Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s. While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.
With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon). By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.
Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Lake Speed’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.
(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)
NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered. Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece. Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.
David Pearson
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “The Silver Fox”. Three-time Nascar Cup Series champion. 105 Cup wins. 1976 Daytona 500 champion. Three-time Southern 500 champion. Led Nascar Cup in wins in two years (1973 & 1975) in which he didn’t run the full-schedule. Six-time leader in season-long poles.
LAST HURRAH: After leaving the Wood Brothers race team midway through the 1979 season, Pearson would win twice more—later that year for Rod Osterlund and in 1980 for Hoss Ellington. When judging Pearson’s performance its worth noting that he rarely ran the full schedule.
FINAL YEAR(S): Running a very limited schedule through 1986, Pearson’s results would drop off, although he was still capable of recapturing the old magic, as evidenced by his final race result of 10th. An abortive reunion in 1989 with the Wood Brothers never came to be and he retired to private life.
DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: Yes. As stated above, its hard to judge Pearson since he rarely ran the full-schedule, but if you go solely by wins, he likely should’ve left after the ’81 or ’82 season.