Original sentence: The race marked the final NASCAR start for 7-time champion Richard Petty and the first Winston Cup start for future champion Jeff Gordon, and the final (to date) time that an owner-driver, Alan Kulwicki, would clinch the championship
Edited sentence: The race marked the final NASCAR start for 7-time champion Richard Petty and the first Winston Cup start for future champion Jeff Gordon, and the most recent time that an owner-driver, Alan Kulwicki, would clinch the championship