Whether you're a NASCAR fan or not, it’s hard to deny that there’s an allure surrounding the sport's charismatic racers. They have personalities, characteristic looks, and memorable exploits both on and off track. It’s a reputation that continues for these racers even long after they’ve retired from the sport. When you put on a racing suit and a helmet, and enter a stock car, you’re not only competing against others for legacy, but putting your life on the line. NASCAR is not a safe sport. It’s not like tennis or golf where fractures are about the worst thing that can happen; the sport puts lives at risk.
Updated April 2023: If you're a NASCAR fan, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this list with more details surrounding these (mostly) retired drivers you'd probably never recognize today.
In many ways, NASCAR drivers get a lot of admiration respect even in their later years for what they were willing to do during their careers, which include putting themselves in harm's way for glory. However, like it does for anyone, retirement takes just as much a toll on NASCAR drivers. They have to find a way to stay sharp and healthy in their older years while juggling fame and publicity. Some retired NASCAR drivers choose to stay in the spotlight while others retreat into a more private life. Regardless of the circumstances, age changes one’s appearance and can make even our favorite NASCAR racers look almost unfamiliar. Even though these racers remain some of our favorite heroes today, the inescapable Father Time has changed their appearances enough to look like someone else entirely.
16 Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett manages to stay cheerful at 90 if this photo is any indication. His accomplishments are vast and noteworthy. Famous Birthdays points out that he won a total of 50 races over the course of his storied career. Even more, out of all his races, 230 of them were in the top ten.
Those are career achievements to be proud of that will garner the praise and envy of all he comes in contact with. Although he had a bout with cancer, the good news is that as of 2015, in a report by NASCAR, Ned Jarrett was declared cancer-free, and we hope he continues to stay healthy and enjoy retirement.
15 A.J. Foyt
The reward that awaits many accomplished athletes and racers following their careers is a life that's respected and esteemed. A.J. Foyt manages to garner that coveted respect into his older years. While he may not be as easily recognizable as he was in his heyday, fans still love him.
Despite having a triple bypass back in 2014, according to Spokesman, he continues to stay involved in NASCAR when he gets the chance. “Every day is a better day for me,” he said, as per the same source, regarding retirement and his health. We’re glad to see Foyt still trucking along.
14 Hershel McGriff
Hershel McGriff was generous enough to give some of his time for an interview. Posted on the YouTube channel RacingWest, McGriff answered some questions regarding the NASCAR Camping World West race. His inclusion on this list is a little bit of a cheat, considering he’s still racing today despite retiring twice, as ESPN reports.
The first time he retired was in 1954, and 2002 the second time. Old age hasn’t prevented McGriff from returning to the racetrack though, proving the sport is important to him. Like a boxer, McGriff keeps returning to the sport after all these legendary years he’s put in. Notably, in 2018, at 90, McGriff raced at the Tucson Speedway to become the oldest man to compete in a NASCAR sanctioned race.
13 Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart has graduated from NASCAR driving to becoming a team owner, staying busy these days. Also known as “Smoke,” according to Famous Birthdays, he was at the center of a tough incident that occurred back in 2014.
Not long ago, Stewart got attention again for a Tweet he sent out that didn’t favor NASCAR. “It’s a shame that so many drivers and teams day was ruined by the results of another ‘debris’ caution towards the end of the race today," Stewart tweeted out in June 2017, as per SB Nation. The debris caution they issued didn’t sit well with Stewart, but he’s still an accomplished racer.
12 Terry Labonte
Many consider Terry Labonte to be one of the best NASCAR racers in the history of the sport. According to Famous Birthdays, he’s started a total of 885 races throughout his career, winning 22 in all. Not only is he known for his accomplishments during his prime, but also in retirement as well.
As Hemmings reports, he got inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame back in 2017. Other inductees from that year include Steve Kinser and Brock Yates. Throughout his career, Labonte wore a mustache, though he’s without it in this picture, making it harder to spot him.
11 Rusty Wallace
Fan favorite Rusty Wallace may look different from when he was in his prime, but people’s love and appreciation for him hasn't changed. What he accomplished over the course of his career is the stuff of legend.
According to the site Motorsports Hall of Fame, he managed to win over 200 races during the ‘70s. He’s also won his share of accolades, including the USAC Rookie of the Year in 1979. He’s also known for making a lot of money, walking away from NASCAR with $50 million. That’s an accomplishment he can enjoy in his retirement years with many more to come.
10 Harry Gant
It’s wild to see Harry Gant—who’s 83 years old—still getting inside cars and pushing the pedal to the metal. He might look different as he gets older but still seems to possess the drive he had in his youth as a NASCAR driver.
NBC Sports notes that he spends most of his retirement days on a 300-acre ranch in North Carolina. NASCAR fans love Gant for his big smiles and charm that extends well beyond his professional racing years to today. He’s always winning the crowd’s affection, even when he visits NASCAR Cup races as a retired racer.
9 Bobby Allison
There’s a long list of revered NASCAR drivers, and Bobby Allison is an easy addition to that list. Famous Birthdays reports that he won the Daytona 500 three times in his career. The same source notes that he's 85 years old. He hasn’t stayed out of the spotlight in his later years either, as he received some much-deserved recognition recently.
He was an inductee of the Hall of Fame at Daytona Beach Shores in 2017, according to Gatehouse News. Even if he looks a little different at the ceremony than he did in his glory days, he’s still the same NASCAR champion everyone celebrates.
8 Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty may look a little different from his days as a professional NASCAR driver, but that hasn’t changed his legacy. He’s an accomplished racer that managed to carve out his own niche in the NASCAR world outside the limelight of his own father, Richard Petty.
Kyle Petty’s been busy since retiring from NASCAR. According to ESPN, Petty married in 2015; shortly after that, he and his wife were expecting a baby in 2017. As Auburn Pub reports, he’s also been part of NBC Sport’s broadcast team in the past, putting him back in the world of NASCAR once again.
7 Ken Schrader
Race car driver Ken Schrader has some accomplishments under his belt. Famous Birthdays reports that got the title of Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year back in 1985. He also co-owns Macon Speedway with another NASCAR legend on this list: Tony Stewart.
The same source notes that he won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series back in 1988, which was 35 years ago. Although time has passed, and Schrader looks different from when he won the 1988 Talladega DieHard 500, he's a respected figure in the world of racing today. Fans will continue to support this NASCAR legend for years to come.
6 Ricky Rudd
For those who don’t recognize this former NASCAR driver giving an interview, it’s Ricky Rudd. Although he’s out of the sport, that doesn’t mean he isn’t free to give an interview every once in a while. PRN got a chance to catch up with him back in May 2016 and shared this photo on Twitter.
As ESPN notes, Rudd hasn’t raced since 2007. “The sport was changing and TV changed it,” Rudd said, as per the same source. He admits that walking away from the sport was difficult, but that he’s dealt with the change in stride. We’re not surprised Rudd is trucking on in retirement.
5 Richard Childress
With at least one car from the team qualifying for every Cup race since 1972, the Richard Childress Racing has the longest continuous streak of all teams in the Cup series, and they’re probably leveraging on the experience of team owner, Richard Childress. Notably, Childress, now an extremely wealthy race team owner, is a former race car driver in NASCAR. He launched his racing career at the Talladega Superspeedway in 1969.
Nonetheless, Childress never had a stellar racing career, winning nothing as a driver. He got his best career ranking in 1975 when he finished 5th at a race and later retired completely from racing in 1981. Thanks to his ownership of a racing team, Childress is still relatively well-known figure in motorsport, but his fans from his days as a race driver would argue he's no more the agile young man they love and cheered.
4 Robby Gordon
Robby Gordon has been through some ups and downs. Aside from personal struggles involving his family, he’s also faced challenges on the racetrack. According to Sporting News, he spent almost 20 years driving professionally in NASCAR.
In addition, he almost won the Indianapolis 500. His father raced in Baja California, which he, in turn, decided to do as well at one point. His dad went by the moniker of “Baja Bob,” which alludes to his racing days. Aside from wrestling with familial struggles, Gordon continues to earn the respect of NASCAR fans all over who remember this competitive driver.
3 Rex White
As a veteran of NASCAR, Rex White gets a lot of attention, even in retirement. His story is a remarkable one. As Beyond the Flag notes, he suffered from polio as a child and had to endure the hardships of the Great Depression. He credits the ailment as helping him overcome challenges later in life.
Despite all the odds against him—including his shorter stature—he won 28 wins over the course of his career in NASCAR. It’s remarkable for a NASCAR driver to achieve this, let alone someone like White who had so much stacked against him. He was born in August of 1929.
2 Bill Elliot
Bill Elliott is a big deal when it comes to NASCAR. ESPN reports that he got inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame back in 2015; it’s not the first motorsports Hall of Fame to welcome Elliott in either. He got picked by a landslide too, taking in 98 percent of the votes on ballots. Makes us wonder who the two percent are that would think otherwise?
We admit that including Elliott on this list is a slight cheat, considering he came out of retirement to race again. When he raced in 2018, Journal Sentinel reports that it was about six years from when he had originally retired.
1 Michael Waltrip
Out of all the NASCAR legends on this list, Michael Waltrip may be the easiest one to spot. He stays active in his retirement to provide analysis on FOX Sports Broadcasts. It wasn’t that long ago that Waltrip still competed in NASCAR and managed to find huge success.
Famous Birthdays reports that he won the Daytona 500 in two separate years: 2001 and 2003. Later on, he had further successes as the co-owner of the winning Michael Waltrip Racing team. Even if Waltrip becomes older and less recognizable to fans, NASCAR hasn’t forgotten about one of its best champions to compete in the sport.