It was announced earlier in the week, that Wendell Chavous would not race anymore in NASCAR after the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. However, Chavous made the most of the opportunity with a fifth-place finish after starting 32nd.
He was able to avoid all of the wrecks, including the last lap wreck which saw Chavous go to the front of the pack. Timing and scoring had at first shown him as the unofficial race winner, but scoring loops showed Timothy Peters as the eventual race winner at the time of the caution. Still, Chavous came home in the fifth position for his final NASCAR start in the Premium Motorsports entry.
“Man, you just don’t know how great this is,” Chavous told MRN Radio. “Leaving the sport to go take care of my family and business, then get my best finish. Man, this is just awesome! Gotta thank my crew guys, Sobriety Nation Chevrolet. Heavy with hearts, the guy riding with me had a crew member who has a family member who passed away. He was riding with me. I think he was pushing me on through the deal back there.”
Chavous made the decision to retire because of the “demanding” schedule and to spend more time with his family.
“I have a 4-year-old son who is growing up very fast and I’ve missed important times in his life because of my racing career,” he said. “I am a father first and I want to be there for him to guide him and watch him grow up.”
The top five at Talladega was Chavous’ best finish in 50 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
