Competitive Drivers who are no longer competitive

I am at loss….What happens to Drivers who were once competitive and even past champions all of sudden no longer a threat in NASCAR..

I think of drivers like Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, and Ricky Rudd.

Many of these drivers were extremely talented and some still have the financial backing to remain competitive.
Do their talents erode with age or are they no longer passionate.

How has Mark Martin escape this talent vacuum….I am not a fan of Michael Waltrip, but how does something like happen…a total senior moment I guess..

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Permalink Reply by WestCoast 2 VV on February 26, 2012 at 7:09am

I agree with you about age...that has something to do with it. But most of all, my opinion of course, is their equipment is not even close to the top tier teams.
Don't know if they would be able to do the same if...for example T. Labonte jumping in the 48. I think times have changed & the younger drivers are fearless. Mark Martin is young at heart and drives like he's 30...lol.

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Permalink Reply by NigletUK on February 26, 2012 at 7:28am

Some times i look back at things i did when i was younger, and think "holy crap were you mad?" There are a lot of things i wouldn't even think about doing now. Perhaps its the same for those guys. All have a family, wife kids and all. Don't want Daddy getting hurt, priorities have changed, they don't have to prove anything. Been there done it, wrote the book, and most of them have..

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Meyer on February 26, 2012 at 9:15am

There are still drivers out there that could still wheel a car at certain tracks irregardless off their age. Kenny Schrader comes to mind. Bet Rusty Wallace could still compete at the top on a short track. Heck, Hershel McGriff raced into his 80's...
Guessing though the week in week out death march of the Nascar schedule would be too much for some of them.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Allen on February 26, 2012 at 9:17am

I think a huge part is dedication, commitment, and fitness. Mark Martin for example, even with a partial schedule he's still running more races than many professional drivers in other series, and he still works out like a madman. Sure age will erode your skills but inactivity will erode them faster. You can't just jump into a car after a year of not racing anything and be as good as you were at your peak. It's no different than any other sport, practice practice practice to keep your skills sharp.