Not a Bad Way To Go
There are very few perfect exits from sports. Rarely does an athlete win a championship and "drop the mic". Part of that is because of exactly what made them successful in the first place; their competitive drive. It's hard to give up the adrenaline kick they get from competing.
I can't think of any perfect exits from NASCAR. One that came close was Jeff Gordons. He had a chance to win the championship in his final race.
Matt Kenseth just came next closest to the perfect exit. He won a race in, what will likely be, his second-to-last start. While we all know that it wasn't Kenseth's choice to leave his ride at the end of the year, he has made the decision to pass on second-tier rides just to get a paycheck.
What we saw Sunday was a rare public display of emotion from Kenseth. If this is the end of the road, we're left with a great image of Matt Kenseth…still relevant, with a checkered flag in hand. It's not perfect, but it's darn close…and a lot better than how we get to remember most.