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The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season came to a fascinating end on Sunday, November 7, with Kyle Larson hoisting the Bill France Cup. The driver of the No. 5 capped off his comeback season while several eras came to an emotional end.
The championship race served as a bittersweet event for many members of the industry. There was excitement surrounding Hendrick Motorsports, but there was also considerable sadness given that several prominent people will not be around the track with the same regularity in the future. The list includes championship-winning crew chief Todd Gordon, team owner Chip Ganassi, and “Rocket Man” Ryan Newman.
One of the most respected owners in NASCAR, Ganassi worked with a staggering amount of drivers across the Xfinity and Cup Series. Such names as Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Justin Marks, Alex Bowman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Sterling Marlin, and Jimmy Spencer among many others made starts for Ganassi while helping account for 35 total victories between the two series.
CGR did not win a championship during a tenure that lasted from 2001 until 2021, but the organization and its owner made a significant impact on stock car racing. Ganassi brought in Target, one of the sport’s biggest sponsors, and kept the retail chain as a key partner for 16 years. He fielded cars that won the Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500, two of the NASCAR Crown Jewels.
Ganassi will not be part of NASCAR anymore after selling his operation and charters to Trackhouse Racing. He will focus on other series, such as IndyCar and IMSA, while fans adjust to life without a CGR car in the Cup Series for the first time in two decades.
Gordon Steps Away From Team Penske
Gordon, the man who guided Joey Logano and the No. 22 team to a championship in 2018, announced on June 28 that the 2021 season would be his last in the Cup Series. He would step away from Team Penske and his role as a crew chief to focus on time with his family.
Gordon’s time in the Cup Series came to an end after the championship race at Phoenix on November 7. He guided Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 team one final time before enjoying some post-race beverages with all of Team Penske.
Of course, Gordon and Blaney did not part ways with a standard top-10 run. They made moves throughout the championship race and ultimately passed Chase Elliott before the checkered flag for a fourth-place finish, the highest of any non-championship driver. Incidents with Austin Dillon in two separate races kept Blaney from competing for the Bill France Cup, but he matched his career-best finish of seventh in the final standings.
Gordon ends his tenure in NASCAR with 171 Xfinity Series races and seven wins, as well as 355 Cup Series races and 25 wins. His list of achievements includes seven consecutive seasons with a win while working with Logano, a Cup Series championship, and guiding Blaney to a career-best three-win season in 2021.
A Changing of the Guard at Roush Fenway Racing
The driver of the No. 6 suited up for the final time as a member of Roush Fenway Racing on November 7, ending a tenure with the team that began in 2019 and included 105 starts with 21 top-10 finishes and five top-fives.
Newman does not know if he will return to the Cup Series on a full-time basis in the future, or if he will ever race again. He told media members ahead of his final race with Roush Fenway that he hopes the 2021 finale is not his final race in the Cup Series. Newman added that he is not announcing any kind of retirement and said that he would be open to multiple opportunities, provided they help him pursue his goal of returning to Victory Lane.
“If it’s a winning opportunity, it doesn’t matter if it’s a part-time, full-time or one-race deal,” Newman said after qualifying on November 6, per NASCAR Media. “That’s what I want to do. I want to get back in Victory Lane.”
Roush Fenway Racing President Steve Newmark said during an introductory press conference for Brad Keselowski on July 20 that Newman could potentially return to the team in a different role in 2022. He explained that the team floated the idea of a part-time schedule past the veteran driver but that they were waiting for him to examine his options.
“Ryan Newman has done everything we have asked of him. We have been unbelievably appreciative of his efforts,” Newmark said, per RFR. “We have been in conversations about a part-time role, but he is still deciding on his plans for 2022.”
If Newman does not ultimately return to the Cup Series, he will walk away as one of the more decorated drivers. He has made 725 starts at the top level and posted 18 victories, a win in the 2008 Daytona 500, 51 pole positions, and a career-best finish of second in the standings (2014).
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