'Fire Skip Bayless': Fans Push FS1 to Take Action After Damar Hamlin Reaction, Olivia Dunne Shows off Injury in New Selfie, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player Russell Gage Hospitalized During Game Against Dallas Cowboys, Four-Time WNBA Champion Announces Retirement From Basketball, Aaron Rodgers Teases His Plans for 2023 NFL Season After Missing Playoffs, 'White Men Can't Jump' Star Sinqua Walls on Being 'Grateful' for Working on New Sports Film (Exclusive), Rachel Stuhlmann Explains How She and Paige Spiranac Are Similar (Exclusive), Antonio Brown's Snapchat Account Suspended for Explicit Photo With Mother of Children. Shepherd still races and competed in 12 Xfinity Series events in 2019. We took a look at what the most popular Nascar drivers of all-time are doing nowadays. Although his NASCAR days are behind him, at 58 years old Johnny Benson Jr. has no plans of slowing down. It wasnt because of a good, soft tire, because we didnt have them. There arent a lot of drivers who had the short but meaningful success Benson Jr. had. Today, the 60-year-old Spencer wishes he could have some of that time back. Im doing fine, I have no health problems and am on zero medications of any kind. After finishing his last race of the 2019 season, Sadler has been heavily involved with the Autism Speaks Foundation. Pastrana, 39, said the 500 has been on his bucket list for decades. Elite racing is intense motorsport with a lot of danger and risk, something that doesnt equate to pleasant golden years. How Hamilton has changed as an F1 driver at Mercedes. What ever happened to the "pretty good" drivers that we don't see every week anymore? Twenty-seven cars will compete in the 150-lap feature on the quarter-mile track built inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Badger State not only sent Marcis but also several other notables to NASCAR, including Trickle, Sauter, Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth and longtime crew chief Jimmy Fennig. Marcis and wife Helen have spent the last 51 years living outside Asheville, North Carolina, where hes far from retired, owning Street Rods by Dave Marcis. Burton is one of the unsung heroes of the racing world and has helped shape the sport tremendously. He cut his career short in 2010 and faded into a quiet retirement ven though he still appears on NASCAR TV from time to time. May 23, 2016. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. If you wanted to race for a living, I decided I needed to go to NASCAR and do it because we started in February and would go through October in those days.. Now that he is retired, he serves as a Hall of Fame voter and occasionally takes part in a go-kart league in North Carolina. Stewart was among one of the major celebrity drivers that propelled NASCAR to unfathomable heights. I thought I was the cock of the walk. Practice and qualifying will take place Feb. 4. stories written since the inception of this series in late 2016. In the latest edition of the popular series "Where are they now?", Motorsport.com caught up with Rick Wilson to talk about his nearly two-decade career in NASCAR's national series and what he's up to these days on his family farm in Bartow, Florida. After his Nascar career came to an end, Petty established the Richard Petty Museum in Level Cross, North Carolina. 9 NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series drivers. Hut Stricklin who was the last remember of the Alabama Gang has not raced in a NASCAR race since 2002. Valtteri Bottas is keen to discuss his future with Alfa Romeos Formula 1 team quite early in 2023 as he looks for continued stability. Both career choices have become highly lucrative for the retired stock car racer. After Burton retired in 2012 he focused on his second love of wildlife conservation. Read his storyhere, This veteran crew chief and later car owner was responsible for helping drivers like Benny Parsons, Harry Gant and others make a name for themselves in NASCAR. Like many of the peers of his era, Spencer admits he doesnt attend many NASCAR races in person, nor does he have any desire to get back into the game as perhaps a team owner or return to broadcasting like he previously did with SPEED TV and Fox Sports. That was big, but the most important thing was my mom and dad were sitting in those bleachers when I started sixth in my first Daytona 500 in the Heinz 57 car (in 1990, finished 15th), behind Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott. He operates the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and is the official spokesperson for Virginias 34 state parks since 2003. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. Grissom, a standout offensive lineman, defensive end and linebacker, could play college football at the University of Alabama for legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant, or he could try to become a NASCAR driver. He often returns to Wisconsin, where he owns a few businesses and property. More recently, Busch has become a mentor for new drivers in the sport, mentoring his younger brother Kyle as well as Bubba Wallace, whos had an up and down few seasons. The racing of yesteryear was an entirely different sport than it is today, with a lot more risk and less technology. Attracting a driver of Travis stature speaks volumes to the success 23XI Racing has had in our first two seasons and points to the positive direction in which we are headed.. Bodine was one of the longest-tenured drivers in the sport, actively driving for a team well into his 60s. He collided with Ken Schrader after contacting Sterling Marlin and hit the wall head-on. Even when he isnt on the track, Busch is either involved with racing through the iRacing simulator or starring on the cover of video games. We all know what former NASCAR drivers Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace are doing now that there retired, but what about other drivers that raced in the 1980s and 1990s? Some of the sport's biggest names competed for the championship and several wins over the 29-race schedule. He went from relative obscurity to becoming one of the most popular drivers of all time. He operates the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and is the official spokesperson for Virginias 34 state parks since 2003. Gordon was always a people person, and his outgoing personality made him an instant star. Made 31 Truck starts and earned one win and 11 top 10s. After a long career in racing, Allison is a spokesperson for CSX Transportation. Entering the racing world in 1975, Rudd managed to carve quite the reputation for himself early on as a steady hand at the wheel. Bodine rolled nine times and suffered numerous injuries, missing 10 races of the Cup Series season. Geoffrey Bodine finished third in the Cup Series standings in 1990, capping off the best season of his 27-year career. There arent a lot of names that resonate with racing as much as Gordons does. After he quietly retired from racing, Stewart carved out a reputation of knowledge and dependability. Martin was one of those drivers who never made it to a superstar level but still managed to do well for himself. 10.1 Full-time drivers. All statistics used in these tables are as of February 22, 2016. Earnhardt Jr. has also done voice acting in the Disney/Pixar movie Cars as Number 8. Jeff Gordon is a prime example of just how popular the sport has gotten over the last 30 years. His experience later helped create new safety measures that today's NASCAR drivers still benefit from. He followed the path of most retired NASCAR drivers who go onto open a car or motorcycle dealership of some type. Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 seasons to join RCR for 2023. Former Cup champion Kyle Larson is a graduate of the program. He finished second overall in the standings five separate times, including his first in 1990, and developed a reputation as the "best driver to never win a championship." They were really hard, they didnt wear. When it comes to NASCAR, Ryan Newman is a go-to driver teams depend on. Youll usually find him tinkering with old cars, attending car shows or playing poker with friends. Read his storyhere, This California native became one of the most popular drivers to come from the Golden State in the late 1980's. Made 211 Xfinity starts with 12 wins and 93 top 10s. Today he can still be seen on TV, heard on the radio and watched racing on the track all over the world. Now he helps his son Brandon make a name for himself in the sport. In 1995, the series. Labonte won this award alongside other greats from his generation such as Dale Earnhardt and Harry Gant. No, but its going to be an amazing week.. He logged 82 top 10s and five wins over 13 years. Pastrana, who has raced in a number of series over a 25-year career, has not competed in the Daytona 500. Marcos Ambrose re-energized, reinvigorated in his native Australia By Jerry Bonkowski NASCAR.com February 23, 2021 at 12:03 PM When longtime NASCAR fan favorite Marcos Ambrose decided to end. Upon entering retirement he purchased a large ranch outside of Jackson, Wyoming. He was successful in late models to trucks and Busch series cars throughout his career. Named the 1983 Rookie of the Year he was hired by Roger Hamby to drive the No. Earnhardt Jr. has also done voice acting in the Disney/Pixar movie Cars as Number 8. Entering the racing world in 1975, Rudd managed to carve quite the reputation for himself early on as a steady hand at the wheel. You couldnt keep up with the schedule as an independent owner/operator, Marcis said. Marlin is another driver that had a fair amount of success in a short period. Winning numerous championships throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his career was long and varied. He might look different as he gets older but still seems to possess the drive he had in his youth as a NASCAR driver. He collided with Ken Schrader after contacting Sterling Marlin and hit the wall head-on. Crawford would go on to win track championships at Five Flags and Mobile and won the prestigious Snow Ball Derby in 1989. Wallace has managed racing teams as well as kept his name in the sport by commentating and mentoring. 10.2 Part-time drivers. They put an ad in the newspaper and formed (the CWRA) at Eds Bowling Alley on 6th Street in Wausau in 1958, said Marcis, who still has a scrapbook of newspaper clippings from his nearly five-decade racing career. 67, will be a teammate to, NASCAR to award medals to top three finishers of Busch Clash, MORE: Kyle Larson, Rick Hendrick and the road to the Indianapolis 500, in his first season driving for the Welcome, N.C.-based team. None other than The King, Richard Petty, was the first to greet Marcis, the wing-tipped short track wonder from Wausau, Wisconsin. Read his storyhere, Newton-Conover High School in Newton, North Carolina produced some popular figures from the sport and none was more popular than Setzer, especially in his home state. NBC Sports notes that he spends most of his retirement days on a 300-acre ranch in North Carolina. We went bear hunting in Canada last year and were going to go moose hunting next year, I think, he said. You cant go back and watch the kids play soccer on the weekend youre racing, he said. In the racing world it is no different. After speeding through much of his life, Mr. Nicknamed Rocketman, Newman has been at the forefront of winning and losing over his 20-year career. After a lengthy career, whats a NASCAR star to do? You had to work hard to get those cars handling good. Well, I was his hero up to that day.. Pastrana, who will drive car No. He won a total of seven Daytona 500 races, had 200 wins in his career, and 27 wins in one season (including 10 in a row) in 1967. His NASCAR career is unparalleled and the dream of many is to achieve the same level of popularity. It makes you feel good because they still notice you. NASCAR has named eight drivers to the 2023 Drive for Diversity driver group. His career spanned throughout the 1990s with a series of decent finishes and wins, and there were also some strong finishes in the 2006 season. Youre just as determined as he was and you probably will.. There arent a lot of celebrities that have been able to cultivate the career that Wallace has done for himself. More recently, Martin and his wife left Arkansas and moved to Montana, where he enjoys spending the summers. Sponsorship will be from Black Rifle Coffee Company. Editors note: This is part one of our interview with former NASCAR driver Dave Marcis. 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