Rick Mears Announces Retirement at 41

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears surprised the racing world Thursday night by announcing his retirement as a competitive driver at the age of 41.

Mears, who had surgery on Aug. 19 to repair a broken wrist suffered in crashes before and during the Indianapolis 500 in May, drove his last race on Aug. 2, finishing 16th in the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway.

He sat out the rest of the season but was expected to begin testing for Roger Penske’s Marlboro Team Penske later this month.

The surprise announcement came during Penske’s annual Christmas party at the team’s shops in Reading, Pa.

“It was a tough decision,” Mears said. “I started thinking about it some time ago, probably even before Indy. Obviously, Indy was something that made me think a little more about it. After that, it was a little here and a little there.

“Sitting out races gave me a lot of time to think. I purposely stayed away from the team more than usual, sort of disassociated myself to make sure I wasn’t going to miss it.”

Mears, with 29 Indy car victories, is second to Bobby Rahal in all-time earnings with $11,050,807.