Edwards’ sabbatical comes on the heels of former champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Could another champion be hanging up his helmet in the near future? Well, maybe.

“The Daytona 500, if I win it this year, I just might almost pull a Carl Edwards and walk away,” Kurt Busch said with a smile. “No, no, no. The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious wins and it is on the top of my list right now.

“There’s Daytona. There’s Indianapolis. There’s Darlington, Charlotte, Bristol. I’ve got a couple of those but Daytona, I’ve yet to win there.”

But Busch has been close. The 2004 NASCAR Cup champion has three second-place finishes in the Great American Race — including in 2008 when he pushed Ryan Newman to the checkered flag for Roger Penske’s first Harley J. Earl trophy.

Although Busch has 28 career Cup victories, he has never won at Daytona or Talladega in NASCAR’s premier story. With Stewart-Haas Racing’s switch to Ford this year and crew chief Tony Gibson leading the No. 41 Monster Energy team, Busch is confident that could change. Having raced Fords for the first five years of his Cup career, he’s encouraged to have RoushYates’ restrictor plate engines under his hood this season.

“I’m really pushing hard this year, especially returning to Ford and working with Doug Yates and having his enthusiasm and his engine horsepower for Daytona,” Busch said.

“I’m really excited. And Tony Gibson is one of the best restrictor plate crew chiefs out there.”