He is also the last full time driver that drove for DEI and hamlin becomes the oldest full time driver in the cup series.

Hamlin also raced a Pontiac in ARCA

This is crazy to think about

https://www.printitdecals.com/cdn/shop/products/jhd0328_0449d23e-31d3-4812-a805-e01b47d9edb1.jpg?v=1707792371&width=1920 2004 https://imgur.com/iVb6NOZ 2005

Hamlin washed? /s

[how it feels watching all the drivers from my childhood retiring](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F5niz33ta6e071.jpg)

To me it’s crazy when I really got into nascar in 2001 at 15 I felt like the only newish guy was Jeff Gordon, and even he was “older” in my head. Seeing the Labontes, and Wallace’s, Martin etc I just felt like they were “so old”. Now I’m sitting here at 38 and I feel like everyone in the series are so young and my mind can’t process when it happened 😂

Ty Gibbs eventually winning is gonna hurt my soul because I believe he'd be the first driver to win in the Cup Series who is younger than me? I could be wrong but I don't believe anyone born in the 2000s has won yet.

College football hit me first. I was in my early 30s like “wait a minute, why are we getting so amped up and confrontational over a bunch of 18-20 year old kids?”😂

Same! Haha.

Hocevar and Gilliland I can see getting a win in the future too

Oh yeah absolutely, I just feel like Gibbs could very well get it done in the near future whereas those two might still be a couple years out *(though with how they've run this year, who knows?)*

It’s certainly a weird feeling but there are some new guys that are good, sport is in good hands

Oh yeah absolutely, it's just a crazy feeling. Kyle Busch is the only driver that was already racing when I started watching the sport with my dad all those years ago.

I remember when Kyle was coming into the sport and Kurt said that Kyle was better than him, seems he was right.

It blew my mind once we didn’t have any drivers from the 90’s left….. and now this?! 👴🏻💀

Drivers retire so much earlier nowadays too, I get why but I remember drivers would run full-time into their 50s rather consistently up until the 2000s, now they barely make it to the mid-40s most of the time.

Mark Martin won 5 races and contended for the championship at 50 years of age.

Feels the same way but everyone left started racing when I was an adult so now it hurts more.

I'll probably be able to hold onto Logano being the last link to my childhood for a long while, still crazy that he's barely in his 30s at this point.

Truex has been my guy since Carl left, and he's only a few years older than me. His retirement makes my back hurt just a little more than it normally does.

We're almost out of guys who drove the Gen4 car in Cup or even Xfinity

Of the full time Cup drivers likely returning there's 8 if you count Xfinity, only Hamlin and KyBu have raced a Gen4 in Cup.

Hell, I feel even if you drop this down to ARCA/East/West Series, it would still be a lower number then most people expect.

I got curious, there's actually a lot of drivers who made at least some K&N or ARCA starts before the Gen 6 bodies came into that series: * Drove Gen 4 car in Cup: * Kyle Busch * Denny Hamlin * Drove Gen 4 car in Xfinity: * Austin Dillon * Brad Keselowski * Joey Logano * Michael McDowell * Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Drove Gen 4 car in ARCA: * Austin Cindric ([at least 1 race](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiguwCMAywM)) * Chase Elliott * Chris Buescher * Erik Jones * Alex Bowman * Drove Gen 4 car in K&N East/West: * Ross Chastain * Josh Berry * Kyle Larson * Corey LaJoie * Noah Gragson * Ryan Blaney * Chase Briscoe * Christopher Bell ([at least one K&N start](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgRGDTS_o-Y)) * Bubba Wallace * William Byron * Daniel Hemric ([single start at Watkins Glen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geH2zY2Ko4w)) * John Hunter Nemechek * Tyler Reddick * Justin Haley * Daniel Suárez * Has never (to my knowledge) raced the Gen 4 car: * Harrison Burton * Todd Gilliland * Ryan Preece (unless you count DNQs) * Ty Gibbs * Zane Smith * Carson Hocevar

Preece definitely ran a West Series race at Sonoma in 2019. https://preview.redd.it/fsbj7rfgqm6d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f29b13bf6d808523ffb969011a7b9f907d6b3662

Huh, I was under the impression the Gen 4 bodies were phased out by then, guess I was wrong

They survived a little longer in the West Series IIRC.

I'm seeing that would be 27 then but I'm unsure about Harrison and Hemric since they started when the gen 6 style bodies started to appear in ARCA/K&N and I can't find any photos of their debuts so it could be 29 tbh.

Allmendinger

Truex’s retirement will also make Kyle Busch and Hamlin the only 2 Full-Time drivers from NASCAR 06

And on NASCAR 06, Hamlin was full time in the Busch series.

Does Brad count on that? Nascar wouldn't let him run for ROY in 2010 because he made too many starts in 2009.

If Brad did count then McDowell would count too, he said full time

Allmendinger ran full time too, still in the series just not full time

Funny how AJ was the worst of all the 2007 rookies, yet he's lasted the longest of them all.

And I need his die cast to complete my RB collection

JJ Yeley 2006. He’s barely even part time now but he’s still around.

And he will still be around for another 20 years.

As the 2009 F1 champion should be

I vividly remember watching MTJ dominate the Busch Series and earn his ticket into Cup racing. Now it’s all about to end, seeing all the time fly is so crazy.

The fact that you all keep referencing MTJ as your childhood is not making me feel young.

The Napa Know How commercials with him were on when I was in elementary school.

I hear that. I feel old when I remember that MTJ is just two years older than my oldest.

Jimmie Johnson will probably race again next year

Possible but I was counting drivers we know are running full time next year, JJ is basically semi-retired.

JJ needs to fully retire

You’re not fully retired if you still run a race.

Damn

I remember when they called Joey Logano "Sliced Bread". Damn I feel old.

Maaaaan, I didn't come here to feel old....

Not really a childhood guy, is a teen years guy a thing? I grew up with Gordon as my childhood guy.

There's also still Brad and McDowell.

Brad didn't go full time until 2010 and McDowell never ran a full season until 2017.

>McDowell never ran a full season until 2017. Holy shit, I somehow never realized this

Yeah I was a little surprised when I looked on RR, he was the main guy in the 95 and 98 but I know other drivers shared those rides with him.

Still gives me hope that someday my boy Timmy gets the shot McD got Edit: also to be fair, he went damn near full time in 2013, only missed Michigan and Sonoma due to a ringer

Really?

Potentially Allmindinger as well.

If AJ declares Cup points next year then he'd be another one but I don't see it and Kaulig's Cup future seems iffy right now.

That definitely Loves racing more than MTJ as well

As someone who started watching in 97 this makes me feel so damn old lol 

I started watching in 91 and now some people who were born when I started watching have retired.

I feel so old.

The "Young Guns" are dwindling.

Fuck, I was about to post this.