"For all of us old-timers who are still out there racing, it could be in three to five years before I decided to stop racing," Rudd says. "I don't see myself driving when I'm 50. I think a lot of the older guys are here because we love the sport. When we started, we loved the sport of racing. When I get to the point where I'm physically handicapped and I cannot contribute and my reactions are not as good as they once were, whether it is next year or the year after that, it's time to go."
Rudd's performance in 2001 gives him hope for the future.
"If I were having the worst year I ever had, then it would be time for me to get out," Rudd says. "Realistically, I have three to five years to win a championship. Probably three years being more realistic. We have a hard time saying we'll get our act together next year and come back next year.
"There aren't too many more next years."
Rudd is 15 years older than Gordon, and, while age may play a factor in how much longer Rudd decides to race, the list of goals left for Gordon to accomplish are getting smaller.
Gordon is a driver who may actually retire from the sport one day because he has run out of challenges. After winning a fourth Winston Cup championship at age 30, a record eighth title is a realistic possibility for the driver of the DuPont Chevrolet.
If Gordon continues to get better as a driver between the ages of 30 and 40 as he did between 20 and 30, why would he continue racing in his 40s?
"It's not about accomplishing something that was left on my checklist because I've far exceeded that already," Gordon says. "I didn't ever think I would accomplish the things I have accomplished.
"After I've been doing this for 20 years, the desire might go away. I don't put a number on it, so I don't know that answer. Right now, I'm healthy and I have the desire."
The final race of the 1992 Winston Cup season was historic for many reasons. Not only did Alan Kulwicki culminate a fantastic comeback season by winning the closest battle in Winston Cup history, the race marked a moment in time for the past and future of the sport.
It was the final race of Richard Petty's glorious career. It was also the first Winston Cup race for the driver who would become the face of the sport for the 21st century-Jeff Gordon. As Petty puttered around at the back at 55 years old, Gordon crashed out of that race early as a 21-year-old.
It may have been the one day that signaled the glory days of drivers racing well into their 50s would come to an end.
What makes Gordon's career different from Rudd's is the amount of time it took each driver to land with a team that was ready to win championships.
When Gordon joined Hendrick Motorsports, he was part of a team that included Rudd and Kenny Schrader. Gordon's "third team" was being built with Ray Evernham as the crew chief.
Conversely, Rudd joined the series as a 21-year-old competing in four races for Bill Champion in 1975 before running for his father, Al Rudd, from 1976-78. He joined Junie Donlavey in 1979, returned to his father's operation in 1980 and ran one year for DiGard Racing in 1981.
It wasn't until he joined Richard Childress Racing in 1982-a team far different than the championship squad with the late Dale Earnhardt-that Rudd was part of a team capable of winning races.
Rudd finished second to Earnhardt in the Winston Cup championship in 1991 at Hendrick Motorsports. He formed his own race team in 1994 before the economics of the game changed, forcing him to sell off his equipment after the 1999 season and join Robert Yates Racing.
"The opportunity for Robert Yates came at the end of my career," Rudd says. "I would have loved to have this ride 15 years ago, but there are guys who are very talented who have never had the opportunity to have a ride of this caliber.
"I'm winding down my career with one of the best teams in racing. It's kind of hard to step aside right now."