BRISTOL, Tenn. — On the surface, media requests for NASCAR superstars Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson may seem like the sport’s equivalent of climbing Mount Everest, both supremely sought-after voices at the top of motorsports excellence.
Instead, thanks to Jon Edwards, those requests were among the most feasible in the NASCAR industry.
Edwards served as Gordon’s longtime public relations representative since 1994, one year into Gordon’s once-blossoming, now-legendary career. But it wasn’t until 2021 that he officially began his work for Hendrick Motorsports, joining to serve as Larson’s representative before an additional 2022 promotion as the organization’s director of communications.
Edwards died Thursday at age 52. Though the public never knew who he was, it felt his impact in unimaginable ways. Edwards was responsible for making heroes like Gordon and Larson accessible to the media to better tell their stories. What could have been the most intimidating ask of a young reporter’s career was made to feel like you were instead asking for a beverage from the refrigerator.
His loss reverberated through the garage at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, a reminder of how impactful Edwards’ 31 years in and around NASCAR were outside Hendrick’s teams — first with Gordon’s No. 24 and later with Larson’s No. 5.
“He meant a lot to me personally,” Larson said Friday, “Just getting to be with him since 2021 and go on a couple vacations and stuff with him, getting to know him, and just be around him a lot. He’s probably the guy that I’m around the most on the 5 team. I’m gonna miss having him around. He’s had a long career with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports.
“Definitely a sad week for the industry. We’re gonna mourn his loss and try to win some races for him this weekend. He would want us to not be sad. He was a happy person, so we’re gonna hold our heads high and represent him well this weekend.”
That Larson did on Saturday, where he gave Edwards another ride to Victory Lane Saturday after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. A decal rode on the C-post of Larson’s car as well as those of JR Motorsports Saturday, featuring his photo, name and one phrase: “One of a kind.” There to both celebrate and help coordinate hat dances in Victory Lane were Ashly Ennis and Autumn Darracq.
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Ennis is in her eighth season at Hendrick Motorsports, serving now as its communications manager and public relations representative for William Byron and the No. 24 team. She worked hand-in-hand with Edwards, who mentored her and many other communications professionals through the Hendrick campus.
“This is what Jon would have wanted,” Ennis told NASCAR.com. “Jon was someone who never wanted the spotlight or the attention, so we’ve been joking that, honestly, he probably wouldn’t have liked all of the attention he’s been getting. This (win) is what he would have wanted. He would have wanted us to come out here and just do our job and do it to the best of our ability because that’s what he taught us to do.”
Darracq was among those whom Edwards mentored as she joined the NASCAR powerhouse that is Hendrick Motorsports. After spending the 2022 season with Live Fast Motorsports, Darracq had an opportunity to interview for a job at Hendrick. What she didn’t know was that with one year of experience in the role, she was interviewing to take Edwards’ position on the road as Edwards stepped back for the 2023 campaign.
“Once I found out it was for the five and to fills Jon’s shoes, I was like, there’s no shot. Like there’s no way,” said Darracq, now a marketing account executive for the team. “But long story short, he believed in me. And I think that that was a common theme in the way that Jon treated people. It didn’t really matter where you came from. He saw work ethic and he was an encourager. He was someone who took so much pride in his work that it was contagious. It made you want to resemble the same. He was a leader and a role model. Jon was truly one of a kind.”
Amy Walsh-Stock now serves as the Vice President of Communications for Legacy Motor Club, but 25 years ago, she was breaking into the sport as a PR professional in the Crafstman Truck Series. She met Edwards in 2000 and immediately took note of how Edwards conducted himself not just around Gordon but the numerous media outlets searching for a bite of Gordon’s time.
“As a young PR person in my 20s coming in, I just wanted to be like Jon,” Walsh-Stock said Saturday. “He was just a consummate professional. He was always super kind. He was always there. I don’t think in 25 years that I made a single career move without talking to him first.”
Edwards, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, became the gold standard in his profession. Whether the goal was to promote his driver’s brand on “Saturday Night Live” or coordinate an interview with an up-and-coming blogger, Edwards handled each request with the same kindness, attention and respect any media representative could ask for. And even if Edwards’ had to deliver a no, there were never any hard feelings left behind.
“Jon could basically tell you no and have you buy him a beer later because he was so happy,” said Joe Crowley, who handles public relations for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team. “He had like a magic touch of like just working (through problems). Like Amy said, it was always about finding a solution. Like, ‘we can’t do this, but I can get you the crew chief; I can get you this. There’s always a solution.”
Dustin Long, a longtime motorsports reporter for NBC Sports, worked closely with Edwards to coordinate countless stories dating back to 1999. In a world that evolved from written print to social videos and the different forms of media through 30 years of technology, Edwards evolved with it and helped connect drivers to the media, who then helped connect back with the fans.
“If you had a question, you can go to him and get an answer,” Long told NASCAR.com. “If you had a request, he would do his best to make it happen. And a lot of times, he would make it happen, even when maybe Jeff didn’t have a whole lot of time — but he could squeeze you in. And from a reporter’s perspective, that’s important, because at the end of the day, we are the conduit to the fan. And sometimes, it is important to hear that driver’s voice. And sometimes you get a few minutes, and sometimes it’s a snippet of time. But all of that can matter to the fans, explaining in greater detail what happened, why it happened, how it happened.
“And without the help of Jon, sometimes you wouldn’t be able to tell that story. So Jon helped myself and others tell a more complete story and better inform the fans.”
It was no wonder he won multiple rewards for his efforts, among them the NASCAR Public Relations Representative of the Year Award, the National Motorsports Press Association Ken Patterson Helping Others Award and the Jim Chapman Award for career-long excellence in motorsports public relations.
The same decal that ran on Larson’s winning car Saturday will be featured across Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car stable Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Alex Bowman will start on pole in the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet with Larson third, Chase Elliott 20th and William Byron 26th.
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