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 Chad Little’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.
Buck Baker
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Nascar Cup champion. 46 Cup Series wins. Three-time Southern 500 winner. Most Cup wins and poles in both 1956 and 1957.
LAST HURRAH: Buck’s last win came in the 1964 Southern 500, although he had stopped running the full-schedule several years prior. In 1966 he posted seven top-five finishes.
FINAL YEAR(S): Baker’s race attempts were in the single-digits from 1969-1973, during which time he posted a single top-five at Bowling Green Stadium in ’71. He made a brief comeback in 1976 which included a sixth-place finish at Darlington’s spring race but was most-notable in his retirement for operating his driving school.
DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: Possibly. Baker showed in his 1976 comeback that he was still capable of running up front. However, his lack of any other top-tens in the “Modern Era” (post-1971) showed that maybe the sport had passed him by.