Maybe it struck him while he attended the March 29 Shell Legacy Award Dinner that honored former President George H.W. Bush and commemorated the silver anniversary of the Shell Houston Open. Maybe he stopped to smell the azaleas last weekend at Augusta National Golf Club from the gallery during the PGA’s epic Masters Tournament, realizing how rarely he had recognized life’s simple and simply exquisite offerings.

Whatever inspired him, two-car Top Fuel team owner Bob Vandergriff decided 22 years in NHRA drag racing was enough. And after a conference call with his employees Monday morning, he announced his immediate retirement and shut down the racing organization’s shop at Brownsburg, Ind.

He expressed a desire to spend more time at home with his family and justified the timing by citing the recent passing of close friend and race-team sponsor Josh Comstock and the economic turbulence in the oil and gas industry (which affected marketing partner C&J Energy Services).

Bob Vandergriff Racing driver Leah Pritchett, who earned her first Top Fuel victory in February at Phoenix in the Quaker State/FireAde Dragster, called the news “beyond unfortunate” and “surprising and” – uniquely – “a tip of a seahorse to say the least.” She said, “This has been a short, but most epic run.”

Pritchett said, “I have beyond huge gratitude to Bob for believing in me, on and off the track . . . his steadfast efforts to keep this program afloat . . . and providing me with the most memorable times made with some of the best people this phenominal sport has to offer.” That and her victory in the second race of the season, Pritchett said, “make my time at BVR ultimately invaluable.”

Dave Connolly, who at the end of the 2014 season left the Pro Stock class to replace Vandergriff in the C&J Energy Services Dragster, eased the sting with humor, saying, “Well, this day could have started a little differently” before thanking Vandergriff “for believing in me and taking a huge chance on me to fill his shoes behind the wheel.”

He said, “It was a great opportunity that I will be forever thankful for. Along with that opportunity came a greater gift of getting to work with an incredible group of people that I have a huge amount of respect for. Thanks to all the fans that have supported me through the transition to the Fuel ranks.”

Both Pritchett, who joined BVR this year after a stint with Dote Racing, and Connolly, a 26-time Pro Stock winner, said they aren’t sure what their next steps will be.

“I really don’t know what the future holds,” Connolly said, “but I look forward to seeing everyone back out at the track very soon.”

Pritchett said, “The future is uncertain, and this is an all-too-familiar feeling, but this is where champions are made, when the highs are high and the lows are low. Thanks to everyone, especially the fans and followers that have stood behind us. Not sure when I’ll be hitting the track again, but if you know me… you know I won’t lift.”

Rumors have had Pritchett moving over to Don Schumacher Racing to drive a planned fourth dragster for that team. However, Schumacher told Dragzine Monday, “I have no place to put Leah at this time. Shell Pennzoil, who also owns Quaker State, is one of my sponsors. But I haven’t spoken to Leah. That’ll all be in Shell/Quaker State/Pennzoil’s hands, as far as what they choose to do or choose not to do. At this point, I’m sure they, as numerous of Bob’s supporters, are rallying around Bob to supply him with as much support and good will as they can in his future endeavors.

“I’m working myself to start a fourth Top Fuel team,” Schumacher said, “and with this transpiring, it doesn’t change my time schedule. It’s a shame for the 20 or 25 people that he let go there at Bob Vandergriff Racing. I hate to see that for employees and families.”

Mike Guger, Pritchett’s crew chief, said Vandergriff “laid it out for everybody, and that was that. He’s bummed. He wanted to finish [the season]. Circumstances dictated this.”

He described the mood at the shop Monday as “somber” but said he saw the decision coming “maybe a little bit.”

Said Guger, “Once Josh [Comstock] passed, I was hoping it wasn’t going to change anything. But I think Bob was just kind of tired of fighting the battle, just trying to field a front-line team. It takes extra money to do that, and he doesn’t want to do it half-[way]. I think he’s done. I believe so. He wants to spend time with his family. He doesn’t want his two young boys to grow up without him around. He’s tired of fighting – time to move on.

“I’m thankful Bob gave me a shot to tune of these cars. I never tuned a car before. He believed in me, and he gave me a chance. Those opportunities at this level are few and far between. He gave me a chance, and he was the best owner you could ever ask for. He really is,” Guger said.

He said he’s “going to hang around here for a bit and just try to help him move some of this stuff out of here. And that’s it.”

Guger lamented the untimeliness of the team’s dissolution: “We won a race, and the other car’s starting to run good.” But he said, “You never know – somebody might just come along here and pick it all up. It’s way early in the game to predict anything. It’s only been a few hours. Who knows? Once the news gets out there, somebody could put something together. I don’t know.”

Schumacher said, “Hopefully there will be people stepping in to buy his equipment and starting up additional teams. There have been people who have wanted to come into Top Fuel racing, but I can’t say that they’re really ready or want to make that commitment. But when something like this transacts, it opens up opportunities for people to go in and buy equipment that’s good equipment, that’s very competitive, with good people that were able to make it very competitive. Hopefully it sparks some interest on their part and causes them to want to move quicker than maybe they originally intended to. I don’t know.”

Guger said he was concerned about the effect the BVR disappearance will have on the already lean Top Fuel class.

“Unfortunately, now you’re going to a lot of these races where we had 15 cars and now it’s down to 13. You’ve lost two quality cars,” he said. “We’ll see how they [the NHRA and other Top Fuel teams] deal with that. I don’t know.

“They need Bob Vandergriff. As much as they fight him and battle him about this and that, they need guys like him. They need him. You need cars,” Guger said.

Vandergriff, who did not return Dragzine’s phone call Monday, said in a prepared statement:

“I’ve been considering retirement for a few years now, and I’ve actually done it once already, when I retired from the driver’s seat at the end of the 2014 season. Now it’s time to retire from the sport altogether. The recent unexpected death of BVR supporter and close friend Josh Comstock, from C&J Energy Services, has made me reflect and seriously reevaluate my priorities in life.

“I’ve missed a lot of things in my children’s lives over the years, and the desire to spend more time at home with my family has weighed on me greatly the last few years. And when combined with the struggles the oil and gas industry has been facing over the last 12-18 months, it seemed like now was the right time to retire. C&J Energy Services CEO Randy McMullen and I sat down recently, and after lengthy discussions he was in agreement and fully supported my decision.”

Said Schumacher, “Josh Comstock was a personal friend of Bob’s. Their families did things together. On an emotional basis, this has impacted Bob. Maybe that and everything else has caused him to step back and say, ‘Hey, I spent a lot of weekends away from my kids. It’s just the right time [to retire].’ Hard to say. I can only go by the press release.”

Vandergriff also had a list of supporters to acknowledge.

“I want to thank everyone who supported BVR, from our sponsors, to our vendors, employees, and most of all my father, Bob Vandergriff Sr.,” he said in the statement. “My father has been the bedrock throughout my career, and without any hesitation, he has supported our efforts through the many challenges we’ve faced over the years. We’ve had a tremendous group of people at BVR, and I expect and wish for great things in the future for each and every one of them. I’ve enjoyed spending the last 22 years of my life in drag racing. I owe a lot to the sport, its fans, and the individuals who have played key roles in my career.”

Randy McMullen issued the following statement from C&J Energy Services: “We have enjoyed and greatly benefited from our relationship with Bob over the last eight years, both on and off the track. We support Bob in his next steps and look forward to continuing to work with him for many years to come on other ventures.”

Neither McMullen nor Vandergriff specified what those projects might be.

“Bob has been involved with them on B2B ventures, whether it be with the FireAde people or Shell Oil/Quaker State or Freightliner – I’m not sure all of the connections and contacts. Bob has done an incredible job on the B2B side of racing and business for sponsors,” Schumacher said.

“I don’t know what future plans they have there at C&J Energy for Bob and his talents. With what has transpired with the price of oil . . . it’s hard to say what tomorrow will bring in the whole oil industry,” the seven-team organization boss said. “It has to be a painful [time in the] industry right now. [It’s unfortunate] seeing people that were your competitors and friends have the troubles that are going on in that industry. It must be very difficult.”

As for his own employment prospects, Guger said, “I believe something will come along eventually. I’m not too concerned about it.”

Vandergriff, a scratch golfer, counts among his friends PGA Tour regulars Jay Don Blake, Troy Matteson, Bob May, and Kenny Perry. So he might turn some of his attention to that sport.

“What a tremendous golfer he is. My goodness – he hits the ball a mile – accurately,” Schumacher said admiringly of Vandergriff.

Whether Vandergriff stays busy with golf, the activities of his children (older daughters Ashley and Sydney and younger sons Trey and Luke), ventures with C&J Energy Services, or something new entirely, he hasn’t shared it. At least one of his drag-racing colleagues said he plans to stay in touch.

“I have talked to Bob numerous times, and he will continue to be a friend and somebody I communicate with,” Schumacher said. “I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster