Aimee
There is a real possibility that in the coming days or weeks, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart will announce his retirement from driving. Should it happen—and we’re not suggesting it should or it will—his retirement will open the door to a flood of questions about the future of other drivers of his age and era and about the future of the sport.
And who are those “other drivers”?
Jeff Gordon (43), Greg Biffle (44), Matt Kenseth (42) and Jeff Burton (47). Only a few years younger are Jimmie Johnson (38), Kevin Harvick (38) and, yes, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. (39).
Most of these drivers entered the NASCAR ranks while in their late teens or early 20s and have enjoyed 15 to 20 year careers in the sport.
Five years from now, how many of them will still be behind the wheel?
Gordon has already admitted that he’s plagued with back problems that could signal an end to his driving career. Burton has stepped back from a full-time driving career and into the broadcast booth with NBC Sports, though he’s returned to the track as the substitute driver for the still-absent Stewart. Biffle and Kenseth recently signed new deals with their current teams, but for how long will they continue to race?
As for the rest, ask them how much longer they’ll be racing, and you’ll likely get something like “until they pry my fingers off the steering wheel.”
The time is coming when these drivers and others will have to make way for the youth movement that is exploding within the ranks of NASCAR.
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