Where Does NASCAR Go With So Many Veterans Retiring?
Where Does NASCAR Go With So Many Veterans Retiring?
Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon retired, Carl Edwards simply left, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is all but gone. Who is left for NASCAR fans to support on raceday?
If your parents were NASCAR fans, you now know how they felt when their favorite drivers -- one by one -- retired from racing.
When Richard Petty, David Pearson, Harry Gant, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, and so many others took their last lap around a NASCAR track, fans were left to cheer for other drivers.
Some fans simply lost interest, knowing their favorite driver would never race again.
Now, you find yourself in the same place as your parents: Who do you cheer for once your favorite driver retires?
We've already seen Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retire, leaving a hefty chunk of NASCAR fans to find another favorite driver. Ditto for Carl Edwards, who has never clarified if he is fully retired or just on a hiatus -- leaving his diehard fans to move on to give their loyalties to another NASCAR Cup driver.
But perhaps the biggest impact on NASCAR's fan base will come later this year on Nov. 19 with the season-deciding and season-ending Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will also be the career finale for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The winner of the last 14 Most Popular Driver of the Year awards, Earnhardt's retirement will leave a huge void not to mention fan vacuum.
It's bad enough NASCAR has continued to struggle in recent years with lower attendance and sagging TV ratings, but when it's No. 1 star -- by light years -- decides to hang up his firesuit for the final time, it's pretty likely that his departure will have a devastating effect on a sport at a time when it least needs it.
While many NASCAR fans believe the sport will never recover from Earnhardt's departure, that's not exactly true. Sure, Junior stepping out of a race car permanently will have some negative repercussions.
And there's several more on the retirement horizon, including Matt Kenseth (45 years old), Jimmie Johnson (41), Kevin Harvick (41), Jamie McMurray (41 on June 3), Ryan Newman (39), Casey Mears (39), and Kurt Busch (38).
But at the same time, NASCAR appears to have a well-stocked pool of young up-and-coming drivers ready to step into the shoes of Earnhardt, Gordon, Stewart, and so many more:
Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, replaced future Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Ryan Blaney has brought the Wood Brothers back into contention, prominence, and significance for the first time in a long, long time, and he came within a few laps of winning last week at Kansas Speedway.
Daniel Suarez (25 years old) was kind of pushed into a Cup ride when Edwards surprisingly walked away from the sport. Still, while Suarez has admittedly struggled in his rookie NASCAR Cup campaign, there are signs of progress in virtually every race he's been in to date. Advancing from the NASCAR Mexico Series, he also brings diversity to the sport.
Clint Bowyer, Stewart's replacement, isn't young (turns 38 on May 30), and he hasn't won a race since 2012. But the Kansas native has definitely elevated his game compared to the last four seasons in joining Stewart-Haas Racing as Stewart's hand-picked selection as his replacement.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who won his first career NASCAR Cup race two weeks ago, is a still-young 29. Contrary to perceptions and rumors, Stenhouse and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Trevor Bayne (26) have both shown increased performance since the departure of veteran team leader Greg Biffle (the 47-year-old never officially retired; rather, he couldn't find a sponsor for 2017) after last season.
More Under 30: Let's not forget about current points leader Kyle Larson (24), Austin Dillon (27), Ty Dillon (25), Joey Logano (27), Gray Gaulding (19), Matt DiBenedetto (26), and Jeffrey Earnhardt (27 on June 22).
Up-and-Comers: There are also a number of young drivers on the horizon, competing in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck series who offer a great deal of promise when they ultimately move up to the Cup ranks.
Just Over the Horizon: William Byron (19), who was profiled as a possible replacement for Earnhardt, Jordan Anderson (26), Dakoda Armstrong (25), Christopher Bell (22), Kyle Benjamin (19), Ray Black Jr. (26), Jeb Burton (24), Cole Custer (25), Ryan Ellis (27), Ryan Ellis (27), Spencer Gallagher (27), Joey Gase (24), Brendan Gdovic (25), Daniel Hemric (26), Drew Herring (27), Brandon Jones (25), Blake Koch (31), Dylan Lupton (23), Brennan Poole (26), Tyler Reddick (21), Ryan Reed (23), Harrison Rhodes (24), Ryan Sieg (29), Matt Tifft (turns 21 on June 26), Darrell Wallace Jr. (24) Alex Bowman (24), Spencer Boyd (22 on June 26), Chase Briscoe (22), Brandon Brown (23), Harrison Burton (16), Ross Chastain (24), Austin Cindric (18), Cody Coughlin (21), Grant Enfinger (31), Korbin Forrister (24), Spencer Gallagher (28), Todd Gilliland (17), Noah Gragson (18), Kaz Grala (18), Justin Haley (27), Austin Hill (23), Parker Kligerman (26), Tommy Joe Martins (30), Travis Miller (29), Brett Moffitt (24), Camden Murphy (20), John Hunter Nemechek (will be 20 on June 11), Ben Rhodes (20), Austin Wayne Self (21), Myatt Snider (22), Ryan Truex (25), Cody Ware (21), and Tyler Young (26).
Yes, it may seem like the future looks dire for NASCAR with so many drivers in the retirement loop, but those lists show quite convincingly that there's more than enough drivers to fill the role of veterans who have aged out of their racing careers.
Sure, it may take the several years to be like Earnhardt, Gordon, Stewart, Johnson, Harvick, and so many others, but one thing is certain: NASCAR has plenty of drivers to step in and make a name for themselves, as well.
When Richard Petty, David Pearson, Harry Gant, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, and so many others took their last lap around a NASCAR track, fans were left to cheer for other drivers.
Some fans simply lost interest, knowing their favorite driver would never race again.
Now, you find yourself in the same place as your parents: Who do you cheer for once your favorite driver retires?
We've already seen Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retire, leaving a hefty chunk of NASCAR fans to find another favorite driver. Ditto for Carl Edwards, who has never clarified if he is fully retired or just on a hiatus -- leaving his diehard fans to move on to give their loyalties to another NASCAR Cup driver.
But perhaps the biggest impact on NASCAR's fan base will come later this year on Nov. 19 with the season-deciding and season-ending Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will also be the career finale for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The winner of the last 14 Most Popular Driver of the Year awards, Earnhardt's retirement will leave a huge void not to mention fan vacuum.
It's bad enough NASCAR has continued to struggle in recent years with lower attendance and sagging TV ratings, but when it's No. 1 star -- by light years -- decides to hang up his firesuit for the final time, it's pretty likely that his departure will have a devastating effect on a sport at a time when it least needs it.
While many NASCAR fans believe the sport will never recover from Earnhardt's departure, that's not exactly true. Sure, Junior stepping out of a race car permanently will have some negative repercussions.
And there's several more on the retirement horizon, including Matt Kenseth (45 years old), Jimmie Johnson (41), Kevin Harvick (41), Jamie McMurray (41 on June 3), Ryan Newman (39), Casey Mears (39), and Kurt Busch (38).
But at the same time, NASCAR appears to have a well-stocked pool of young up-and-coming drivers ready to step into the shoes of Earnhardt, Gordon, Stewart, and so many more:
Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, replaced future Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Ryan Blaney has brought the Wood Brothers back into contention, prominence, and significance for the first time in a long, long time, and he came within a few laps of winning last week at Kansas Speedway.
Daniel Suarez (25 years old) was kind of pushed into a Cup ride when Edwards surprisingly walked away from the sport. Still, while Suarez has admittedly struggled in his rookie NASCAR Cup campaign, there are signs of progress in virtually every race he's been in to date. Advancing from the NASCAR Mexico Series, he also brings diversity to the sport.
Clint Bowyer, Stewart's replacement, isn't young (turns 38 on May 30), and he hasn't won a race since 2012. But the Kansas native has definitely elevated his game compared to the last four seasons in joining Stewart-Haas Racing as Stewart's hand-picked selection as his replacement.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who won his first career NASCAR Cup race two weeks ago, is a still-young 29. Contrary to perceptions and rumors, Stenhouse and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Trevor Bayne (26) have both shown increased performance since the departure of veteran team leader Greg Biffle (the 47-year-old never officially retired; rather, he couldn't find a sponsor for 2017) after last season.
More Under 30: Let's not forget about current points leader Kyle Larson (24), Austin Dillon (27), Ty Dillon (25), Joey Logano (27), Gray Gaulding (19), Matt DiBenedetto (26), and Jeffrey Earnhardt (27 on June 22).
Up-and-Comers: There are also a number of young drivers on the horizon, competing in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck series who offer a great deal of promise when they ultimately move up to the Cup ranks.
Just Over the Horizon: William Byron (19), who was profiled as a possible replacement for Earnhardt, Jordan Anderson (26), Dakoda Armstrong (25), Christopher Bell (22), Kyle Benjamin (19), Ray Black Jr. (26), Jeb Burton (24), Cole Custer (25), Ryan Ellis (27), Ryan Ellis (27), Spencer Gallagher (27), Joey Gase (24), Brendan Gdovic (25), Daniel Hemric (26), Drew Herring (27), Brandon Jones (25), Blake Koch (31), Dylan Lupton (23), Brennan Poole (26), Tyler Reddick (21), Ryan Reed (23), Harrison Rhodes (24), Ryan Sieg (29), Matt Tifft (turns 21 on June 26), Darrell Wallace Jr. (24) Alex Bowman (24), Spencer Boyd (22 on June 26), Chase Briscoe (22), Brandon Brown (23), Harrison Burton (16), Ross Chastain (24), Austin Cindric (18), Cody Coughlin (21), Grant Enfinger (31), Korbin Forrister (24), Spencer Gallagher (28), Todd Gilliland (17), Noah Gragson (18), Kaz Grala (18), Justin Haley (27), Austin Hill (23), Parker Kligerman (26), Tommy Joe Martins (30), Travis Miller (29), Brett Moffitt (24), Camden Murphy (20), John Hunter Nemechek (will be 20 on June 11), Ben Rhodes (20), Austin Wayne Self (21), Myatt Snider (22), Ryan Truex (25), Cody Ware (21), and Tyler Young (26).
Yes, it may seem like the future looks dire for NASCAR with so many drivers in the retirement loop, but those lists show quite convincingly that there's more than enough drivers to fill the role of veterans who have aged out of their racing careers.
Sure, it may take the several years to be like Earnhardt, Gordon, Stewart, Johnson, Harvick, and so many others, but one thing is certain: NASCAR has plenty of drivers to step in and make a name for themselves, as well.