It's a question that's been roaming around social media for the past couple of months, if Carl Edwards does leave Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing can he take his car number with him?
Answer: No, unless Jack Roush gets a soft side and lets him.
The car owner has his money on the lease of a car number and its very unlikely that Jack Roush will be soft enough to let Edwards take the 99 with him if he leaves to a Toyota team. Remember the harsh comments he had to say when Kenseth left for Gibbs a couple of years ago? The fact is, Jack Roush leases the number from NASCAR and keep the yearly lease on the number as long as wants it, remember Richard Childress kept the 3 locked up where no one else could get it until his grandson Austin Dillon was ready to move up.
I've been watching NASCAR for many seasons now, I can't remember a driver leaving one team for another (unless the team shutdown) and taking his car number with him. Remember Dale Earnhardt Jr's situation before he went to Hendrick? I can remember fans having their arms all tattooed up with an 8 on them, luckily, Yates Racing and Dale Jarrett let him take the 88 number.
Just like Childress, Roush Fenway has kept the lease on its number 6 since 2011. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., last piloted the number in 4 events in 2012. Next year Trevor Bayne will make the jump to the Sprint Cup Series using the famed number that Mark Martin ran for so many years. So here is where I come to my point about Edwards taking the number with him if he does leave Roush. Carl Edwards isn't Mark Martin, and Roush didn't even let his most winningest driver take the number he drove for so many years with him when he left. He didn't let Kenseth either.
NASCAR has control over the numbers and allocates the numbers used on each race car to participating teams. The first team who requests use of an available number is usually given the number and then there is the line of full-time vs part-time, the full-time team is usually given the rights to a number before a part-time operation.
Generally, if a team has used a car number, the number will be re-issued to the same team. If a team relinquishes a car number, it will revert back to NASCAR.
Danica Patrick wanted to run a No. 7 car in Sprint Cup, however, at the time Robby Gordon had the lease on the number and wouldn't give the number up. Therefore, Patrick went to racing the 10. Drivers don't always get what they want and I have a good feeling, Edwards might be settlinig for a different number than 99 next year if he parts ways with RFR.
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