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Darrell Waltrip
Waltrip atBristol Motor Speedway in 2019
Born	Darrell Lee Waltrip (1947-02-05)February 5, 1947 (age 78) Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Achievements	1981,1982,1985 Winston Cup SeriesChampion 1989 Daytona 500 Winner 1992Southern 500 Winner 1978,1979,1985,1988,1989Coca-Cola 600 Winner 1977,1982 Winston 500 Winner 1985 The Winston Winner (inaugural race) 1981Busch Clash Winner 1976Snowball Derby Winner 1987All American 400 Winner 1986, 1987World Crown 300 Winner 1970, 1973Fairgrounds Speedway Track Champion
Awards	1989,1990 Winston Cup SeriesMost Popular Driver Named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2005) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2003)[1] NASCAR Hall of Fame (2012) Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame (2001) Named one ofNASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCARCup Series career
809 races run over 29 years
Best finish	1st (1981,1982,1985)
First race	1972 Winston 500 (Talladega)
Last race	2000 NAPA 500 (Atlanta)
First win	1975 Music City USA 420 (Nashville)
Last win	1992Southern 500 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 84 390 59
NASCARO'Reilly Auto Parts Series career
95 races run over 14 years
Best finish	22nd (1986)
First race	1982Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte)
Last race	2006Goody's 250 (Martinsville)
First win	1982Miller Time 300 (Charlotte)
Last win	1989Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 13 53 4
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
17 races run over 6 years
Best finish	37th (1996)
First race	1995Heartland Tailgate 175 (Heartland)
Last race	2005Kroger 200 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 8 0
NASCARGrand National East Series career
1 race run over 1 year
First race	1973 Salem 100 (Salem)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0

Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an Americanmotorsportsanalyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in theNASCAR Cup Series (known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series during his time as a driver), most notably driving the No. 11Chevrolet forJunior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion (1981,1982,1985).

Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, Waltrip won 84 NASCAR Cup Series races throughout his career, including the1989 Daytona 500, a record five in theCoca-Cola 600 (formerly theWorld 600) (1978,1979,1985,1988,1989), and a track and Series record for any driver atBristol Motor Speedway with twelve (seven consecutive from 1981 to 1984). He isfifth on NASCAR's all-time wins list in the Cup Series, one behindBobby Allison. In the modern era of NASCAR, onlyJeff Gordon won more races than Waltrip. He is ranked fifth for all-time pole positions with 59, including all-time modern era highs with 35 on short tracks and eight on road courses. Competing in 809 Cup starts over four decades and 29 years (1972–2000), he has scored 271 top-fives and 390 top-tens, and posted a modern NASCAR series record of 22 top five finishes in 1983 and 21 top five finishes both in 1981 and 1986. Winning nearly $19.9 million in posted earnings, he became the firstNASCAR driver to be awarded over $10 million in career race winnings.

Waltrip has additionally won thirteenNASCAR Busch Grand National Series races, sevenAmerican Speed Association (ASA) races, threeIROC races, twoAutomobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) races, twoNASCAR All-American Challenge Series events, two All Pro Racing Association races, and aUSAC race. He competed in the24 Hours of Daytona. He also holds the all-time track record 67 wins at theFairgrounds Speedway inNashville, Tennessee, including NASCAR, USAC, ASA, and localLate Model Sportsman NASCAR sanctioned series races. He still holds many NASCAR records, more than two decades after his retirement as an active driver.

He has also won many awards in NASCAR. That includes two forNASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award (1989, 1990), three for "American Driver of the Year" (1979, 1981, 1982), and "NASCAR's Driver of the Decade" for the 1980s, as well as three for "National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year" (1977, 1981, and 1982), two for "Auto Racing Digest Driver of the Year" (1981 and 1982), the first "Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year" (1979), one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, and theBill France "Award of Excellence" in 2000. He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America for 2003 theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame for 2005. After being nominated for the inaugural 2010 and 2011 classes, he was inducted into theNASCAR Hall of Fame's 2012 class.

Waltrip served as a color analyst forFox Sports alongsideMike Joy,Larry McReynolds, andJeff Gordon, a columnist atFoxsports.com, and an author. He is the older brother of formerNASCAR driver and the now defunctMWR team ownerMichael Waltrip. Waltrip retired from the commentary box at the conclusion of Fox's broadcast schedule for the 2019 NASCAR season in June 2019.^[2]

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Waltrip was born on February 5, 1947,^[3] inOwensboro, Kentucky. Starting his driving career inGo-karts at the age of twelve, Waltrip entered his first stock car race just four years later. Waltrip and his father built a 1936 Chevrolet coupe and headed to a local dirt track near their Owensboro home. The first night out was far from a success as the youngster, barely old enough to drive on the street, slammed the wall and heavily damaged the coupe. Waltrip soon left the dirt and found his niche on asphalt where the smoothness he learned in the karts proved a valuable asset. Waltrip was a 1965 graduate ofDaviess County High School in Owensboro.

He was an early racer at the Kentucky Motor Speedway (an asphalt track inWhitesville) and Ellis Raceway, a dirt track on US Highway 60 west inDaviess County (Ellis Raceway is now closed), driving a car called "Big 100" built by Harry Pedley, owner of Pedley's Garage, on West Second Street, in Owensboro and sponsored by R.C. Bratcher Radiator and Welding Co. His success gained the attention ofNashville owner/driver P. B. Crowell, who urged Waltrip to move to the area to race at theFairgrounds Speedway, at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds inNashville, where he would win two track championships, in 1970, and 1973.

Waltrip drove the No. 48 P. B. Crowell ownedFord sponsored by American Home, inNashville, where he aggressively promoted the week's race when he appeared on a local television program promoting the speedway's races, and was not afraid to embrace the local media when other competitors were reluctant to do so. Some of the notorious "on air"trash-talking included making fun of some of the other local drivers such asCoo Coo Marlin (whose sonSterling later raced at the circuit and is a two-timeDaytona 500 winner) and James "Flookie" Buford, whose nickname he would mock on air. It pleased track management that he was helping sell tickets, leading to packed grandstands and extra paychecks from track operators for his promotional skills.

He became friends withWSM radio hostRalph Emery in his early years, forming a bond which would be influential throughout his career, as Waltrip would appear frequently on Emery's early morning television show on local Nashville television station,WSMV, and later substitute for Emery in the 1980s on Emery's television show,Nashville Now on the former TNN cable network (now theParamount Network). Waltrip would use the success he enjoyed at theMusic City Motorplex, and his notoriety and public speaking skills that he acquired from television appearances in Nashville, as a springboard into NASCAR's big leagues.

He became a Christian in 1983 but states it was years later before God came first in his life.^[4] One of the charities he supports is theMotor Racing Outreach (MRO)^[5] providing spiritual support to racers and their families.

Waltrip started inNASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup),NASCAR's top racing series at age 25, (25 years, three months, two days), on May 7, 1972, at the 1972Winston 500, atTalladega, Alabama, the series' fastest and longest track at 2.66 miles, (4.281 kilometers), driving a 1969 Mercury Cyclone he purchased fromHolman-Moody, originally theFord Fairlane driven byMario Andretti to victory in the1967 Daytona 500. Waltrip finished 38th in his first Winston Cup race after retiring on lap 69 due to engine failure. Waltrip paid $12,500 for the car, a spare engine and some spare parts and drove it in five Cup Series events until mid-1973. The car was converted from the Ford Fairlane Andretti drove, to a 1969 Mercury Cyclone as driven by Waltrip, and later converted to a 1971 Mercury Cyclone. The car was sponsored by Terminal Transport ofOwensboro, Kentucky, Waltrip's first major sponsor. Waltrip still owns the car today as part of a collection of cars he has raced and is one of his favorites.

The early years found Waltrip competing against legendary stock car racers such asRichard Petty,David Pearson,Cale Yarborough, andBobby Allison, among others. Waltrip soon earned the respect of his more experienced peers. He was given the No. 95 as a number but Waltrip preferred car No. 17 because his hero,David Pearson, had success with the number in earlier years. As an owner/driver, Waltrip ran five races in 1972, fourteen races in 1973, sixteen races in 1974, with seven top-five finishes, and seventeen races as an owner/driver in 1975, with his first Winston Cup victory coming at his home track, May 10, 1975, at age 28, (28 years, three months, five days), in theMusic City 420, outpacing the field by two laps at the track where he had won 2 track championships inNashville, Tennessee, in the No. 17 Terminal TransportChevrolet, a car Waltrip owned.

During the 1973 season, Waltrip drove in five Winston Cup races forBud Moore Engineering.

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Except for five races in 1973, driving forBud Moore Engineering, Waltrip primarily drove his own cars from the beginning of hisNASCAR career until the middle of the 1975NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) season, when he was signed to a multi-year contract and replaced driverDonnie Allison to drive the No. 88DiGardChevrolet, Waltrip's long-awaited jump into the big leagues of United States stock car auto racing. TheDiGard racing team was founded in part by Mike DiProspero and Bill Gardner, who were brothers-in-law, with the legendaryRobert Yates as engine builder.

Waltrip's first race withDiGard came on August 17, 1975, at theTalladega 500,Talladega Superspeedway, inTalladega, Alabama, finishing 42nd after experiencing engine failure. Waltrip would compete in ten more races in the 1975 season forDiGard, sponsored by Terminal Transport, and get his second career Winston Cup victory October 12, 1975, in theCapital City 500, inRichmond, Virginia. He would post three top-five and four top-ten finishes in the eleven races he ran forDiGard in 1975.

During the late 1970s, Waltrip would begin his domination of NASCAR's short track venues, especially at theBristol International Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee),Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, Virginia) and theMusic City Motorplex (Nashville). He holds the track record atBristol International Speedway, for wins with twelve victories, and for pole positions atMartinsville Speedway, with 8 pole position awards.

In 1976,Gatorade became Waltrip's primary sponsor as he started his first full race season at age 29, driving theDiGard GatoradeChevrolet. Waltrip won only one Winston Cup race in 1976, theVirginia 500, atMartinsville Speedway inRidgeway, Virginia, but in 1977 and 1978, working with legendary NASCAR crew chief Buddy Parrott, he won six times each year, including his first of four career victories at theTalladega Superspeedway, inTalladega, AL, on May 1, 1977, and his first of a five career victories in the series' longest race, a grueling 600 mile race, theCoca-Cola 600 (formerly theWorld 600), May 28, 1978. Waltrip, and Parrott, would win 21 NASCAR races together from 1977 through 1980.

In perhaps the most famous and most well known NASCAR race, the 1979Daytona 500, held February 18, 1979, a race thatRichard Petty won, Waltrip was a pre-race favorite to win the race. As the firstNASCAR race covered "flag to flag" on national television,Cale Yarborough, andDonnie Allison, while battling for the lead on the last lap, came together and crashed hard, taking each other out in the third turn. While the Allison and Yarborough cars were spinning and coming to rest in the grassy infield, attention turned quickly to the new leaders,Richard Petty running third, and Waltrip, running closely behind in fourth, as a fist fight ensued between Yarborough,Donnie Allison, and his brother and racer,Bobby Allison, in the turn three grass. Earlier in the race, Waltrip'sDiGardGatoradeOldsmobile, dropped a cylinder and while able to hang onto the slipstream of the Petty car on the final lap, was not able to draft past the Petty car in the fourth turn on the final lap due to the reduction in horsepower. Still, Waltrip finished runner-up in perhaps the most famous race inNASCAR history, and was an early turning point in Waltrip's career.

The1979 Daytona 500 would be an early season precursor for the remaining nine months of the racing season. Waltrip and Petty would engage in a bitter battle, race after race, for the 1979NASCAR championship. In that 1979 season, Waltrip won seven Winston Cup races and was a serious contender for what would have been his first championship despite numerous engine failures, mechanical problems, and differences with DiGard management. On September 23, 1979, after winning pole position and leading 184 laps at theOld Dominion 500, atMartinsville, Virginia, Waltrip again experienced engine failure. The DiGard team pitted the car and made a rare mid-race engine change in a record 11 minutes. Waltrip lost 29 laps in the pits but was able to finish 11th, as Petty finished 2nd.

At the start of the final race of the season, theLos Angeles Times 500, atOntario Motor Speedway,Ontario, California, Waltrip ledRichard Petty by a scant two points in the year-long championship battle after finishing the race fifth ahead of Petty's sixth-place finish in the previous race, theDixie 500,Atlanta Motor Speedway, November 4, 1979. However, Petty won an unprecedented seventh, and his final, NASCAR Cup Series championship by finishing the final race of the season in 5th position, as Waltrip finished eighth. The final margin of Petty's championship victory over Waltrip was only eleven points, the third-closest points race in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Waltrip closed out the 1970s driving the No. 88DiGardChevrolet, sponsored byGatorade, ranked NASCAR's No. 2 driver, having won 22 Winston Cup races in just 149 race starts. His aggressive driving style and outspoken demeanor earned him thenickname "Jaws", a reference tothe 1975 film about a killershark. The nickname was given to Waltrip by rivalCale Yarborough in an interview after Waltrip crashed Yarborough andD.K. Ulrich out of the 1977 Southern 500. Ulrich assumed that Yarborough had caused the wreck and questioned him after the race, to which Yarborough famously responded, "That Jaws ran into you." Waltrip himself preferred the nicknames"D.W." or"D-Dubya" but he acknowledged Yarborough by displaying an inflatable toy shark in his pit at the next race.

At the height of his NASCAR Cup Series success in the early 1980s, fans often booed Waltrip, in large part because of his success on the track defeating more established drivers with large fan followings, but also because of his open criticism of NASCAR, his admitting to condoning cheating, and his aggressive "take no prisoners", "win at all costs" approach to driving. Doing him no favors was his widely publicized falling-out with DiGard leadership, where he publicly admitted that he would not have won a championship as long as he drove for them. He attempted several times to be released from his driving contract withDiGard in 1980, a year in which Waltrip won five Winston Cup races. Still, Waltrip had a huge and devoted fan following. It was often said by race commentators and sports columnists that "you either hate him or love him".

It was Waltrip's rivalCale Yarborough, driver for legendary ownerJunior Johnson, that privately told Waltrip that he intended to cut back on his racing appearances and leaveJunior Johnson & Associates team at the end of the 1980 season, opening the position for Waltrip, but only if Waltrip could successfully negotiate an early termination of his contract with DiGard. Waltrip successfully negotiated his exit from DiGard, and would take over the No. 11 for 1981.

Waltrip's success driving theJunior Johnson prepared cars came immediately and even surpassed the highly successful years he had withDiGard. In his first two years as driver for theMountain Dew sponsoredBuick Regal, Waltrip won 12 races each year,^[7] and his first twoNASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) championships, in 1981 and 1982. Waltrip's success and driving prowess helped to bring the Buick Grand National into prominence. The company later honored the Waltrip years with throwback paint schemes, once in 2006 and again in 2008.

It was during the early 1980s, with Junior Johnson, that Waltrip first worked withJeff Hammond, a pit crewman for Johnson. Hammond was at first skeptical of Waltrip's driving style since it differed so much from the former driver for whom he worked,Cale Yarborough. Yarborough made adjustments to his driving based on the handling of the car in a particular race whereas Waltrip wanted the car adjusted around his driving style. Hammond eventually came to appreciate Waltrip's "finesse", and smooth driving style which proved highly successful. Waltrip and Hammond would benefit from each other's knowledge and abilities and would work together for most of their careers in the sport. Waltrip and Hammond work together, even today, as broadcaster and analyst atFox Sports, andSpeed TV.

Waltrip's first season with Junior Johnson was a huge success. He won twelve races including big races such as the Rebel 500, the Food City 500, and the Riverside 400 event. He almost swept Talladega for his 1981 season by nearly winning the Talladega 500. On the final lap rookieRon Bouchard dove under Waltrip and Terry Labonte to take the lead. Bouchard beat Waltrip by a foot in a 3-wide drag race in what has been called the biggest upset in NASCAR history. Waltrip reportedly said "Where the hell did he come from?" in an interview. Waltrip also stated in a post-race conference that part of the reason he lost the race was because he thought Bouchard was a lap down and therefore did not block Bouchard.

He ended 1981 with eleven poles, twelve wins, 21 top fives, and 25 top tens. Not only did Waltrip win twelve races, he also won the Winston Cup championship over nemesis Bobby Allison, rallying from a nearly 300-point deficit in midsummer and taking the points lead for keeps with a second-place finish at Dover in September. Waltrip then strung together four consecutive victories and ran well in the final two races of the season to win by 53 points.

In 1982, Waltrip again won twelve races and basically repeated his 1981 season. He claimed his second championship in a row that year, again scratching and clawing his way past Bobby Allison with a late-season charge, taking the lead at Martinsville in October, and winning the title by 72 points.

At the1983 Daytona 500 on February 20, 1983, Waltrip, a pre-race favorite to win the race, drove theChevrolet Monte Carlo SS Pepsi Challenger. He was involved in an accident when his car spun on lap 64, at exit of turn 4, at nearly 200 mph (320 km/h), as he was making an evasive maneuver to avoid rear-ending a much slower car ahead of him. Waltrip locked his brakes but the car slid for several hundred feet, then struck an earthen embankment near the entrance to pit road. The force of the impact was so violent that Waltrip's car was thrown back onto the track, in front of oncoming traffic. Waltrip then made hard contact with the outside concrete retaining wall once again into oncoming traffic. Cale Yarborough, the eventual winner of the race, barely avoided hitting the demolished Pepsi Challenger. Waltrip was taken by ambulance to the Halifax Medical Center for observation and medical treatment. The crash was a wake-up call and a life-changing event for Waltrip. When he heard drivers and fans joking that the crash would "knock him conscious" or "finally shut him up", he realized for the first time how unpopular he was and resolved to clean up his image. The years following that crash would see a different Darrell Waltrip, one who worked hard to repair and rebuild his relationship with fans and fellow drivers.^[8] Years later, Waltrip would be voted (by NASCAR fans) "Most Popular Driver", two years in a row, (1989, 1990).

Waltrip would continue his unprecedented success driving for Junior Johnson through the 1986 season, winning his third and final Winston Cup championship, in 1985, winning the inaugural All-Star race,The Winston, in 1985, and compiling 43 total wins with the team.

Waltrip was quick to recognize the new and rapid expansion of the sport's popularity among teens and young adults and others never before considered NASCAR fans. The growth was primarily due to increasing national network and cable subscription television which televised almost every NASCAR event live, and the growing interest of new family oriented sponsors never before associated with motorsports. NASCAR was becoming a multi-regional sport enjoyed by men, women and children alike. In addition to the huge influx of money from new sponsors and television, the more astute NASCAR team owners immediately embraced new resources such as computers, telemetry, research and development, multi-car teams for information sharing, wind-tunnel testing, and engineering. Waltrip, now one of two drivers for Johnson, was quick to envision the future of NASCAR and sought to take advantage of the coming changes something his car owner, Junior Johnson a pioneer of the sport, was somewhat reluctant to embrace. Johnson and his team had enjoyed success for decades and won numerous races and championships spanning decades using his own formulas for success.

Well aware of Junior Johnson's long-standing steadfast rule of never discussing an adjustment to a driver's contractual salary, and never really comfortable with the allocation of resources that Johnson's two car team required, Waltrip approached Johnson about an increase in his contract salary. Although the story as told by Waltrip is most likely folklore, Waltrip drove his final race for Junior Johnson on November 16, 1986, in a Chevrolet sponsored byBudweiser finishing 4th at that year'sWinston Western 500 atRiverside International Raceway, completing one of the most successful owner/driver partnerships in all of motorsports history. Waltrip and Johnson remained close friends and respected each other as pioneers and champions of the sport.

Waltrip's partnership with car ownerJunior Johnson led to huge success with threeNASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) championships and 43 Winston Cup wins. The connection between fast cars and alcohol consumption became a concern for him. He began to seek other opportunities after a conversation with his friend and pastor Cortez Cooper. Johnson had signedBudweiser to be his team's primary sponsor in 1984, which unintentionally made Waltrip one of the faces of the connection he was so concerned about.

Years before, Waltrip had opened a Honda dealership in his home town ofFranklin, Tennessee, with the help of his friend,Rick Hendrick, owner ofHendrick Motorsports. During the 1986 season, Waltrip and Hendrick discussed the possibility of Waltrip joining the Hendrick organization, which fielded cars forGeoff Bodine andTim Richmond and the two discussed the potential of Waltrip moving to a new team. Waltrip was still under contract with Johnson for the 1986 season, but following the year he was able to break the contract in a unique way. As he recounted in an interview for the Fox Sports Net seriesBeyond the Glory in 2001,^[9] Waltrip gained his release by purposely breaking one of Johnson's cardinal rules: asking for a raise (Johnson forbade his drivers from discussing money matters, including raises, with him). After signing, Hendrick formed a third team for Waltrip, carrying the No. 17 and sponsored byTide.

In 1987, his first year with Hendrick Motorsports, Waltrip had limited success, compared to his previous years with Johnson. He won only one race (at theGoody's 500) and had six Top 5 finishes. In 1988, he won two races, including his fourthCoca-Cola 600 win.

In the first race of 1989, theDaytona 500, Waltrip won the race for the first time in his seventeenth attempt with a fuel conservation strategy along with his long-time crew chief Jeff Hammond, making his final pit stop for fuel a distant 53 laps (132 miles) from the finish. Most of the other cars could run no more than 45 or 46 laps on a tank of fuel, so that meant Waltrip would need to feather the throttle and draft off other cars in order to save enough fuel to make it to the finish without an additional pit stop. Hammond, interviewed by television pit reporters during the final laps of the race, said that his strategy was for Waltrip to "draft off anybody, and everybody", to save fuel. Even though Waltrip's car ran much slower than other cars in the last 53 laps, he was able to avoid making the additional pit stop for fuel that the other cars had to make. The strategy provided Waltrip with the track position needed to win the race. His post-race interview with CBS pit reporterMike 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!", accompanied by the "Ickey Shuffle" dance in Victory Lane. Later, after the Daytona 500 win, Waltrip visited presidentGeorge H. W. Bush at the white House inWashington, D.C.

Waltrip's popularity as a driver would come full circle on the evening ofThe Winston, an all-star racing event held May 21, 1989, (an event that did not award points toward the NASCAR national championship), atCharlotte Motor Speedway. With two laps to go, Waltrip was leading the race and poised to win whenRusty Wallace hit his car exiting the fourth turn, sending him into the infield and costing him the victory and the $200,000 purse. Not only was Waltrip and his crew upset at being knocked out of the victory, the 150,000 fans watching the race issued boos to Wallace, the winner. The two crews scuffled in the pits and harsh words were said after the race. Waltrip was quoted after the race as saying "I hope he chokes on it", referring to the $200,000 that Wallace collected for the victory. Waltrip's car was clearly superior to that of Wallace and, had it not been for the contact initiated by Wallace on the final lap, Waltrip would have won the all-star event. During the 1989, and 1990 seasons, Waltrip was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver by fans.

Waltrip would win six races in 1989, his best year with Hendrick Motorsports, and helped develop NASCAR's version of the newChevrolet Lumina in 1989, and delivered its first victory by winning a historic and unprecedented fifth Coca-Cola 600 that May. Besides establishing a race record for victories, the win prepared him for a chance to win the one remaining "major race" which had eluded him since his first race at the Heinz Southern 500 atDarlington. A Darlington victory would award him a one million dollar bonus for winning three of the sport's four majors in the same season, the Daytona 500, theWinston 500, Coca-Cola 600, and theMountain Dew Southern 500. The pressure of both the million dollar bonus and Career Grand Slam adversely affected Waltrip. He made contact with the wall early in the 1989 Southern 500 and was never a contender for winning the race, and the million dollar bonus.

For many reasons, Waltrip was unable to carry his success of the previous year into1990. Waltrip failed to visit victory lane all season although he finished second in a controversial finish in the season's seventh race, theFirst Union 400, atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway.Brett Bodine had led 63 laps in the middle of the race and then re-took the lead on lap 318 after short pitting on a round of green flag pit stops. When the caution 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. During the ensuing confusion of a seventeen lap caution flag (NASCAR did not have electronic scoring at the time) Bodine was able to make a pit stop for fresh tires without losing any positions. When NASCAR reset the lineup with Bodine as the leader, he led the final 83 laps of the race (a race-high 146 laps overall) to take the victory.

"We messed up," said Chip Williams, NASCAR's public relations director. "By throwing the caution on the second-place car, it kept Bodine in the lead. He slipped into the pits and came out without losing the lead because the pace car was keeping the second-place car back. We messed up by picking up the wrong car. It was a judgment call."^[10] Waltrip filed a protest post-race, only to be denied on the grounds that judgment calls were not subject to protest/appeal. 1990 was the first year since 1974, that Waltrip did not win a race and Waltrip still remains irked to this very day over the result.^[11] Waltrip only visited victory lane five more times and never won again after 1992.

While practicing for his five-hundredth career NASCAR start in thePepsi 400, at Daytona, Waltrip's car spun in oil laid down by another car experiencing engine failure, and was hit by an oncoming car driven byDave Marcis. Waltrip suffered a broken arm, a broken leg, and aconcussion. He missed the Pepsi 400, but came back to run one lap atPocono, before giving way toJimmy Horton as a relief driver. (A driver who starts, and completes one lap, is credited the NASCAR points regardless of who is driving the car at the finish). Despite missing the next five races due to his injuries, Waltrip finished twentieth in driver points and the team finished fifth in owner points with substitute drivers taking turns in the car. 

After his fourth season as a driver forHendrick Motorsports, Waltrip formed his own team to field cars in the 1991NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) season. Driving his own cars had been his passion since he successfully drove his own cars in his earlyNASCAR career in the early and mid-1970s. He would continue his relationship withChevrolet and drive aChevrolet Lumina withWestern Auto as the primary team sponsor. Waltrip purchased team assets, including the racing facilities, from his former ownerRick Hendrick inCharlotte, North Carolina, and hired long-time friend and crew chief, Jeff Hammond, to oversee the building of race cars and to continue as crew chief. Waltrip and Hammond enjoyed much success together as Hammond had been with Waltrip during the championship-winning years withJunior Johnson, and most of theHendrick Motorsports years, and was Waltrip's crew chief for his1989 Daytona 500 win and three of his fiveCoca-Cola 600 wins.

In the 1991 season, Waltrip visited victory lane twice, his first win in his second stint as owner-driver coming in only the 7th race of the season on April 21, 1991, in theFirst Union 400, atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway inNorth Wilkesboro, North Carolina. His second win of the year came in the thirteenth race of the season on June 16, 1991, in the Champion Spark Plug 500, atPocono Raceway, inLong Pond, Pennsylvania.

Just two races after celebrating his second win of 1991, Waltrip would again be involved in another serious crash, again at theDaytona International Speedway, inDaytona Beach,Florida. It came after completing the 119th of 160 laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Waltrip and driverAlan Kulwicki were racing side by side, leading a large grouping of cars, battling for 5th position. The car draftingAlan Kulwicki bumped the Kulwicki car, causing his car to hit Waltrip'sWestern AutoChevrolet at speeds approaching 200 mph on the long backstretch. Waltrip's car slowed and was collected by driverJoe Ruttman's car, both cars sliding sideways several hundred feet on the grassy infield. The tires of Waltrip's car clipped the edge of an access road causing it to become airborne and tumbling end over end several times before coming to a stop, upside-down, in a grassy area near turn three. Waltrip was extricated and only suffered minor injuries but many feared that he could have re-injured his shattered leg from the crash at the same track the previous year. (Slow-motion video and still photography showed that Waltrip's left arm was outside the car as the car tumbled, and came to rest.) Waltrip still had a plate in his left leg from the compound fractures he suffered in the earlier crash at the Pepsi 400, at the Daytona International Speedway, (Waltrip commented on January 10, 2013, SPEED Television broadcast of the Daytona NASCAR winter testing, that he had spent more time in the hospital from injuries suffered at the Daytona Speedway, than at any other track he had raced). Waltrip would compete in the following race, the summer race at thePocono Raceway, inLong Pond, Pennsylvania, but was crashed again when driverErnie Irvan spun driverHut Stricklin, in front of almost the entire field. Waltrip won the year's spring race at the track just five weeks before.

Waltrip finished the first year of his second stint as owner-driver 8th in the overall Winston Cup points championship, after being as high as third place after fourteen races. His first year was generally viewed as a successful first year outing. However, Waltrip was now 44 years old, had children, and had many pressures as owner/driver that he did not concern himself with driving for multimillion-dollar, highly financed race teams, such asHendrick Motorsports.

In 1992, Waltrip collected three more wins, including theMountain Dew Southern 500, a race held atDarlington Raceway inDarlington, South Carolina, United States, September 6, 1992, (the last major race which had eluded his 20-year career), and finished 9th in points, after being as high as sixth after 22 races. That would be Waltrip's 84th, and finalNASCAR career victory, tying him withBobby Allison for what was then third on the all-time list, behindRichard Petty, with 200 wins, andDavid Pearson, with 105 wins. Both he and Allison have since been passed byJeff Gordon, who has 93 wins by the time he retired at the end of the2015 season.

In 1993, Waltrip signed formerRichard Childress Racing engine builder Lou LaRosa, to build engines, andBarry Dodson, a former championship-winning crew chief. He posted four top-ten finishes but did not finish higher than third. 1994 saw him make his final appearance in the top ten in championship points by finishing ninth. He had a then-unprecedented streak over two seasons, of 40 races, without a DNF, all with in-house engines. His only engine failure in the season was after the car crossed the finish line. Waltrip finished 19th in points in 1995 when he crashed atThe Winston and was forced to let relief drivers take over for several weeks. His second half of the season was highlighted by his final career pole position at theNAPA 500.

In 1996, Waltrip posted two top-ten finishes.Western Auto remained the sponsor as part of Waltrip's 25th-anniversary celebration. While the year was one of Waltrip's most profitable, his results continued to fall off.

At the 1997UAW-GM Quality 500, Waltrip failed to qualify for the first time in over twenty years asTerry Labonte also failed to make the race. Because Labonte was a more recent Cup champion (in fact, he was the defending Cup champion that season), he was able to take the past champion's provisional. Waltrip, who was twentieth in owner points, was too low in the owner points position to make the race (only the top-four in owner points of cars not in the field, excluding the most recent former champion not in the field, were added after qualifying under 1997 rules). After the season, Waltrip and his team were struggling to find sponsors but were able to put together a last-minute deal with the Ohio-based company Speedblock for 1998. Speedblock only paid portions of what was promised, and the deal was canceled. Waltrip's team at this point was nearly insolvent, and he sold the team toTim Beverly. Waltrip's final race as an owner-driver was at the TranSouth Financial 400, and was originally post-drive a sponsorless car, but instead decided to drive a "Tim Flock Special" as the former 2-timeGrand National Series champion was fightingliver andthroat cancer and was without medical insurance, and Waltrip wanted to help raise money for Flock and his family by having a trust fund with NASCAR's 50th Anniversary. Flock died at age 73, just nine days after the race. In 2008, Waltrip admitted the reason that he failed as a driver-owner team was because he thought like a driver, not as an owner.

Beverly chose not to race the team immediately, instead choosing to rebuild the team (now part ofTyler Jet Motorsports after two sales and a merger). During this time, Waltrip signed withDale Earnhardt, Inc. to drive the No. 1Pennzoil Chevy, filling in for injured rookieSteve Park. During his tenure with DEI, Waltrip posted a fifth-place finish at theCalifornia 500, and led in the final stages of thePocono 500, and finished sixth.

At the1998 Brickyard 400, Beverly returned Waltrip's former team, now as the No. 35Tyler Jet MotorsportsChevrolet Monte Carlo withTabasco sponsorship with Waltrip driving. A sponsorship conflict with Tabasco would switch the team to thePontiac Grand Prix. Waltrip resigned at the end of the season, citing performance issues. After a brief flirtation with retirement, Waltrip signed to drive the No. 66Big KFord Taurus forHaas-Carter Motorsports, with teammateJimmy Spencer. Waltrip failed to qualify seven times during that season with a new qualifying rule for the Past Champion's Provisional. On August 5, 1999, Waltrip announced during the practice session for theBrickyard 400 that he would retire from NASCAR at the end of the 2000 season following a farewell tour.

During his retirement year of 2000, Waltrip's best run came at the Brickyard 400, where he qualified on the outside pole and finished eleventh. His final race came on November 20, 2000, in the NAPA 500, atAtlanta Motor Speedway, where he posted a 34th-place finish in theHaas-Carter Motorsports owned No. 66 Route 66Big KFord Taurus. He finished 36th in points that season and failed to qualify six times.

In 1995, Waltrip built aCraftsman Truck Series team, and found success by 1997, whenRich Bickle finished second in overall season standings, winning three races, and made Waltrip one of the few car owners to have won races in NASCAR's three national series. When Sears ceased sponsorship of the team in 1997, Waltrip suspended his truck team, not returning until 2004, when he re-entered the series as an owner and part ofToyota's NASCAR development program.

Prior to retiring from racing, Waltrip provided commentary on severalIROC broadcasts forABC. Also, from 1994 to 1998, on weekends that Winston Cup was not competing, had provided commentary on manyNASCAR Busch Series (one level below Winston Cup) races broadcasts on TNN, teaming withMike Joy. In 2001, after his final 2000 season as a NASCAR driver, Waltrip signed withFox, to be leadNASCAR Winston Cup Series (Winston Cup) analyst and race commentator on thenetwork's NASCAR telecasts, teaming with Mike Joy andLarry McReynolds.

Waltrip began his career with Fox at the2001 Daytona 500. His younger brother,Michael Waltrip, won the race, but Michael's victory was overshadowed by thedeath of Dale Earnhardt. On the final scheduled lap, Earnhardt's car made contact withSterling Marlin, as the black No. 3 drifted low on the track, probably attempting a blocking maneuver so that eitherMichael Waltrip orDale Earnhardt Jr. – driving for Dale Sr.'sDEI, although he himself drove forRCR – would win the race. After contacting the Marlin car, Earnhardt's car suddenly veered right and slammed hard head-on into the retaining wall in turn four. Earnhardt's car came to rest in the infield as Michael Waltrip won the race, with Darrell Waltrip shouting for joy as he called the final run to the checkered flag. His joy at his brother's victory soon gave way to concern for Earnhardt as he watched replays of the crash.

Waltrip and Earnhardt had been bitter rivals on the track in the 1980s but as the years passed, the rivalry and bitterness had given way to a deep respect and close friendship. After the race, Waltrip was taken from the Fox Broadcast booth to the Halifax Medical Center to meet with the Earnhardt family and his brother Michael. Waltrip later gave the invocation at the Earnhardt funeral. and gave the invocation at thefollowing week's race praying for Earnhardt and the promise of moving on from the tragedy.

At thefollowing week's race, Waltrip interviewed NASCAR PresidentMike Helton for a pre-race segment during the broadcast. This was before NASCAR mandated the use of theHANS device to reduce the risk of catastrophic head and neck injuries, and the "SAFER" (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers used at all NASCAR tracks today. Waltrip believed that four deaths in the previous ten months, all caused bybasilar skull fractures incurred in accidents, were too many, and was not shy about asking Helton for an explanation. Helton's responses irritated Waltrip, who was noted by one magazine for "acting a lot more like the nextMike Wallace (of60 Minutes) than the nextJohn Madden". Waltrip delivered the pre-raceinvocation for the race in honor of Earnhardt.

As a long-time advocate for motorsports safety, Waltrip then pushed for mandatory head-and-neck restraints, and two weeks later, demonstrated the device during the broadcast atAtlanta Motor Speedway, explaining the benefits and how the device worked. Seven months later, NASCAR mandated the devices after a crash during an ARCA Re/Max Series race, held after qualifying for theUAW-GM Quality 500, killed driverBlaise Alexander.^[12]

As the cars take the green flag to start each race, Waltrip shouts "Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing boys!" This somewhat nonsensical phrase has become Waltrip's trademark in recent years. (The phrase "boogity, boogity, boogity" also appears in the 1960doo wopparody "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" byBarry Mann.)Humble Pie used the shorter phrase "boogity-boogity" in their 1970 song "Red Light Mama, Red Hot".Ray Stevens used the phrase throughout his 1974 hit, "The Streak".Jerry Reed also said this phrase in the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit." Waltrip was featured on a 1992 home video from Ray Stevens entitled theAmazing Rolling Revue. In this home video Waltrip played the part of the out of control driver of the tour bus/rolling venue. Waltrip explained that the catchphrase arose because, as a driver, he grew tired of hearing his spotter or crew chief say "green, green, green" at the start of every race and wanted to hear something more original. The catchphrase had always been preceded by fellow analyst and former crew chiefLarry McReynolds telling Waltrip to "reach up there and pull those belts tight one more time!" until recent years, when McReynolds used the phrase less and less and eventually phased it out altogether.

In 2011, Waltrip stated that his favorite race to have broadcast thus far was the2010 Aaron's 499. The race lead was exchanged many times among many different drivers rather than the lead being dominated by a single driver. The race ended with driverKevin Harvick beating driverJamie McMurray for the win by only the length of a bumper.

Waltrip also lends his unique verbiage to his commentary, speaking of "coop-petetion" when racers work together, but keep each other under a watchful eye, "s'perince" when talking about driving skills of a veteran driver, and "using the chrome horn", when a driver somewhat purposefully bumps a car that's in the way (bumpers on cars used to be made of metal and coated in chrome). In early 2007, Waltrip was nominated for an Emmy in the category "Outstanding Event Analyst".

In March 2011, FOX awarded Waltrip a 2-year contract extension, taking him through 2014, the same year the network's NASCAR contract ends (although the broadcast contract has been extended to 2024).

In October 2011, Waltrip, Joy,Calvin Fish andAustralianLeigh Diffey traveled to Australia to host Speed's coverage of theSupercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 race held at the famousMount Panorama Circuit. Since Waltrip had not hosted in Australia before, he counted on Australian NASCAR driverMarcos Ambrose to help him learn about the country. During the trip, in regards to hosting, Waltrip and Joy are most famous for helping Ambrose reconcile with a former Bathurst rivalGreg Murphy, known for an infamous Lap 145 dustup at the2005 event following a restart that led to a famous squabble. The interview took place during a safety car session after Murphy had exited the car during a driver change. In the days leading up to the race, Waltrip was taken on a few laps of the track bySupercars Championship driverJason Bright in Bright'sBrad Jones RacingHolden VE Commodore, describing the 6.213 km (3.861 mi) long mountain circuit as a "Geological oddity".^[13]

Waltrip announced his retirement from broadcasting on April 4, 2019, atBristol Motor Speedway citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren. His final race in the broadcast booth was the2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 atSonoma Raceway.^[14] He has also announced the2022 Food City Dirt Race.^[15]

Waltrip fielded a Toyota sponsored by Japanese industrial giant NTN for hisCraftsman Truck Series team in 2004.David Reutimann drove the truck for the team and earned Rookie of the Year honors that year. Waltrip's team expanded to two trucks in 2005. In August 2005, the revived Darrell Waltrip Motorsports won its first race, theToyota Tundra 200 atNashville Superspeedway with Reutimann driving. During the 2007 season, A.J. Allmendinger drove the No. 00 Red Bull Toyota but with minimal success. By years end the team was sold toThe Racer's Group, a road racing operation.

Waltrip has made occasional starts (three or less each year) in theCraftsman Truck Series andBusch Series since his "retirement" in 2000. Each of these races have been either atMartinsville Speedway orIndianapolis Raceway Park.

Waltrip was the honorary starter at the 2007Food City 500 and was also the honorary starter for the 2008Gatorade Duel as Gatorade was one of Waltrip's former sponsors. He also started/completed a Busch Series race at Martinsville in his brother's "Aaron's Dream Machine" after appearing in ads in 2003–2005 begging his brother to let him drive the Aaron's Dream Machine.

In 2009, he appeared in commercials for Rejuvenate Auto with his No. 11 Mountain Dew Chevrolet. Waltrip also appeared in Fox public service announcements forbreast cancer awareness.

In 2010 and 2011, Waltrip voiced his support for saving the old Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, now known as simply theFairgrounds Speedway, inNashville. The speedway was first opened in 1904, and hosted a weekly racing series for decades. It is the track where Waltrip first had success at weekly racing events in the 1960s and 70s, winning two track championships and where his first NASCAR victory came May 10, 1975. The speedway and adjacent Tennessee State Fairgrounds is located in an urban area of southNashville, roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) from its downtown business district. Some residents living close to the speedway have complained of noise and many local politicians have proposed closing the speedway and developing the property.

Waltrip retired as a race commentator forFox at the end of the 2019 racing season. In March 2011, FOX announced that Waltrip would continue as their lead NASCAR analyst and race commentator through 2014. In May 2015, FOX announced thatJeff Gordon would join him andMike Joy starting in 2016, replacing their long-time broadcast partnerLarry McReynolds.

In 2017, Waltrip announced on hisTwitter page that he had undergone a knee replacement from an injury that occurred during the1991 Pepsi 400. This was also mentioned in hisFacebook account.

Waltrip currently ownsHonda,Volvo,Subaru, andBuick/GMC automobile dealerships inFranklin, Tennessee, in partnership with his former team ownerRick Hendrick.^[16]

Waltrip is considered by most in the racing community as a true ambassador to the sport of motor racing. He is a passionate promoter of all forms of racing, especially American stock car auto racing.

Waltrip is recognized by many who closely follow motorsports asNASCAR's first "total package" driver. He was media savvy, articulate, attractive and possessed the driving skills that would take him to the pinnacle of the sport. His style attracted big-budget sponsors that are necessary to fund the multimillion-dollarNASCAR teams. Today, it is customary for the team's sponsor to have considerable input into who the team's driver will be that represents their brand or product on the track. Today'sNASCAR driver fits the mold that Waltrip first ushered intoNASCAR in the 1970s.

As aFox Sports analyst and broadcaster, Waltrip's opinions, views and comments carry considerable weight with drivers, team owners, fans andNASCAR heads. Waltrip has never been shy about expressing his views, even if controversial.

Waltrip has been a design consultant on some of the newer tracks including theKentucky Motor Speedway, and theNashville Superspeedway.

Waltrip has a building which holds many of the race cars he drove throughout his career.

He was inducted into theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003.^[1]

On June 14, 2011, he was selected to theNASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

Waltrip officially won 84 NASCAR cup races, but yet another, additional, and uncounted "win" was as relief driver forDonnie Allison, at the 1977 Talladega 500. (Allison received credit for the win because he was driving the car when the race started). In that race, Waltrip retired after 106, of 188, laps. Allison sought a relief driver for his No. 1 Hawaiian Tropic sponsored Chevrolet, due to the excess heat of the day, and Waltrip was asked to complete the race in Allison's car. The irony was that Waltrip replaced Allison at theDiGard No. 88 race team just two years previously, which was part of the long lore of the "Allisons vs Waltrip" battle that lasted for more than 16 years.

His 84 wins in the Cup series place him 5th in NASCAR history, one win behindBobby Allison. In 2011,Jeff Gordon scored his 85th career victory surpassing Waltrip for most wins in the "modern era" of NASCAR. (NASCAR's "modern era" takes into account current scheduling, and the elimination of dirt tracks from scoring statistics; several of Allison's wins came before the start of the "modern era").

Waltrip's entertainment appearances were influenced by his early 1970s work withRalph Emery in Nashville radio and television, and that led to his work as a fill-in for Emery.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he would substitute for Emery onThe Nashville Network'sNashville Now and later hosted himself the network's two successor variety shows, "Music City Tonight" and "Prime Time Country".

Waltrip worked onDays of Thunder as Hendrick Motorsports was a major provider of cars and drivers (he helped hireBobby Hamilton for the project), and one of his injury substitutes was lead stunt driverGreg Sacks.

Waltrip has twice been a presenter at theGMA (Gospel Music Association) Music Awards, partnering withKathy Troccoli both times. In 1999, they presented the "Song of the Year" award toMitch McVicker andRich Mullins for "My Deliverer". Rich Mullins and Mitch McVicker were thrown from their truck after not wearing seat belts, and Mullins was killed in the accident.

In 2006, Waltrip andNicole C. Mullen hosted aDirecTV special,Songs of Faith. He provided the voice ofDarrell Cartrip, an anthropomorphic car version of himself in all 3 movies ofPixar'sCars franchise.^[17] He also appeared in the broadcast booth in the filmsTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, where his phrase was "You know,Larry, there's good days in racing and there's bad days, Ricky Bobby just had himself a bad day". On December 15, 2006, Waltrip played the role of Mother Ginger in the Nashville Ballet's production ofThe Nutcracker.

He appeared in advertisements forToyota andAaron's alongside his brother, Michael, where his gimmick was constantly asking Michael's permission to drive the Aaron's Dream Machine (a nickname for the No. 99 Nationwide Series car). Waltrip has also made a number of appearances in "comedic" segments appearing during his actual Fox broadcasts.

He was featured in two NASCAR Series videosDarrell Waltrip: Quicksilver which explained Waltrip's career and future and he appeared in the NASCAR Video series where he teaches helpful driving tips for driving on the freeway and long-distance drives.

In February 2011, Waltrip appeared inThe Day which was a one-hour documentary about the tragic death ofDale Earnhardt at the2001 Daytona 500.

Waltrip initially believed accidents would happen to him. He was featured in a video testimonial on IamSecond.com talking about hisChristian faith inJesus Christ in which he discussed the meaninglessness of the rest of his career, compared to that relationship.

Waltrip, along with fellow commentatorsMike Joy andJeff Gordon, made a cameo appearance as themselves in the 2017 heist comedy filmLogan Lucky.

Waltrip has also been successful in the publishing field. In September 1994, he was featured as the cover story inGuideposts.

His autobiography,DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles, was a New York Times best-seller when it was released around the 2004 Daytona 500. The book was co-written with Jade Gurss.

In May 2004, Waltrip became the second sports figure to be featured in former NBA player and basketball coachJay Carty's One-on-One series of devotional books.Darrell Waltrip One-on-One: The Faith that Took Him to the Finish Line is a sixty-day devotional book featuring Waltrip's stories and how they can relate to Christian faith, and Carty's devotionals.

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

• Michael Waltrip
• Darrell Waltrip Motorsports