End-of-season goodbyes: 2020 edition

After 686 starts, 83 victories and 7 championships, Jimmie Johnson made his final start as a full-time Cup Series driver Sunday at Phoenix. Considered the greatest of all time by many, Johnson famously set new standards throughout his 19 full-time seasons — on and off the track — at NASCAR’s top level. Johnson hasn’t ruled out making appearances behind the wheel in the future, and he’s already eyed a handful of bucket-list experiences outside NASCAR in retirement. His legacy — as an athlete, a figure of the sport, and as a person — is unparalleled.

Alex Bowman made the final start of the No. 88 car at Phoenix — the same place he scored his first-career pole with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 when he was subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bowman will move to the No. 48 car in 2021 along with crew chief Greg Ives, while the No. 88 will change to the No. 5 when Kyle Larson climbs aboard in 2021. Hendrick has used the No. 88 since 2008 when Earnhardt joined the team; the car number itself has made at least one start every year since 1994 with various teams, including Dale Jarrett’s 1999 championship season.

Legendary crew chief Chad Knaus made his final call atop the pit box Sunday for William Byron. In his 19 seasons as a Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Knaus won 81 races and seven championships with Jimmie Johnson — then won an 82nd race this year with Byron at Daytona. While his familiar face will be missed on Sundays, at least in retirement Knaus has made his way to Twitter. Rudy Fugle will take over as Byron’s crew chief in 2021.

Clint Bowyer made his final NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Bowyer’s raced full-time since 2006, scoring 10 victories along the way. He’ll bring his unpredictable personality to the FOX Sports television booth in 2021, while Chase Briscoe will step up from the Xfinity Series to fill Bowyer’s seat in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Phoenix marked the end of separate Chevrolet engine programs from Hendrick Motorsports and ECR Engines. The two powerhouse-powerhouses, which have scored 20 Cup Series championships, announced in October they’ll combine forces to create one common Chevrolet engine in 2021 and beyond.

The last time behind the wheel of the No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford for Corey LaJoie took place at Phoenix Sunday. LaJoie hasn’t yet announced his future plans, while the team plans to scale back operations in 2021 to only a handful of races. Matt Tifft and BJ McLeod teamed up to purchase Go Fas owner Archie St. Hilaire share of the Circle Sport Racing charter and plan to field an entry next season.

Matt Kenseth made his final start for Chip Ganassi Racing Sunday at Phoenix. Kenseth, who stepped into the No. 42 car mid-season after over a year away from the driver's seat, struggled to post his familiar results — though the 2003 champ finished second at Indianapolis. Kenseth doesn’t expect to race next season. Ross Chastain will move to the No. 42 car in 2021.

Phoenix marked the final start for Daniel Suarez at Gaunt Brothers Racing, a single-season deal and the first full-time schedule for the No. 96 team. A pair of 18th-place finishes highlighted the season for the pairing, which raced without a charter in 2020. Suarez moves to Justin Marks’ new Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021, while the Gaunt Brothers team hasn’t yet announced 2021 plans.

With Erik Jones leaving the Gibbs camp, it makes room for Christopher Bell in the No. 20 car. Phoenix marked Bell’s final start in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota. When the checkered flag fell, it marked the end of a 256-race era for the team, which will close up shop. The team’s best finish came in the Bristol Night Race in 2019, where Matt DiBenedetto finished second.

Erik Jones made his final start for Joe Gibbs Racing Sunday. In his three years driving the No. 20 Toyota, Jones scored two victories and made playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019. Jones moves to Richard Petty Motorsports for 2021 in Bubba Wallace’s vacated ride.

A 15th-place finish in Phoenix was the final checkered flag for Bubba Wallace at Richard Petty Motorsports. All of Wallace’s 112 Cup Series starts took place in the legendary No. 43 car, dating back to 2017 when Wallace filled in for Aric Almirola. Wallace came one position shy of winning the 2018 Daytona 500, and he’ll look to visit Victory Lane for the first time next year racing for upstart 23XI Racing, owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.

After 12 seasons competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Phoenix marked the final race for Germain Racing. The team’s best finish was a third-place effort at Talladega in October with Ty Dillon behind the wheel. Dillon hasn’t yet announced his post-Germain Racing plans.

Phoenix marked the final race with rookie stripes for the 2020 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders. Rookie of the Year Cole Custer, along with Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Brennan Poole and Quin Houff, have all now completed their final races with yellow "rookie stripes" on the back of their race cars.

When the checkered flag flew Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, not only did we crown a new champion in Chase Elliott, it also marked the last time we'll see some familiar faces and sights in the NASCAR Cup Series. Here are the chapters that closed when the checkered flags fell.