Jeff Gordon at Miami 2015: Recap, Highlights, Reaction from Final NASCAR Race

It wasn't quite a fairy-tale ending for Jeff Gordon in his final race on the Sprint Cup circuit after he finished sixth in Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The drama of Gordon's impending retirement was heightened since he was one of four drivers still in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Gordon winning the Sprint Cup title in his last season would've been one of the all-time best exits in sports history.

Instead, Kyle Busch won the championship, while Gordon finished in third place in the points standings. Gordon made sure to congratulate Busch on his accomplishment after the race, per USA Today's Jeff Gluck:

He and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick shared an embrace on the infield, per HMS' Twitter account:

Gordon quickly reflected on his career during his post-race interview with NBC Sports (via NASCAR):

The 44-year-old was rarely a major player in Sunday's race. He led nine laps but spent most of the night attempting to work his way up from the middle of the pack. According to ESPN The Magazine's Ryan McGee, Gordon was having some problems with the handling on his car.

He also had some issues with Jamie McMurray's in-race tactics, per NASCAR:

You can almost always sense when a driver doesn't have it and won't end up in Victory Lane. That was the case with Gordon. Plus, the quartet of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano had a stranglehold on the race, leading a combined 245 of the 267 laps.

Regardless of whether he won the Sprint Cup title, Sunday was going to be a special moment for Gordon and NASCAR as a whole. He'll go down as one of the best drivers in the history of the sport and one of the most dominant of the late 1990s.

Kelly Crandall provided the incredible numbers behind Gordon's legendary career:

The amount of attention Gordon's last race drew almost overshadowed the fact that a new Chase winner would be crowned. Gluck provided a visual of the massive crowd following Gordon as he walked around the infield:

One of the biggest stars in Formula One was also on hand, as Lewis Hamilton talked with Gordon before the race, per NBC Sports:

It will likely be a while before another Sprint Cup driver's retirement receives this kind of universal appreciation and general gravitas.

Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the first names that come to mind, but they're 40 and 41 years old, respectively. They have at least two or three more years before they start considering walking away from the sport.

Gordon was the last of his era remaining in NASCAR.

Chase Elliott driving the No. 24 car will make for an odd sight in 2016.