“They Quit NASCAR” – 60-Year-Old Kenny Wallace Worried NASCAR Unable to Retain Drivers

Gone are the days when NASCAR drivers started their careers in their 20s and were still considered in their prime in their 40s. It’s difficult to forget the conjured images as soon as one mentions 2001 and Daytona together. If not for the tragic crash, the ‘Intimidator’ was nowhere close to slowing down. He was also 49. The ‘King’ at 55 was still in contention to win the championship when he retired in 1992. Today, it is a different world altogether.

Now it isn’t uncommon to see drivers leaving competitive racing in their late 30s or early 40s despite not losing ground on their skills. Former racer Kenny Wallace was quick to observe this during the 2023 SRX Series. Retired racer Clint Bowyer gave tough competition to race winner Jonathan Davenport. Wallace, who last competed at 52, believes Bowyer retired despite having racing years left in him.

Kenny Wallace on Early Retirement Trends Among NASCAR Drivers

On ‘The Kenny Wallace Show’, Wallace picked up the issue of driver retirement after watching the recent SRX.

“Why are NASCAR drivers quitting so early? I’d like to use the word quitting because they are not really retiring. There’s they’re still racing a little bit. You see Tony Stewart, you see Clint Bowyer uh you see Bobby Labonte, you see these NASCAR drivers, you know some of them never even announced they retired from NASCAR. I mean respond right here, show me a press release. Did Jeff Burton, did Bobby Labonte, did Clint Bowyer, did they announce did they have a press conference?”

Wallace went on to compare it to the competitive racing end of his career and those of his contemporaries.

“I’m retired, I quit NASCAR. I never saw it. Now brother Rusty made a big deal out of it. I made a big deal out of it. Um but the word retirement is not in our vocabulary. We don’t retire you know. The word retire is kind of a nasty word. Retire means I’m gonna sit on the couch, drink beer, watch TV. So I’d like to say these drivers quit. They quit NASCAR.”

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However, ‘Herman’ does not hold this against the drivers. He suggests there is much more at play behind the scenes.

Kenny Wallace Doesn’t Think Drivers Like Clint Bowyer Are Retiring Because of Old Age

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It was exciting to see where Chase Elliott’s career trajectory would reach after he took over the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2016. But that also meant that former driver of the car, Jeff Gordon, drove it for the last time at the age of 42. He is currently the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. Similarly, Stewart Haas-Racing’s Clint Bowyer handed over the reins to Chase Briscoe in 2020. He was 41 then. He has been a commentator for NASCAR at FOX ever since. With Bowyer, Wallace noted that there is an interconnection between the two. 

“Here’s what happens. Clint Bowyer gets the racing. He has one bad year…all of a sudden sponsor calls up and goes, Hey! What’s wrong with our driver? Now I’m not picking a driver out…last couple of years, maybe not running up to par, but it’s not Clint’s fault you know. That team that not running as good as maybe it should be. Well, you know Clint’s 38, so what? Well then, all of a sudden here comes FOX Sports. Hey Clint, we’ll give you two million dollars a year to take over Daryl Waltrip’s spot”.

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What do you think about Kenny Wallace’s assessment? Do you think the sponsorship game is making young drivers seek out more lucrative alternatives?