Drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are actively pursuing the Victory Lane in their 40s with the confidence that they can be a match for the younger blood in the sport. However, as hard as it may be to admit, the performance of a driver does slide down with age. Former NASCAR driver Todd Bodine detailed this recently on Dale Jr. Download.
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Todd is the youngest brother of the legendary Geoff Bodine. An icon in his own right, Todd secured 37 victories across the Xfinity and Truck Series.
In 2022, he made six starts for Halmar Friesen Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, and this experience taught him a valuable lesson. He recently shared that with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the listeners of The Dale Jr. Download.
He went, “When you get older, you’re just not as fast. It’s just the simple facts of life. I did run at Watkins Glen for Bobby Dotter [SS Green Light Racing, 2016] and Jason Miller’s crew chief. They gave it 100% effort. We had a really good car. Had a good motor. I go out in practice. I am a second and a half off the pace and I’m driving my ass off.”
“That’s when it hit me,” he continued. “I was like, ‘You’re just slow!’ It just happens. Those six races, we actually ran pretty good. We had top-10 times in most of the races and passed a lot of trucks. But I’m driving my rear end off to do it. You know, against these kids today.”
Some of the men who defied age to reach Victory Lane
Dale Earnhardt was destined to become a NASCAR god right from the moment he climbed into a stock car. He won his seventh and final Cup Series championship in 1994 at the age of 43. He continued his tryst with Victory Lane after that and won the Daytona 500 at the age of 46. His final career victory came at the age of 49 at Talladega.
He is one of the oldest drivers to win a NASCAR race. Even more impressive is the achievement of Bobby Allison. The infamous leader of the Alabama Gang won the 1988 Daytona 500 at the age of 50. Mark Martin, too, won his final NASCAR race at the same age. The second-oldest driver to win a race was Morgan Shepherd.
Shepherd did not compete full-time in NASCAR till he was 39 years old. That in itself is an impressive fact. At the age of 51, Shepherd won at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and secured his place in history. The brightest diamond of this discussion has to be Harry Gant. Fondly known as Mr. September, he won his final race at the age of 52.
Todd’s contention that age slows down drivers is quite true. However, there are plenty of cases where this has not necessarily been the case. Perhaps the aging superstars still active in the field are right to carry a tad bit of blind optimism in their hearts.
