Dale Earnhardt Jr. joked about it recently at Darlington. Tony Stewart threatened to do it at Texas in 2007. Jeff Gordon addressed his fear of it in 2009 at Martinsville.

Retirement.

It's a delicate subject for any professional athlete, particularly for the aforementioned race car drivers who happen to be approaching 40.

“

The latter years of my career, I didn't have the success I started with. And you start down a road that you never could have imagined ever being on.

”

-- DARRELL WALTRIP

The thought of walking away from the only existence they've ever known is enough to send the strongest wheelman into a panic attack, an abysmal black hole filled with doubt and self-loathing.

So despite what any number of drivers might say in the moment or in jest, the topic of retirement, experts contend, is not to be taken lightly. Experts say it is an important decision making process to be handled with care.

According to some sports psychologists, the steps taken before a driver actually walks away from the car will pay off in the future from a mental perspective as he transitions into his new life away from the race track.

The problem for most drivers in NASCAR's recent history is that few of them have perfected the timing of retirement. When do I stay or when do I go? Most have stayed long past their competitive expiration date and rarely does anyone leave the sport on top of their game -- still competing for wins.

"Mark Martin should've quit last year, Brett Favre should've quit last year and so on and on," said Darrell Waltrip, a three-time champion in NASCAR's premier series, who nearing the end of his career, endured a less-than-desirable road to retirement where 34th-place finishes and mid-pack placement became the norm. It slowly eroded the driver's confidence and sense of self.

"A couple of things happen," explained Waltrip, who retired in 2000 and went to work for FOX as a race analyst. "The latter years of my career, I didn't have the success I started with. And you start down a road that you never could have imagined ever being on. You're not a winner anymore, you fall back into the pack and become an also ran. It's the hardest thing to accept and I couldn't get use to it. I never thought I could not win a race. I won 84, why couldn't I continue to win races?"

Many factors can answer this question, but NASCAR has become more or less an ageist sport, unlike in the 1970s where the average driver started their careers at 30, not 13 or younger.

The demand toward younger drivers has created fewer opportunities for older drivers. A team owner with a multi-million dollar sponsorship wants to build a program around a teenager and develop the brand and talent toward the future. They don't want a 50-year-old who can only maintain a program, at times bringing with him bad habits and baggage.

"As you get older you start to doubt yourself," Waltrip said. "People say you're too old and instead of encouraging you they start to discourage you and you become miserable. That is the getting to the retirement process."

Painstaking process

Oh joy, what a pleasant experience. For the masses, retirement is perceived to be pleasant -- fishing on a lake somewhere with a six-pack. Not the case for professional drivers. But you'd think there is a better way for drivers to go however, like Waltrip said no one gets out while they're winning races.

"Rusty Wallace wasn't in terrible shape but he wasn't fighting for championships either," he said. "It's amazing how fast the switch is flipped."

One year you're 51-year-old Mark Martin fighting for a championship in 2009 and the next you're 17th in points sitting outside the Chase. Martin is a good example of how difficult it is to step away. The driver announced he would cut back from Cup Series racing after the 2005 season but continued racing a limited schedule all the way up until he signed with Hendrick Motorsports to return full time in 2009 through 2011.

It is difficult to know when the right time to retire is because so many factors and variables contribute to the driver's decision.

Herein lies the psychology behind the retirement process and avenues to consider, say sports psychologist.

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Dale Jarrett says that when a driver knows it's time to retire, they can be lost for a moment and have their ego deflated.

Who I am

But first you must understand the concept of athletic identity and why experts say it is difficult for drivers to let go. Athletic identity is the degree to which an individual perceives themselves and how others perceive them as athletes.

Christopher Carr, sports and performance psychologist for St. Vincent Sport Performance in Indianapolis and a consultant for race teams in the past, said retirement is a loss of that identity.

"They lose a part of themselves because they are identified by putting on a fire suit, climbing into a race car and driving like a banshee at 200 mph," Carr said. "It is part of who they are. Their whole identity changes when they are no longer able to do that skill set. Even if you say I'm done and I have enough money for next 80 years, where will they get that same adrenaline rush?"

That and you have no idea where to go, points out drivers like Waltrip as well as recently retired Dale Jarrett who is now a race analyst for ESPN.

Go Home? Where is home? Home is on the road for these drivers; life in the limelight, signing autographs, racing for wins in front of thousands of fans cheering their names.

"The thing that makes us good at what we do is the one thing that makes it difficult to walk away, and that is being competitive," said Jarrett, who retired in ideal fashion during the All-Star race in 2008. "When you know it's the final time, you're never going to have it again, you're lost for a moment and your ego is deflated."

Waltrip admits that during his long tenure in the sport he became a creature of habit. He knew where he was going every weekend, where he was staying, where he was eating.

"And who I was eating with," he laughed. "This was my whole life, all I ever dedicated my time to. I had my friends and my people. To lose the routine you become so accustomed to is scary to you."

This is why the transition process is paramount. How a driver transitions into retirement after the announcement is made will lessen emotional distress, according to Lindsey Blom, a consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and assistant professor at Ball Sate University.

"If a driver can maintain his sense of self-worth and self-identity he is likely to adjust to the transition without too much distress. So in coping with transition, drivers who have a vested interest and skills in the sport may be able to put their talents elsewhere, but still in racing. This would allow the driver to stay connected, be around a sport he loves, be with the people and friends and support that he is comfortable with, and feel useful," Blom said.

Timing is everything

Next on the list is perfecting the timing of the decision.

Few drivers have found the right time to get out while the fans are still singing their praises. For example, Ned Jarrett won his second NASCAR championship in 1965, then ran a limited schedule in 1966 and retired before the season was over. Junior Johnson tied Jarrett for a series-high 13 wins in 1965 and still was a very viable competitor when he retired after only seven races in 1966.

Dale Jarrett, a past Cup champion, had a good example to follow when he decided to retire.

"My dad showed me the right way to handle things," Jarrett said. "I was not getting back in the car, I knew that. I said a lot during 2008 and when 2009 came around I was missing it but I thought 'no I'm good'. But it was difficult because I knew I could still physically be out there getting the job done. It would take a little while and I would enjoy the broadcast booth and get over the struggle of actually competing."

And if you don't and become tormented by your decision and find yourself in and out of the car with multiple teams, experts can give you an exit strategy.

"A sport psychologist could certainly be of assistance for a driver in a transition period," Blom said. "Together they could work on the feelings of doubt, concern and frustration with the change in lifestyle, coping with the loss and bringing closure to the situation. It is always easier to recover if coping strategies are put into place early in the retirement process [pre-retirement if possible] and before there is a major challenge or problem."

Jarrett didn't seek professional help but he did seek guidance from his father and other NASCAR drivers including Mark Martin and Elliott Sadler. Jarrett even gave advice to Jeff Gordon, who in the past struggled with back issues and thought he might be forced into early retirement and never imagined he would race into his 40s.

That has since changed with treatment and good physical condition. Also, a second child has seemingly renewed his sense of drive, perhaps extending Gordon's career several more years.

"I think that it's hard to live the life of a race car driver or any profession and just step away from it completely," Gordon said. "When I think about it, I would think it would have to have some kind of gradual transition. I think that there are some parts of it that are exciting to be able to step away to do some things that maybe you have always thought about doing."

Gordon has expressed interest in race-track design and already has a project in Canada.

"But at the same time, sometimes you get yourself into that position and you go 'well, that is nice, but racing is my passion. It is what I love, I want to continue to do that' ".

Occasionally Waltrip will have superfluous conversations with fellow retirees about a return.

"For some reason we can only remember the good days, we don't recall the bad ones," he said. "Then at some point, reality sets in and I think 'oh yeah, I remember now why I quit.' "

Still, there are drivers on the track today that haven't given up the fight or they made returns with great anticipation.

Terry Labonte is in the midst of his return as co-owner of his own team and Derrike Cope is competing in the Nationwide Series.

And for the tenacious types like 68-year-old Morgan Shepard, there is no such thing as retirement.

"A lot of people ask me if I will, but I really have no kind of plans for retirement. ... I think sometimes people get burned out and they think they want out and then find out how bad they miss it and come out of retirement," he said. "I've always said that is never good. If you're going to retire, you need to retire. Harry Gant just got away from it, went back to roofing. If you're going to retire, stay away, but I know some people can't. I've never taken drugs in my life but undoubtedly, they're hard to quit. I imagine it similar to taking drugs. You get addicted and can't stay away. Maybe we need to go to some sort of rehab."

Support for the end

Again, athletes can use humor to cope with the fearful feelings of retirement, but the effects are "grossly underestimated" by many individuals in all areas of sports whether that is the fan base, families, team owners or the athletes themselves, according to Blom.

"There have been discussions by sport scientists or sport administrators as to whether sport organizations and businesses do enough to support athletes in their retirement," she said. "Some believe that many sports organizations simply 'forget' about the athlete when he is no longer useful to the organization or sport. Career transition interventions or programs at the organizational level could be very helpful with these issues."

When the end does approach, Blom and other experts agree that athletes should have a strong support system and opportunities in place to stay involved.

Waltrip said some drivers believe as long as you can put your helmet on and your eyesight is good then go for it.

"You don't have to carry the car, right? You just have to drive it."