the Saturday of practice and qualifying at Darlington Raceway, the hunt was on for Cliff Daniels in the garage to comment about the No. 5 team’s pit crew change. No one was by the hauler or the car, so a text was sent to Edwards asking if he knew where Daniels was.
“How the hell are ya!?” was his reply. It brought a laugh because even reading a text, you could hear his voice. He genuinely cared about how someone was doing, their latest happenings, and then, yes, we can handle business, too.
Daniels was eventually found. Not surprisingly, Edwards texted again later in the day to confirm.
“Did ya talk with Cliff?”
With the amount of time people in racing spend together, it’s natural to become close. It is not a cliché that the sport is a family, with some members closer than others, and dysfunction along the way. Edwards felt like a family member, and his presence and impact will be missed.
“He would always come up to me before every race: ‘Hey, Cliff, when we win later and when we dominate later, we’re going to do this, this, and this after the race,’” Daniels said. “I’m a big, ‘don’t jinx it’ guy. So, I’m always like, ‘Jon, no. You can’t say when we win.’ Every Sunday… ‘When we kick their ass today, Cliff, we’re going to do this later.’
“I miss that, and I enjoyed that interaction before every race because he knew that it was fun to say, but he also knew that it would kind of twist me a little. So, I appreciated that.”
The media doesn’t root for the subjects they cover. But whether they admit it or not, they root for what would be a good story.
Larson, Daniels, and Hendrick Motorsports dominating at Bristol Motor Speedway was a good story worth rooting for. It was a moment to smile about while remembering a friend who we all knew loved nothing more than a Sunday afternoon just like that.
