NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If they refer to you as a legend and put you on the same stage as Darrell Waltrip and Ernie Irvan, you must be old, right?

Don't say that to Ray Evernham, but nearly three decades in the sport as a championship-winning crew chief, a team owner and now a television personality awards you the title of at least seasoned veteran.

“

There's still plenty left for me to do. I'm just not 100 percent sure what that is. I know I'm not done with NASCAR.

”

RAY EVERNHAM

But the climate of today's NASCAR, embroiled in big business and complicated mergers, has left something to be desired for Evernham, who this weekend at the Sprint Sound & Speed event confirmed his retirement from the team he started in 1999, the same team that became the cornerstone for Dodge's return to Cup racing in 2001 and produced one of the sports biggest stars, Kasey Kahne.

"I am really retired from day-to-day operations at Gillett Evernham," Evernham said.

Last season he sold majority ownership of his team to George Gillett Jr., owner of the Montreal Canadiens in a merger that renamed the team Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Soon thereafter, Evernham's role with the organization scaled back significantly.

He wasn't at the race track as often and became less a part of major decision-making, namely GEM's merger announcement last week with Petty Enterprises which absorbed the famous No. 43 car to be driven by Reed Sorenson.

"I have no involvement in the management of that," Evernham said. "I have an agreement with them to continue to consult if they need me. I'm happy for George and for Richard [Petty] if they feel like a merger will make both teams successful."

Gillett will be the major stockholder of the newly formed team yet to be named and Evernham will retain a minor ownership role.

More than that, Evernham begins a new chapter of his life and career that involves a different kind of race shop in Mooresville, N.C., spending more time with his teenage son, and a greater attention to short-track racing.

"Well, you know, Darrell made a good comment up there [on stage]. Guys like us, we enjoy stuff, but just not for very long," Evernham said. "I'm looking forward to getting life in order. I've built a shop in Mooresville that's kind of a little museum for all the memorabilia and things I've collected over the years. We are restoring antique cars. I've got some antique race cars."

Another side project Evernham is working on involves Doug Herbert and a land speed record. Also, he recently purchased East Lincoln Speedway in an effort to keep grass-roots racing programs alive.

"I didn't want to see another dirt track or short track wiped out," he added. "We're going to help keep a lot of kids racing, I hope."

“

When I sold my team last year, I knew I had taken it as far as I could take it. I needed some help to win a championship. Hopefully, George Gillett and Richard Petty together can continue on that path and win a championship.

”

RAY EVERNHAM

The extra time away from the daily and exhausting grind of NASCAR team ownership has afforded Evernham more time with his son, Ray J, a leukemia survivor. He was diagnosed with the cancer before his first birthday.

"That is the biggest thing I have gotten to do. I've gotten to know my son again. My son is 17 years old now. We're pretty good friends, so that's meant a lot to me," Evernham said.

Evernham has maintained a full-throttle pace since his days as Jeff Gordon's crew chief when the two won 47 races and three championships (1995, 1997, and 1998).

Things only got busier spearheading Dodge's return to NASCAR. It all became too much to balance; being the man under the hood with the shop employees and then straightening his tie for the corporate types he courted for the hoods of his three-car team.

A merger was needed.

"When I sold my team last year, I knew I had taken it as far as I could take it. I needed some help to win a championship. Hopefully, George Gillett and Richard Petty together can continue on that path and win a championship," Evernham said.

Despite reports that he was upset with the direction the organization had taken and rumors that he had "cleaned out his desk," Evernham said his decision to retire was planned.

"I know some people have said that I'm burned out or I was soured on NASCAR. That's just not true," he said.

During the offseason, Evernham said he read on the ESPN ticker that he had "cleaned out his desk."

"I just thought it was that my desk was so dirty and I finally cleaned it out," Evernham joked and added that he had planned to move his office to his new race shop in Mooresville.

"My moves haven't come because of any blowups or anything like that," he said. "This is something I planned with the Gilletts. As I would back off, if things were going down this path, here are the things I would do."

Consulting is one of the things Evernham agreed to do, he said, as well as analyzing televised Cup races for ESPN.

Will he be happy and for how long?

"Sure, I'll be happy for a while," he said. "There's still plenty left for me to do. I'm just not 100 percent sure what that is. I know I'm not done with NASCAR."