Originally Posted by Alexamateo
I'll defend Mark here and say to remember that at least once, Jack Roush asked him to come back.
Also, maybe it's not so much that he wants to retire as he wants some time off or a sabbatical so to speak, but it's almost impossible to do that these days. I'd imagine that Mark was burned out and wanted to retire, but first Jack asks him back. He later realizes that it's not so much wanting to retire as to cut back. He's able to work out a deal to run part time for a couple of years and then gets his second wind and now he's back and ready to go again.
Nascar has the longest season in sports except for maybe golf, and no one on the golf tour plays every tournament. 38 major race weekends a year, and except for maybe two weeks in Charlotte, there are no home games. There's a huge burnout factor.