Darrell Waltrip

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Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports analyst, author, former national television broadcaster, and former racing driver.

He is also a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1981, 1982, 1985), as well as a three-time NASCAR Cup Series runner-up (1979, 1983, 1986).

Waltrip, who held a modern NASCAR series record of 22 top five finishes in 1983 and 1989, as well as 21 top five finishes in 1981 and 1989, a new record for any driver at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1983.

With those victories, he tied for fourth on the NASC's all-time victories list and places him second second to Jeff Gordon for the most NASCAR victories in NASCAR's modern era.

He is ranked second in all-time pole positions with 59, with 35 on short tracks and eight on road courses out of place.

He has scored 271 Top 5s and 390 Top 10s in eight decades and 29 years (1972-1999).

Early years

Waltrip was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, on February 5, 1947. Waltrip began his racing career in Go-karts at the age of 12, and just four years later, he entered his first stock car race. Waltrip and his father bought a 1936 Chevrolet coupe and rodeted to a local dirt track near their Owensboro home. The first night out, the youngster, who was barely old enough to walk on the street, slammed the wall and severely damaged the coupe. Waltrip escaped the dirt and found his niche on asphalt, where the smoothness he acquired in the karts made him a valuable asset. Waltrip, a 1965 graduate of Daviess County High School in Owensboro, was a student at the University of Owensboro.

He was an early racer at the Kentucky Motor Speedway (an asphalt track in Whitesville) and Ellis Raceway, a dirt track in Daviess County that has been funded by R.C., and he was a pioneer on the west side of US Highway 60 west of Owensboro, Kentucky (Ellis Raceway is now closed). Bratcher Radiator and Welding Co. His success attracted the attention of P. B. Crowell, the city's rider who pleaded for Waltrip to compete at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, where he would win two track championships in 1970 and 1973.

Waltrip was the No. 1 in the world at the time. When he appeared on a local television station advertising the speedway's races, 48 P. B. Crowell owned Ford sponsored by American Home in Nashville, where he aggressively promoted the week's series, but he was not afraid to embrace the local media when other competitors were reluctant to do so. Some of the more notorious "on air" trash-talking included insulting some of the other local drivers, such as Coo Marlin (whose son Sterling later competed and is a two-time Daytona 500 champion) and James "Flookie" Buford, whose nickname he would mock on air. It was surprising to track that he was assisting in selling tickets, resulting in packed grandstands and additional paychecks from track operators for his promotional abilities.

In his youth, Waltrip appeared on Emery's early morning television show, WSMV, as a substitute for Emery in the 1980s on Emery's television network, Nashville Now on the former TNN cable network (later, Spike TV). Waltrip will use the fame he enjoyed at the Music City Motorplex, as well as his notoriety and public speaking skills he acquired from television appearances in Nashville as a springboard into NASCAR's big leagues.

In 1983, he converted to Christianity, but it was years later, before God appeared first in his life. Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) is one of the charities he supports, supporting racers and their families.

Source

NASCAR career

Waltrip joined the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup), NASCAR's top racing series at age 25, (25 years, 3 months, 2 days), at Talladega, Alabama, where the 1962 Winston 500, originally the Ford Fairlane racer, was defeated in the 1967 Daytona 500. After retiring on lap 69 due to engine failure, Waltrip finished 38th in his first Winston Cup series. Waltrip paid $12,500 for the car, a spare engine, and some spare parts, then raced it in 5 cup series events until mid-1973. The Ford Fairlane Andretti drove to a 1969 Mercury Cyclone with Waltrip's help, and later converted to a 1971 Mercury Cyclone. Terminal Transport of Owensboro, Kentucky, Waltrip's first major sponsor, sponsored the car. Waltrip also owns the car today as part of a set of cars he has raced and is one of his favorites.

Waltrip was among other legendary stock car racers such as Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and Bobby Allison. Waltrip gained the esteem of his more experienced peers shortly. The No. 6 was given to him. The 95th anniversary of the United States is a notable number, but Waltrip's No. 1 is the preferred vehicle. 17 because his hero, David Pearson, had success with the number in earlier years. Waltrip raced in 1972, 14 races in 1973, 14 races in 1974, 16 top-five finishes, and 17 races as an owner/driver in 1975, when he first won two track championships in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 28, (28 years, 5 days), in the Music City 420. 17 Terminal Transportation Chevrolet, a Waltrip owned vehicle.

Waltrip rode 5 Winston Cup races for Bud Moore Engineering during the 1973 season.

Waltrip rode his own cars from the start of his NASCAR career until the middle of the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) season, except for five races in 1973, driving for Bud Moore Engineering. 88 DiGard Chevrolet, Waltrip's long-awaited step into the big leagues of United States stock car racing. Mike DiProsecutor and Bill Gardner, brother-in-law, and legendary Robert Yates as engine builder, formed the DiGard racing team in part.

On August 17, 1975, Waltrip's first race with DiGard took place in Talladega, Alabama, finishing 42nd after suffering engine failure. Waltrip will qualify in ten more races during the 1975 season for DiGard, sponsored by Terminal Transport, and win his second consecutive Winston Cup victory in Richmond, Virginia, on October 12, 1975. In the 11 races he ran for DiGard in 1975, he would finish in three top-five and four top-ten finishes.

Waltrip will debut his nomination of NASCAR's short track venues in the late 1970s, including at the Bristol International Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee), Martinsville, Virginia), and the Music City Motorplex (Nashville). He holds the Bristol International Speedway record for victories with 12 victories and pole positions with 8 pole position awards at Martinsville Speedway.

When he began his first full race season at age 29, Gatorade Chevrolet became Waltrip's primary sponsor. Waltrip won just one Winston Cup race in 1976, the Virginia 500, in Ridgeway, Virginia, but he won six times in the series's longest event, the Coca-Colo 600 (formerly the World 600) on May 28, 1978. From 1977 to 1980, Waltrip and Parrott would win 21 NASCAR races together.

Waltrip was a pre-race favorite to win the race in 1979, the 1979 Daytona 500, perhaps the most popular and well-known NASCAR event, which Richard Petty won. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, who were fighting for the lead on national television, came together and crashed hard, taking each other out in the third turn. As the Allison and Yarborough cars were spinning and settling in the grassy infield, the new leaders, Richard Petty, came to third and Waltrip, who came close in fourth, as a fist fight between Yarborough, Donnie Allison and his racer, Bobby Allison, erupted in the turn three grass. DiGard Gatorade Oldsmobile, a Waltrip's, dropped a cylinder earlier in the race, but he was unable to draft past the Petty car in the fourth turn due to the decrease in horsepower. Despite this, Waltrip came in second in what was likely to be the most awaited race in NASCAR history, and it was a turning point in Waltrip's career.

The 1979 Daytona 500 will be a springboard for the remaining nine months of racing season. For the 1979 NASCAR championship, Waltrip and Petty will face each other in a bitter contest, race after race. Despite numerous engine failures, mechanical defects, and inconsistencies with DiGard's leadership, Waltrip ran seven Winston Cup races and was a strong contender for what would have been his first championship in 1979. Waltrip, who won pole position and led 184 laps at the Old Dominion 500, crashed again on September 23, 1979, in Martinsville, Virginia. The DiGard team sat down the car and made a rare mid-race engine shift in a record 11 minutes. Waltrip was down 29 laps in the pits but was still 11th in 11th after Petty finished second.

Waltrip led Richard Petty by a scant two points in the year's long championship battle, beating Petty in 5th place in the previous race, the Dixie 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1979, a grand prix. However, Petty won his seventh and his final, NASCAR Cup Series championship by finishing in 5th position in the season's final race, with Waltrip finishing eighth. Only 11 points remained in Petty's championship victory over Waltrip, the third-closest points race in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Waltrip died in the 1970s, leaving the No. 10 to be driven. 88 DiGard Chevrolet, sponsored by Gatorade, has been ranked No. No. 1 in NASCAR. In just 149 race starts, the 2 driver has won 22 Winston Cup races. He earned the nickname "Jaws" because of his aggressive driving style and outspoken demeanor, a reference to the 1975 film about a killer shark. In an interview after Waltrip crashed Yarborough and D.K., Rival Cale Yarborough gave Waltrip the nickname. Ulrich is ranked out of the 1977 Southern 500. Ulrich believed Yarborough caused the crash and questioned him after the run, to whom Yarborough remarked, "That Jaws ran into you." Waltrip himself preferred the spelling "D.W." or "D-Dubya," but he acknowledged Yarborough by displaying an inflatable toy shark in his pit at the next race.

Fans often booed Waltrip during his NASCAR Cup Series victories in the early 1980s, particularly because of his open opposition of NASCAR, confessing to condoning bribes, and his spirited "take no prisoners" approach to driving. His widely reported falling-out with DiGard's leadership, where he openly admitted that he would not have won a championship as long as he drove for them, costing him no favors. He has tried to be released from his driving contract with DiGard in 1980, a year in which Waltrip won five Winston Cup titles. Also, Waltrip had a huge and devoted fanbase. "You either loa or love him," race commentators and sports columnists often said.

Cale Yarborough, Waltrip's long-serving owner Junior Johnson, told Waltrip that he intended to cut back on his racing appearances and leave the Junior Johnson & Associates team at the end of the 1980 season, but only if Waltrip's deal was completed early. Waltrip won and moved away from DiGard and the No. 6 will be resurrecting. For 1981, there were 11 people.

Waltrip's success with the Junior Johnson prepared cars came right and even exceeded the previous years with DiGard. Waltrip's first two years as a pilot for the Mountain Dew-sponsored Buick Regal included 12 races per year, as well as his first two NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) championships in 1981 and 1982. The Buick Grand National was born into prominence thanks to Waltrip's popularity and driving prowess. The Waltrip company introduced throwback paint schemes in 2006 and 2008, respectively.

Waltrip first worked with Jeff Hammond, a pit crewman for Johnson, in the early 1980s, when Junior Johnson was first introduced to him. Since it differed so much from the former driver for whom he served, Cale Yarborough, Hammond was initially skeptical of Waltrip's driving style. Yarborough made changes to his driving based on the car's handling in a particular race, however Waltrip wanted the car to be modified to fit his driving style. Hammond eventually came to appreciate Waltrip's "finesse" and smooth driving style, which was extremely fruitful. Waltrip and Hammond will gain a great deal of experience and expertise throughout their careers, and they will work together for the majority of their careers in the sport. And today, Waltrip and Hammond as both a broadcaster and analyst at Fox Sports and Speed TV.

Waltrip's first season with Junior Johnson was a huge success. He has competed in 12 races, including the Rebel 500, the Food City 500, and the Riverside 400, among others. By winning the Talladega 500 for the first time in 1981, he almost beat Talladega for his 1981 season. Ron Bouchard, a rookie, defused Waltrip and Terry Labonte to take the lead on the final lap. In a 3-wide drag race in what has been described as the biggest upset in NASCAR history, Bouchard defeated Waltrip by a foot. "Where the hell did he come from?" Waltrip reportedly said. In an interview, I talked to the author. Waltrip also stated in a post-race conference that part of the reason he lost the race was because Bouchard was a lap down and therefore did not block Bouchard.

He finished 1981 with 11 poles, 12 victories, 21 top fives, and 25 top tens. Waltrip not only won 12 races but he also beat nemesis Bobby Allison, who led from a nearly 300-point deficit in midsummer and took the points lead in keeps with a second place finish at Dover in September. Waltrip then rode together four straight victories and then went on to win by 53 points in the final two races of the season.

Waltrip won 12 races in 1982 and roughly repeated his 1981 appearances. He claimed his second championship in a row this year, scratching and clawing his way past Bobby Allison with a late-season charge, taking the lead at Martinsville in October and winning the championship by 72 points.

Waltrip, a pre-race favorite to win the event, rode the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Pepsi Challenger at the 1983 Daytona 500 on February 20, 1983. He was involved in a crash when his vehicle spun on lap 64, at a speed of nearly 200 mph (320 km/h), as he attempted to stop a much slower car ahead of him. Waltrip put brakes on, but the car slid for several hundred feet before collapsing with an earthen embankment near the pit road's entrance. The impact was so strong that Waltrip's car was thrown right back onto the road, even in front of oncoming traffic. The outside concrete retaining wall was a long distance and Waltrip was forced to abandon it once more as the approaching traffic came. Cale Yarborough, the eventual winner of the competition, barely escaped the Pepsi Challenger, which was demolished. Waltrip sustained a concussion and was taken by ambulance to the Halifax Medical Center for observation and medical care. Waltrip's call was both a wake-up call and a life-changing event. For the first time when he heard drivers and supporters yelling that the accident will "knock him conscious" or "finally shut him down," he realized how unpopular he was and resolved to improve his image. Darrell Waltrip, a former Darrell Waltrip who worked hard to restore and re-establish his ties with fans and fellow drivers, will live in the years after the accident. Waltrip will be named (by NASCAR enthusiasts) "Most Popular Driver" for two years in a row (1989, 1990).

Waltrip will continue his meteoric success with Junior Johnson in 1986, winning his third and final Winston Cup championship and collecting 43 total wins with the team in 1985.

Waltrip was quick to notice the growing success of the sport among teens and young adults, as well as others who had never heard of NASCAR enthusiasts. The rise was mainly due to increased national television and cable subscription television, which televised virtually every NASCAR event live, and the increasing presence of new family-oriented sponsorships that had never been associated with motorsports. NASCAR had become a multi-regional sport enjoyed by both males, women, and children alike. The more astute NASCAR team owners embraced new technologies, such as computers, telemetry, analysis, and design, multi-car teams for information sharing, wind-tunnel testing, and engineering in addition to the massive increase of money from new sponsors and television. Waltrip, now one of two drivers for Johnson, was quick to see the future of NASCAR and eager to embrace the coming changes that his car owner, Junior Johnson, a pioneer of the sport, was reluctant to accept. Johnson and his crew enjoyed fame for decades and won many races and championships for decades using their own formulas for success.

Waltrip visited Johnson about a salary increase, knowing that Junior Johnson's long-standing rule of never discussing a driver's contractual salary increase and never fully understood how Johnson's two car team needed. Waltrip's account is a true folklore, but Waltrip led his final race for Junior Johnson in 1991 in a Chevrolet sponsored by Budweiser, finishing fourth at the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway, one of the most profitable owner/driver partnerships in all motorsports history. Waltrip and Johnson were close friends and respected each other as innovators and champions of the sport.

With three NASC Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) championships and 43 Winston Cup victories, Waltrip's partnership with car owner Junior Johnson resulted in a lot of success. He became concerned about the connection between fast cars and alcohol use. After a chat with his buddy and pastor Cortez Cooper, he started looking for new opportunities. In 1984, Johnson drafted Budweiser to be his team's primary sponsor, which mistakenly made Waltrip one of the faces of the connection he was so concerned about.

Waltrip had opened a Honda dealership in Franklin, Tennessee, with the support of his friend, Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, years before. Waltrip and Hendrick talked about the prospect of Waltrip joining the Hendrick team, which fielded cars for Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond, during the 1986 season, and the two discussed the possibility of him moving to a new team. Waltrip was still under employment with Johnson for the 1986 season, but he was able to break the agreement in a unique way following the year. Waltrip earned his freedom in 2001 after intentionally breaking one of Johnson's cardinal laws, including raises (Johnson forbaded his drivers from discussing money issues, including raises). Hendrick formed his third squad for Waltrip after signing, carrying the No. 1 at the time. Tide sponsored 17 students and Tide sponsored them.

Waltrip's first year with Hendrick Motorsports in 1987 had little success compared to his previous years with Johnson. He won only one race (at the Goody's 500) and had six top-five finishes. He won two races in 1988, including his fourth Coca-Cola 600 victory.

Waltrip won the Daytona 500 for the first time in his 17th attempt with a fuel conservation plan alongside longtime crew-chief Jeff Hammond, who finished the race a distant 53 laps (132 miles) from the finish. On a tank of fuel, the majority of the other cars could reach the finish without additional pit stops, so Waltrip would need to feather the throttle and "draft" off other cars in order to save enough fuel to get to the finish without another pit stop. Hammond, who was interviewed by television pit reporters during the final stretch of the race, said that his tactic was for Waltrip to "draft off everybody and everyone" in order to save fuel. Despite the fact that Waltrip's car was much slower than other cars in the last 53 laps, he was able to avoid having to make the extra pit stop for gas that the other cars had to make. Waltrip was given the opportunity by the plan to win the championship due to his track record. Waltrip's post-race interview with CBS pit reporter Mike Joy became famous, with Waltrip shouting, "I won the Daytona 500!"

I won the Daytona 500!

Wait, this is the Daytona 500 ain't it?

...Thank God! "Ickey Shuffle" dance in Victory Lane was followed by the "Ickey Shuffle" dance. Waltrip paid a visit to president George H. W. Bush at the White House in Washington, D.C., later today, after winning the Daytona 500 race.

On the evening of The Winston, an all-star racing competition held in 1989 (an event that did not offer points toward the NASCAR national championship), Waltrip's fame as a racer would come full circle at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With two laps remaining, Waltrip was leading the contest and poised to win when Rusty Wallace crashed his car after turning into the infield and costing him the prize and the $200,000 purse. Not only was Waltrip and his crew furious at losing, but the 150,000 viewers watching the game booed Wallace, the winner. After the race, the two crews argued in the pits and harsh words were used. Waltrip was quoted after the race as saying, "I hope he chokes on it," referring to Wallace's $200,000 reward for his victory. Waltrip's car was clearly superior to Wallace's and, if not for Wallace's contact on the final lap, Waltrip would have dominated the all-star tournament. Waltrip was named NASCAR's Most Popular Driver by fans during the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

Waltrip would win six races in 1989, his best year with Hendrick Motorsports, and helped create NASCAR's successor to the Lumina in 1989, winning its first victory after winning a historic and unprecedented fifth Coca-Colo 600 in May. Besides establishing a speed record for victories, the victory prepared him for a chance to win the one remaining "major race" that had eluded him since his first appearance at the Heinz Southern 500 in Darlington, which had eluded him since his first run. A victory in Darlington would win three of the sport's four majors in the same season, including the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Mountain Dew Southern 500. Waltrip was adversely affected by the pressures of both the million dollar bonus and the Career Grand Slam. He first connected with the wall early in the 1989 Southern 500 and was never a candidate for the race or the million dollar bonus.

Waltrip was unable to repeat his success from the previous year to 1990 for a variety of reasons. Waltrip didn't win lane all season, but he came in second in the season's 7th race, the First Union 400, at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a contest. After short pitting on a round of green flag pit stops, Brett Bodine led 63 laps in the middle of the race and then re-took the lead on lap 318. When the warning came out on lap 321, the pace car mistakenly picked up Dale Earnhardt as the race leader, putting Brett almost a full lap in front of the entire field. Bodine was able to make a pit stop for new tires despite the ensuing chaos of a 17 lap caution flag (NASCAR did not have electronic scoring at the time). When NASCAR rescheduled Bodine as the leader, he led the final 83 laps of the season (a race-best 146 laps overall) to victory.

"We messed up," Chip Williams, NASCAR's public relations director, said. "By releasing the warning on the second-place vehicle, it maintained Bodine in the lead." He slipped into the pits and came out without losing the lead because the pace car was maintaining the second-place car back. We messed up by picking up the wrong vehicle. It was a decision call." Waltrip also registered for a protest, but the charges were not denied on the grounds that the appeal/appeal calls were not subjected to challenge or appeal. Waltrip did not win a race in 1990, the first year since 1974, and Waltrip is still irked about the result. Waltrip has only been to victory lane five times before losing never again since 1992.

Waltrip's car spun in oil laid down by another vehicle experiencing engine failure, and was struck by an approaching vehicle driven by Dave Marcis as he began his 500th NASCAR career in the Pepsi 400, at Daytona. Waltrip suffered from a broken arm, a broken leg, and a concussion. He missed the Pepsi 400 but returned to run one lap at Pocono before handing over Jimmy Horton as a relief pilot. (No matter who is driving the car at the finish, a driver who starts and completes one lap is given the NASCAR points). Despite missing the next five races due to his injuries, Waltrip came in 20th in driver points and the team finished fifth in owner points, with substitute drivers taking turns in the car.

Waltrip retired from racing for Hendrick Motorsports in his fourth season as a racer, and he coached his own team to field cars in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) series. Since he successfully drove his own cars in his early NASCAR career in the 1970s and mid-1970s, driving his own cars has been his passion. He will continue his relationship with Chevrolet and drive a Chevrolet Lumina with Western Auto as the primary team sponsor. Waltrip purchased team assets, including the racing facilities, from his late owner Rick Hendrick of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jeff Hammond, a long-time associate and crew chief, to oversee the development of race cars and to continue as crew chief. Waltrip and Hammond had a lot success together in the championship-winning years with Junior Johnson, as well as the majority of Hendrick Motorsports' years, and Waltrip's crew chief for 1989 Daytona 500 victories and three of his 5 Coca-Cola 600 victories.

Waltrip won twice in his second win in his second stint as owner-driver, in the first Union 400 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on April 21, 1991, in his second race of the season. On June 16, 1991, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, his second victory of the year came in the 13th race of the season.

Waltrip will be involved in another major accident, this time in Daytona Beach, Florida, just two races after winning his second race of 1991. It came after completing the 119th lap on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Waltrip and driver Alan Kulwicki were competing side by side, leading a massive number of cars that were battling for fifth position. Alan Kulwicki, the car's designer, sped the Kulwicki truck, causing his car to smash Waltrip's Western Auto Chevrolet at speeds approaching 200 mph on the long backstretch. Waltrip's car slowed and was picked up by driver Joe Ruttman's car, with both cars sliding sideways many hundred feet on the grassy infield. Waltrip's car's tires clipped the edge of an access road, causing it to become airborne and tumbling end over end many times before coming to a halt in a grassy area near turn 3. Waltrip was released and only sustained minor injuries, but many people were worried that he might have recovered his broken leg from the crash the previous year. (While the car slowed and came to a stop, Waltrip's left arm was outside the vehicle, and came to rest). Waltrip had a plate in his left leg from the accident at the Pepsi 400 at the Daytona International Speedway in January 10, 2013) (Waltrip stated that he had spent more time in the hospital from the injuries sustained in the accident than at any other track he had ever driven). Waltrip would qualify in the following series, the summer race at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, but it was tragic that driver Ernie Irvan spun driver Hut Stricklin in front of almost the entire field. Just 5 weeks before, Waltrip took the year's spring race at the track.

After being in third place after 14 races, Waltrip finished his second year as the owner-driver 8th in the overall Winston Cup points championship. His first year was generally considered a fruitful first year outing. However, Waltrip was also 44 years old, had children, and had numerous pressures as owner/driver that he did not worry about racing for multi-million dollar, well-funded race teams, such as Hendrick Motorsports.

After being as high as 6th in points after 22 races, Waltrip earned three more victories, including the Mountain Dew Southern 500, a race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States, on September 6, 1992, his last major race that had eluded his 20-year career), finishing 9th in points. It's Waltrip's 84th and final NASCAR victory, tying him with Bobby Allison for what was then third on the all-time list, behind Richard Petty with 200 wins and David Pearson with 105 wins. Jeff Gordon, who has 93 wins since retiring at the end of the 2015 season, has also passed Allison.

In 1993, Waltrip hired former Richard Childress Racing engine builder Lou LaRosa to design engines, and Barry Dodson, a former championship-winning crew chief. He had four top-ten finishes, but not in third place, but not in third. By finishing ninth, 1994 saw him make his last appearance in the top ten in championship positions. He had a streak of 40 races, without a DNF, with all of them having in-house engines. The car's only engine failure of the season was after the finish line. When Waltrip crashed at The Winston in 1995, he was pushed to let relief drivers take over for several weeks. His second half of the season was highlighted by his NAPA 500 pole position.

Waltrip achieved two top-ten finishes in 1996. As part of Waltrip's 25th anniversary celebration, Western Auto remained the sponsor. Although the year was one of Waltrip's most profitable, his results soon fell off.

Waltrip failed to qualify for the first time in over 20 years as Terry Labonte failed to qualify for the first time in over 20 years. Because Labonte was a more recent Cup champion (in fact, he was the defending Cup champion this season), he was able to take the past champion's provisional. Waltrip, who finished 20th in owner points, was too poor in the driver's point of view to participate in the competition (only the top four in owner points of vehicles not in the field, excluding the most recent former champion who was not in the field) after qualifying under 1997 regulations). Waltrip and his crew were struggling to find sponsors after the season, but they were able to put together a last-minute deal with the Ohio-based company Speedblock for 1998. Speedblock paid only for portions of what was promised, and the contract was cancelled. Waltrip's staff at this time was almost insolvent, and he sold the team to Tim Beverly. Waltrip's last race as an owner-driver was at the TranSouth Financial 400, but the former two-time Grand National Series champion was racing liver and throat cancer, and he was also without medical attention, and Waltrip wanted to help Flock and his family raise money for them and his families by establishing a trust fund at the 50th anniversary of NASCAR. Just nine days after the run, Flock died at the age of 73. Waltrip explained in 2008 that the reason he failed as a driver rather than a businessman was because he felt like a driver, not as an owner.

Beverly decided not to race the team right away and instead chose to rebuild the team (now part of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following two sales and a merger). Waltrip also signed with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., in order to drive the No. 66. Steve Park, the injured rookie, has been called to fill in for Pennzoil's 1st-injury. Waltrip earned a fifth-place finish at the California 500, as well as being a leader in the Pocono 500's final stages and placing sixth.

Beverly returned Waltrip's former workers as the No. 1 at the 1998 Brickyard 400. 35 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with Tabasco sponsorship with Waltrip driving. The team will be moved to the Pontiac Grand Prix as a result of a sponsorship dispute with Tabasco. Waltrip resigned at the end of the season, citing a lack of execution. Waltrip committed to drive the No. 93 after a brief flirtation with retirement. Jimmy Spencer, a teammate, has 66 Big K Ford Taurus for Haas-Carter Motorsports. With a new qualifying system for the Past Champion's Provisional, Waltrip was unable to qualify seven times during the season. Following a farewell tour, Waltrip revealed on August 5, 1999, during the training session for the Brickyard 400 that he would retire from NASCAR at the end of the 2000 season.

Waltrip's best run at the Brickyard 400, where he qualified on the outside pole and finished eleventh, came during his retirement year in 2000. His final race in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 20, 2000, where he finished fourth in the Haas-Carter Motorsports owned No. 32nd place. Route 66, Big K Ford Taurus. He finished 36th in points for the season and failed to qualify six times.

Broadcast career: 2001–2019

Waltrip made comment on several IROC broadcasts for ABC prior to retirement from racing. In addition, Winston Cup's commentary on numerous NASCAR Busch Series (one level below Winston Cup) races on TNN, from 1994 to 1998, collaborating with Mike Joy. Waltrip, a former NASCAR racer, joined Fox as the lead NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) analyst and race commentator on the network's NASCAR telecasts in 2001, teaming with Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds.

Waltrip debuted at the Daytona 500 in 2001. Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip's younger brother, won the race, but Michael's victory was overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt's death. Earnhardt's vehicle made contact with Sterling Marlin on the final scheduled lap as the black No. 119. The 3 drifted off course, most likely trying a blocking tactic so that either Michael Waltrip or Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was driving for RCR, would win the race. Earnhardt's vehicle veered right and slammed head-on against the retaining wall in turn four after contacting the Marlin vehicle. Earnhardt's car came to a halt in the infield as Michael Waltrip won the race, with Darrell Waltrip yelling for joy as he called the final run to the checkered flag. Earnhardt's elation over his brother's victory gave way to fear as he watched replays of the disaster.

In the 1980s, Waltrip and Earnhardt had been bitter rivals, but as the years came, the rivalry and resentment had given way to a deep reverence and close friendship. Waltrip was taken from the Fox Broadcast booth to the Halifax Medical Center to speak with the Earnhardt family and his brother Michael after the marathon. At the Earnhardt funeral, Waltrip was invocation later. Earnhardt's run was a success in the race this week, with the promise of moving forward from the tragedy.

During the broadcast, Waltrip interviewed NASCAR President Mike Helton for a pre-race segment. This was before NASCAR required the use of the HANS device to minimize the risk of catastrophic head and neck injury, as well as the "SAFER" (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers used at all NASCAR tracks today. Waltrip estimated that four deaths in the previous ten months, all due to basilar skull fractures suffered in accidents, were too many to ignore, and was not afraid to ask Helton for an explanation. Waltrip was irritated by Helton's words, who was praised by one magazine for "acting a lot more like the next Mike Wallace (of 60 minutes) than the next John Madden." In honor of Earnhardt, Waltrip made the pre-race invocation for the race.

Waltrip, a long-serving motorsports advocate, called for mandatory head-and-neck restraints, and two weeks later, presented the device on the Atlanta Motor Speedway, demonstrating the benefits and how it worked. After a crash during an ARCA Re/Max Series race, which ended after qualifying for the UAW-GM Quality 500, killed driver Blaise Alexander, seven months later, NASCAR ordered the machines.

"Boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing boys and girls," Waltrip yells as the cars enter each race. In recent years, this somewhat insignificant word has become Waltrip's trademark. (In the 1960 doo wop parody "Who Put the Bomp") by Barry Mann, the phrase "boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity, boogity appears). In their 1970 hit "Red Light Mama, Red Hot," Humble Pie used the shorter term "boogity-boogity." Throughout his 1974 film, Ray Stevens used the term "The Streak." Jerry Reed used the word "Smokey and the Bandit" in 1977. Waltrip appeared on a Ray Stevens home video called the Amazing Rolling Revue in 1992. Waltrip appeared in this home video as the out of control driver of the tour bus/rolling venue. Waltrip explained that the catch came because he became sick of hearing his spotter or crew chief say "green, green, green" at the start of every race, and he wanted to hear something more unique. Larry McReynolds, a former analyst and former crew chief, had always told Waltrip to "beach up there and tighten those belts tight one more time." McReynolds used the word less frequently in recent years, and eventually phased it out completely.

Waltrip said in 2011 that the 2010 Aaron's 499 was his favorite race to have shown so far. Several times during many different racers rather than the lead being dominated by a single driver, the race lead was exchanged many times. Kevin Harvick won the race by only the length of a bumper, beating Jamie McMurray for the win.

When racing teammates work together, Waltrip also lends his unique word "coop-ed," while discussing "civic knowledge" and "using the chrome horn," when a driver marginally bumps a vehicle that is in the way (bumpers on chrome-coated cars). In early 2007, Waltrip was nominated for an Emmy in the category "Outstanding Event Analyst."

In March 2011, FOX gave Waltrip a two-year contract extension, his first year in the network's NASCAR network (although the broadcast contract has been extended to 2024).

Waltrip, Joy, Calvin Fish, and Australian Weigh Diffey traveled to Australia in October 2011 to cover the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 race held at the iconic Mount Panorama Circuit. Since Waltrip had not hosted in Australia before, he relying on Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose to help him learn about the region. Waltrip and Joy are most popular during the trip, helping Ambrose cope with former Bathurst rival Greg Murphy, who is known for the 2005 squabble after a revival that resulted in a famous squabble. Murphy had left the car during a driver change, prompting the interview. Waltrip was taken on a few laps of the track by Supercar Championships driver Jason Bright in Bright's Brad Jones Racing Holden Commodore, referring to the 6.213 kilometers (3.861 miles) long mountain circuit as a "Geological anomaly."

On April 4, 2019, Waltrip announced his retirement from broadcasting, citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren. At Sonoma Raceway, the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was the final race in the broadcast booth.

Motorsports career results

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position won by qualifying time). Italics – pole position based on points standings or practice time. (Most laps led) – What ails.)

(Bold) (Bold) (Bold) (Bold – Pole position), a tyrant) * (Most laps led).

Source