NASCAR
Who Came the Closest to Retiring at NASCAR’s Peak in the Past Decade?
Retirement seasons have been a very common occurrence in recent NASCAR memory. At the time of this writing, 2025 appears to not have any driver’s final hurrah as an overarching storyline. While no driver will be trying to leave stock car racing on top this year, some have come close to this feat lately. Of the legendary NASCAR stars who have seen swan song seasons, who had the best result? Here’s a look back on a few not-so-distant retirement years and the driver’s impact on that season.
Mark Martin: 2013
Retiring from full-time competition after 2011, Mark Martin saw two more years of select Cup starts primarily with Michael Waltrip Racing. This duration saw the Rodney Childers-led team and their ageless driver turn heads with five poles and 15 top-10s. Martin’s final year of 2013 started off on a high point, earning a third-place result in the Daytona 500. The crown jewel win that evaded the Arkansas kid’s entire career was a few mere car lengths away in his last dance. Another pair of top-10s proved that the 54-year-old still had some speed in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota.
2013 saw Martin finish out the season as a substitute for the injured Tony Stewart. In the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14, Martin saw a best finish of ninth at Richmond Raceway. 19th at Homestead and 25th in that year’s standings were the capstone on a three-decade tenure at racing’s highest level.
Jeff Gordon: 2015
If you’re reading this when published, this week marks 10 years since Jeff Gordon announced his retirement. One of the most impactful, prolific, and iconic journeys in NASCAR saw its final chapters written in 2015. Gordon, 43, was coming off a close championship loss in 2014 with performance not seen in nearly a decade.
2015 got off to a roaring start, with driver 24 earning the Daytona 500 pole award. A last lap wreck relegated him to a 33rd-place finish, however. Daytona proved to be a true microcosm of Gordon’s regular season. The 24 appeared to have contending speed on a weekly basis, but couldn’t ever quite close out a full race. Gordon entered his final Playoffs as the 12th seed, with many overlooking any ‘Drive for 5’ championship aspirations.
While other Hendrick cars faltered around him, the 24 snuck his way into the Round of 8. The spring Martinsville race was an especially-heartbreaking loss for Gordon, having a late pit road speeding penalty. Returning to the Virginia bullring in November, Gordon had an outside shot at the Cup should he win. Following Matt Kenseth wrecking Joey Logano, Gordon inherited the top spot inside of the final 50 laps. Gordon had the absolute perfect circumstances fall into his lap for one final triumph, and capitalized under the spotlight. Martinsville was Gordon’s sendoff win, with the four-time champion earning his ninth Grandfather Clock trophy. “We’re going to Homestead!!!” echoes on 10 years later as one of the most popular and widely celebrated wins of the 2010s.
In the season finale at Homestead Gordon had a car good enough to lead nine laps, but ultimately faded late. Sixth on track and third in the title hunt was the last hurrah for Gordon, until it wasn’t. 2016 saw Gordon make eight starts for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88. Sixth once again was his best result of this tenure, coming at Martinsville a year after his 93rd career win.
Tony Stewart: 2016
A year after the ’24EVER’ tour another Hoosier, Tony Stewart, decided to hang up his NASCAR suit. Smoke did not turn a lap until race nine of 2016, however, after breaking his back in an offseason dune buggy accident. Once Stewart did return to the track at Richmond, however, shades of vintage Smoke began to shine through.
A week after his first top-10 of the year at Michigan, Stewart was in winning position at a personal favorite track. Sonoma saw the No. 14 out front thanks to a timely caution, but Stewart held off every challenger he faced. Denny Hamlin however began breathing down his neck, applying more and more pressure in the closing laps. Hamlin forced Stewart into a last lap error in turn seven, only to miss his mark in turn 11. Thanks to knocking Hamlin out of the way for good measure, Smoke stood tall in Cup Series victory lane for the 49th time.
In peak Stewart fashion his summer stretch was hot, highlighted with five top-fives over seven weeks. The Playoffs went largely mediocre for Stewart though, only seeing one top-10 at Charlotte. Stewart left 2016 ranked 15th in points, but gave his fans one more glorious moment.
Carl Edwards: 2016
Speaking of 2016, another driver who walked away after that year came within 20 laps of the Cup. Carl Edwards was a sleeper championship threat all season long, earning back-to-back April wins at Bristol and Richmond. Elite consistency from the Joe Gibbs Racing driver saw him flirt with the points lead throughout the summer, and enter the Playoffs tied as the fourth seed.
A week after wrecking out at Martinsville, luck was on Edwards’ side when rain rolled in at Texas. The No. 19 Toyota was out front when this race was called short, putting Edwards through to the Championship 4. Following a three-win campaign and a clutch Round of 8 victory, Edwards had a chance at the elusive Cup title that evaded him many times before.
At Homestead, the 19 appeared to be a man on a mission to capture a career-defining achievement. While non-contender Kyle Larson led much of the night, Edwards held championship control. With 25 laps left, Edwards passed Kyle Busch for second. The title appeared to be decided at this point.
Mere laps later a single caution changed the course of 2016 and NASCAR history. On the ensuing restart Edwards was turned into the inside wall by Joey Logano, ending his night in the blink of an eye. This ultimately handed a record-tying seventh title to Jimmie Johnson, and left Edwards heartbroken without a Cup yet again. Little did anyone know then, but this would be Edwards’ last NASCAR showing.
January 2017 saw Edwards shock the racing world by announcing his retirement in mic drop fashion. The eight years since have been largely spent out of public eye for Edwards, citing family time. The Missouri native was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025, however. He will be inducted and enshrined in Charlotte later this month.
Dale Earnhardt Jr: 2017
2017 lives on in many fan’s memories as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final ride, dubbed the ‘Apreci88ion Tour.’ The beloved driver announced nine races into the year his intentions to step away from full-time competition. Earnhardt Jr. did miss the second half of 2016 with lingering concussion symptoms. His 2017 performance did show glimmers of his past contending days, though. A pair of poles and laps led at Daytona summer and Talladega fall were especially fitting for the superspeedway ace’s sendoff.
Earnhardt did ultimately miss the Playoffs, only collecting one top five (Texas) and eight top-10s. 25th at Homestead and 21st in final points would be where Jr. concluded his full-time NASCAR ride. He has spent the years since making occasional Xfinity Series and late model starts, in addition to being a broadcaster. Earnhardt will play a big role in Amazon Prime and TNT NASCAR coverage in 2025. Earnhardt is also gearing up to enter a Cup car as an owner for the first time ever. JR Motorsports will make a Daytona 500 attempt with country music star Chris Stapleton and Justin Allgaier.
Matt Kenseth: 2017*
Entering Cup alongside Earnhardt Jr. in 2000, Matt Kenseth also exited the top series with his friend. Kenseth’s Joe Gibbs Racing duration came to an end after five seasons, and was only announced with a few weeks left in the year.
After this retirement news, Kenseth did earn one more checkered flag in the season’s second-to-last race at Phoenix Raceway. A typically dry and monotonous Kenseth was overcome with emotion in victory lane, shedding a few tears of joy. Having made his final Playoff showing, the 20 was seventh at season’s end.
Kenseth has since made two more part-time Cup showings, with Roush-Fenway Racing in 2018 and Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020. This post-retirement tenure saw Kenseth earn four top-10s in 47 starts. His best result from these substitution roles was runner-up in the 2020 Brickyard 400.
Jimmie Johnson: 2020*
Days after the close of the 2019 season, Jimmie Johnson announced that 2020 would be his final ride. At 44-years-old, the seven-time champion showed promise early in the victory lap tour. Two top-10s in the four races before COVID-19 gave team 48 Playoff aspirations. As with most of life in 2020, the ensuing break greatly shifted focus for the retiring legend.
The first race back from the pandemic pause proved to be a microcosm of Johnson’s 2020 season. In the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington, the 48 held the lead late in Stage 1 before wrecking out trying to pass a lapped car. After showing early promise, Johnson was done for the day. The Coca-Cola 600 two weeks later saw Johnson initially finish second, before a disqualification. The remainder of the regular season saw this team on their back foot trying to minimize lost ground. Three more top-fives were the high points, but a wreck in the fall Daytona race sealed their fates as Playoff misses.
As a non-factor in his final few weeks, Johnson was largely an afterthought. The iconic No. 48 team did end the year on a high note, however, going out with a fifth-place run at Phoenix. Hendrick Motorsports had twice the reasons to celebrate that day. The superteam commemorated one of the best careers ever and simultaneously crowned Chase Elliott as Cup champion.
Following a two-year jaunt with IndyCar, Johnson has made a combined 12 starts over the last two seasons. The Next Gen Car has proven to be a new learning curve for the Hall of Famer, with a best result of 26th at Phoenix in November. Johnson is slated for two more attempts in 2025, returning with the No. 84 Carvana Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry for the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
Kevin Harvick: 2023
Almost exactly two years ago, Kevin Harvick announced that 2023 would be his final full-time Cup season. The 4EVER campaign saw a few early highlights, most notably leading late in the Phoenix spring race before an untimely caution.
As the year rolled along, Harvick did earn a runner-up result at Darlington in May, but couldn’t ever break back into victory lane. The 2014 champion did make his final Playoffs as a non-winner, but was a first round exit after a poor Bristol result.
Starting third, leading 23 laps, and finishing seventh at Phoenix was Harvick’s NASCAR swan song. The 60-time winner is with little doubt a future first ballot Hall of Famer. He has spent the year since in the FOX broadcast booth and making occasional late model starts.
Martin Truex Jr: 2024
2024 saw another Cup champion’s final full-time slate, with 44-year-old Martin Truex Jr. hanging up the fire suit. Truex only made his intentions official at race 17 of the year in Iowa, halving the retirement tour’s length.
In similar vein to Harvick and Johnson, MTJ was unable to win but had ample chances throughout the year. Past dominant Truex tracks including Richmond, Pocono, Dover, and Michigan all saw the 19 pace the field and appear as a threat. If not for a questionable final restart at Richmond in March, Truex likely would have won that night in dominant fashion.
Truex seemingly ran out of gas to close the regular season, with five-straight results of 24th or worse. Entering his final postseason as the last seed, it was an uphill battle ahead for the New Jersey driver. An Atlanta wreck and mediocre days the next two weeks sealed the 2017 champion’s fate as a first round cut.
Truex did not leave the sport without one final moment in the spotlight, earning poles for the last two races at Martinsville and Phoenix. MTJ does intend to run select races in 2025 and beyond on his schedule, starting with a Daytona 500 attempt for TRICON Garage. Truex has not fully exited stage left just yet, it will be fun to see him still run on his terms.
Any driver’s retirement is often a very difficult, well thought out, and carefully planned decision for a new chapter in life. Some superstars of past generations exited near the top of the sport, while others left with better results behind them. The seemingly mass exodus of talent over the past decade has certainly left indelible impacts on and off track. Who opts to have the next retirement tour remains to be seen, but they will go against stiff competition in a quest for the best final season.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to: Chris Graythen/Johnathan Ferrey/Sean Gardner/Getty Images
