Darrell Waltrip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||
| Born: | February 5, 1947 (age 60) | |
| Birthplace: |  Owensboro, Kentucky |
|
| Awards: | 1985 Winston Cup Champion
1982 Winston Cup Champion 1981 Winston Cup Champion Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) 2005 International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee 2003 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee |
|
| NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Statistics | ||
| 809 races run over 29 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 1st - 1981, 1982, 1985 (Winston Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1972 Winston 500 (Talladega) | |
| Last Race: | 2000 NAPA 500 (Atlanta) | |
| First Win: | 1975 Music City USA 420 (Nashville) | |
| Last Win: | 1992 Mountain Dew Southern 500 (Darlington) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 84 | 390 | 59 |
Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a three-time former NASCAR Winston Cup champion, the 1989 Daytona 500 winner, and current television race commentator with Fox Broadcasting Company.
Contents |
[edit] Early years and "Jaws" nickname
[edit] Local Racer
An early racer in Kentucky at the Kentucky Motor Speedway (asphalt track in Whitesville, KY) and Ellis Raceway(dirt track on US Highway 60 west in Daviess County, KY- now closed) near his Owensboro, Kentucky home; Waltrip's success led to him moving to Nashville, Tennessee, to race at the Nashville Speedway USA (now Music City Motorplex) at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, where he would win two track championships. There, he would aggressively promote the week's race when he appeared on a local television program promoting the speedway's races, and was not afraid to frequent the show when other competitors refused. Some of the notorious trash-talking on air included making fun of drivers such as Coo Coo Marlin (whose son Sterling, later raced at the circuit and is a two-time Daytona 500 winner), James "Flookie" Buford, whose nickname he would mock on air (James and son Joe Buford were both track champions — Joe Buford would beat Waltrip's record of 55 wins at the MCM), and was known for a swagger similar to the swagger of another famous Kentuckian at the time, Muhammad Ali.
While some fans didn't like it, it pleased track management that he was helping sell tickets, leading to extra paychecks from track operators for his promotional skills. He also embraced WSM radio host Ralph Emery during his early years, forming a bond which would be influential during his career, as Waltrip would later substitute for Emery in the 1980's on Emery's television show.
[edit] NASCAR
Waltrip started in the Cup level in 1972 with an old Mercury Cyclone which was originally the 1967 Ford driven by Mario Andretti to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500. That car was later rebuilt into a Mercury Cyclone for Rolf Stommelen at Talladega before Waltrip purchased the car and made it the #95 Terminal Transport Mercury. It was his primary car for his first few seasons.
As he moved into the Cup level in the 1970's, his aggressive driving and outspoken style earned him the nickname "Jaws", a reference to the 1975 film about a killer shark. The nickname was given to Waltrip by rival Cale Yarborough in an interview after Waltrip crashed Yarborough out of a race. Waltrip himself preferred the nicknames "D.W." or "D-Dubya" but he did acknowledge Yarborough by displaying an inflatable toy shark in his pit at the next race. The nickname stuck after Waltrip made a now famous comment about one time rival Dale Earnhardt, in which he stated that he could say whatever he wanted about Dale and his team in the news because they "wouldn't be able to read it anyway."
At the heights of his NASCAR success in the early 1980s fans often booed Waltrip, but his wit and endearing silliness gradually won over the hearts of most of his critics. Once, as a crowd booed him in Victory Lane, Waltrip silenced the hostile audience by challenging them to "Boo if you love D.W." He also was able to please his sponsor, Mountain Dew, by noticing, "They were saying Dew!", making his sponsor stand up and be noticed.
Waltrip's success helped bring the Buick GNX into prominence, since he drove a Regal (whose platform spawned the GNX) while being sponsored by Mountain Dew.
Interestingly, while he won 84 races, one "win" which does not count was as relief driver for Donnie Allison at the 1977 Talladega 500, which Allison gets credit as he started the race. Waltrip had dropped out after 106 laps and because of the heat, was driving the Hoss Ellington #1 Hawaiian Tropic car as Allison's replacement. The irony was Waltrip had replaced Allison at the DiGard #88 just two years previously, and was part of the long lore of the Allisons vs Waltrip battle for 16 years.
[edit] Late 80's
Waltrip's success with car owner Junior Johnson led to success with three national championships, but concerns grew inside his friends. Cortez Cooper, his pastor, became concerned about his involvement with Budweiser as a sponsor, and after parents complained of how he was helping create a bond of alcohol, fast cars, and success, he seriously considered changing teams, moving after the 1986 season to Hendrick Motorsports, with Procter & Gamble detergent Tide as his sponsor.
During 1986, Waltrip and Hendrick began their partnership in establishing a Honda and later (in 1994), a Volvo dealership in Franklin, Tennessee, both aligned with the Hendrick Automotive Group.
In the 1989 Daytona 500, Waltrip won the race for the first time in his career on a fuel mileage gamble. His post-race interview with CBS pit reporter Mike Joy, became famous, with Waltrip shouting "I won the Daytona 500! I won the Daytona 500!" accompanied by the "Ickey Shuffle" dance in Victory Lane.
After helping develop the new Chevrolet Lumina in 1989 to its first victory by winning his fifth Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway that May, establishing a record, and preparing himself for a win in the one remaining major which had eluded him since his first race, the Heinz Southern 500 in Darlington, SC, and a one million dollar bonus for winning three of the sport's four majors -- the Daytona 500, the Aaron's 499, Coca-Cola 600, and the Mountain Dew Southern 500 in a single season. The pressure of both the bonus and Career Grand Slam (at Talladega, he had won the 1977 and 1982 Winston 500, which were his first and fourth career wins in majors) affected Waltrip badly, and he hit the wall early in the race and was never a contender.
Waltrip was not able to carry his success of the previous year into 1990. Waltrip had failed to visit victory lane all season long. While practicing for his 500th career start at the Pepsi 400, Waltrip spun out in another car's oil, and was T-Boned by Dave Marcis. Waltrip suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, and a concussion. He missed the Pepsi 400, but came back to run one lap at Pocono, before giving way to Jimmy Horton as a relief driver. Despite missing the next five races due to the injury, Waltrip finished 20th in points and the team was very successful, with substitute driver Greg Sacks finishing second at Michigan in August, and the team only scoring one DNF for the season, when Sarel van der Merwe crashed late in the race at Watkins Glen. During the 1989 and 1990 seasons, Waltrip was voted Most Popular Driver by the fans.
[edit] Owner/Driver Years
At the end of the season, Waltrip and crew chief Jeff Hammond started their own Cup team, DarWal Inc.. During the 1970's, Waltrip had owned his own team until being picked by Bud Moore Engineering. His team continued to serve as his personal licencing agent and operator for many short-track cars he would race at many circuits on non-Cup weekends or special events, and eventually went to Busch Series racing. His first season as an owner/driver was a relatively successful, as Waltrip won twice and finished eighth in points in the #17 Western Auto Chevy. In 1992, Waltrip collected three more wins, including finishing off a career Grand Slam by winning the Southern 500 (the last major race which had eluded his 20-year career), and finished 9th in points. That would be the last time he would visit victory lane in a Cup race.
In 1993, Waltrip signed former Richard Childress Racing engine builder Lou LaRosa to build engines and Barry Dodson, a former championship winning crew chief. He posted four top ten finishes, but didn't finish higher than third. 1994 saw him make his final appearance in the top ten in championship points by finished 9th. He had a then-unprecedented streak over two seasons of 40 races without a DNF, all with Waltrip's own engines. His only engine failure in the season was after the car crossed the finish line.
In 1995, Waltrip was sixteenth in points when he crashed at The 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 at the NAPA 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 UAW-GM Quality 500, Waltrip failed to qualify for the first time in over 20 years as Terry Labonte also failed to make the race. Because Labonte was a more recent Cup champion, he was able to take the past champion's provisional. Waltrip, who was 20th 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 in 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 at this point was nearly bankrupt, and sold the team to Tim Beverly.
Beverly chose not to race the team immediately, choosing to rebuild the team (now part of Ginn Racing after a second sale). During this time, Waltrip signed with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to drive the #1 Pennzoil Chevy, filling in for injured rookie Steve Park. During his tenure with DEI, Waltrip posted a fifth place finish at the California 500, and led in the final stages of the Pocono 500 and finished in the sixth spot.
[edit] Final Years
At the Brickyard 400, Beverly did return the team as the #35 Pontiac Grand Prix with Tabasco sauce sponsorship. Waltrip resigned at the end of the season. After a brief flirtation with retirement, Waltrip signed to drive the #66 Big K Ford Taurus for Haas-Carter Motorsports. Waltrip failed to qualify seven times during that season with a new qualifying rule for the Past Champion's Provisional. 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. He finished 36th in points that season.
[edit] Craftsman Truck Series
In 1995, Waltrip built a Craftsman Truck Series team, and found success by 1997, when Rich Bickle finished second in overall season standings and winning three races, and made Waltrip one of a few car owners to have won races in NASCAR's three national series. When Sears ceased sponsorship of both teams in 1997, he suspended the Truck team, not returning until 2004 as part of Toyota's NASCAR development.
[edit] Move to broadcast booth
After his 2000 retirement, he signed with Fox to be one of two analysts on the network's NASCAR telecasts.
Waltrip's broadcast style led to controversy early in his broadcasting career. A week after NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in 2001, Waltrip interviewed NASCAR President Mike Helton for a pre-race segment during the broadcast at North Carolina Speedway (Rockingham). Waltrip believed that four deaths in the previous ten months, all caused by basilar skull fractures incurred in accidents, was too many, and he was not shy about asking Helton for an explanation. Helton's responses irritated Waltrip, who was referred by one magazine as "acting a lot more like the next Mike Wallace (of 60 Minutes) than the next John Madden."
He then pushed for mandatory head-and-neck restraints, and two weeks later, demonstrated the device during the broadcast in Atlanta Motor Speedway, explaining the device. Seven months later, NASCAR mandated the devices after a crash during an ARCA Re/Max Series race held after qualifying for the UAW-GM Quality 500 killed driver Blaise Alexander. [1]
As the cars take the green flag to start each race, Waltrip shouts "Boogity Boogity Boogity!" (sometimes also including "Lets Go Racing Boys!"), is a nonsense phrase that has become his trademark in recent years. (The phrase appears in the 1960 doo wop parody "Who Put the Bomp" by Barry Mann.) The story Waltrip has told about this is that, as a driver, he got 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.
"Boogity Boogity Boogity" is also uttered by Jon Lovitz in the 2006 motion picture The Benchwarmers as he is driving a Toyota Tundra NASCAR race truck. The use of a Toyota is also a Waltrip reference since he helped start their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program and appears in Toyota advertisements. In addition, the phrase is used by Darrell Cartrip, Waltrip's character in the movie Cars. Darrell Cartrip is a 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo who serves as a race announcer in the film.
In early 2007 Waltrip, a three-time Cup champion, was nominated for an Emmy in the category "Outstanding Event Analyst".
[edit] Presently
His younger brother, Michael Waltrip, is a current NASCAR driver and winner of the 2001 Daytona 500 (the race in which Dale Earnhardt was killed) and 2003 Daytona 500. Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt were close friends, and the finish of the 2001 race was a very emotional one for him, as he was torn between joy over seeing his brother take the win and concern over Earnhardt's condition.
He currently appears in advertisements for Toyota and Aaron's alongside his brother, Michael.
Waltrip fielded a Toyota sponsored by Japanese industrial giant NTN for his Craftsman 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, the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway with Reutimann driving. The team's current drivers are David Reutimann and rookie Joey Miller, who came to the team from the ARCA Re/Max Series.
Waltrip has made occasional starts (three or less each year) in the Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series since his "retirement" in 2000. Each of these races have been either at Martinsville Speedway or Indianapolis Raceway Park.
[edit] Awards
- He was voted one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Waltrip was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003.
[edit] Books
Waltrip has also been successful in the publishing field.
In September 1994, he was featured as the cover story in Guideposts, which was also featured during his final race in 2000.
In 2003, he signed a deal with Pearson PLC's Penguin imprint to release his autobiography, written with Jade Gurss.
The biography, DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles was a New York Times best-seller when released around the 2004 Daytona 500.
In May 2004, Waltrip became the second sports figure to be featured in former NBA player and basketball coach Jay 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 faith, and Carty's devotionals. (The series also features John Wooden and Mike Singletary.)
[edit] Other Entertainment Appearances
Waltrip's entertainment appearances were influenced by his early 1970's work with Ralph Emery in Nashville radio, and that led to his work as a fill-in for Emery.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he would substitute for Emery on The Nashville Network's Nashville Now and later hosted himself the network's two successor variety shows, "Music City Tonight" and "Prime Time Country".
Waltrip worked on Days of Thunder as Hendrick Motorsports was a major provider of cars and drivers (he helped hire Bobby Hamilton for the project), and one of his injury substitutes was lead stunt driver Greg Sacks.
Waltrip has twice been a presenter at the GMA (Gospel Music Association) Music Awards, partnering with Kathy Troccoli both times. In 1999, they presented the "Song of the Year" award to Mitch McVicker and Rich 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 and Nicole C. Mullen hosted a DirecTV special, Songs of Faith.
Also in 2006, he played a color commentator for the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. He played the role as Darrell Cartrip, an obvious pun on his name.
He also appeared in the broadcast booth in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby where his phrase was "in racing you have good days and bad days and 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 of The Nutcracker.
[edit] Waltripisms
- "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity! Let's go racin' boys!", said at the start of races.
- "Don't beat yourself", Waltrip says this when drivers make mental errors on the track.
- "Roval", the word he uses to describe Pocono Raceway. The track has only three turns, each with different degrees of banking, which give it a distinct road-racing feel despite it technically being an oval.
- "You got mayonaise, cereal, and motor oil and that's a combination right there", referring to a wreck at the 2002 Pontiac Excitement 400 where Steve Park(sponsored by Pennzoil), Terry Labonte(sponsored by Kelloggs), and Rick Mast(sponsored by Sauers Mayonnaise) were all involved in a crash.
- "The T-i-d-e ride!"
- "Look at them flames! I like those flames!"
- "I like that car, that's a nice car", referring to a fast car on the track.
- "He's mowing the lawn", when Waltrip refers to a driver moving up in the field.
- "Adios", said when a driver is pulling away from the pack.
- "What they don't know, they don't know",referring to the younger drivers in NASCAR who do not know the limits of their race car and thinks that is the secret to the younger drivers success.
- "He pulled a Linda Ronstadt", said when a driver easily passes another. The reference is to her version of the song "Blue Bayou" (a pun for "blew by you").
- "Biffle's ol' car is a pig in a blanket, and she's a pretty thing ain't she"?, a phrase said in 2003 when Greg Biffle's car was taped up and beat up.
- "He's sittin' on a hot tin stove and sweating ice water", at the tense moments at the end of a race.
- "I can't hear you!" used when Waltrip thinks someone will not take a pit stop in the race.
- "Mr. Feel-Goods", Waltrip's words for when the crew puts on four fresh tires which "feel good" to a driver. Also a reference to the tire manufacturer, Goodyear.
- "As my daddy said, the cake's all dough", said near the end of the race.
- "Some drivers are amphibious", meaning to say that some drivers were ambidextrous. Darrell said this during the 2002 Sonoma road course race. Chris Myers, fellow FOX Sports commentator, called him out and corrected him on the air, embarrassing Waltrip.
- "Open the gate, and head down the interstate", a phrase Darrell uses for drivers who have been involved in multiple wrecks or who are having a bad race weekend and just want to open the cross-over gate and drive home.
- "Ruh-Roh", said every now and then in reference to mechanical problems with a car or when there's no place to go during a big wreck on the track. The phrase is an imitation of Scooby Doo and the Jetsons dog Astro.
- "Bench-racing", said when there is a rain delay or red flag.
- "Slideways", Waltrip's play on words for sideways or when a driver loses control of his car.
- "Dee-di-do", Waltrip's words for when a car breaks loose; a play on the dancing term.
- "Datgum it!" Waltrip's words of disgust or anguish, a classic term used to prevent from cursing.
- "Stay-Together-Please", Waltrip's play on words of STP Oil Treatment during the Richard Petty era.
- "Co-opetition", referring to how drivers have to both "cooperate" during their "competition" with each other at restrictor plate tracks.
- "Could someone tell him what team he's on?"--when teammates get together on the track.
- "You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel", used when a car loses a tire (usually because of a missing lugnut.) It is a reference to the Kenny Rogers song "Lucille".
- "Mongo", nickname that referred to the Sirius Satellite Radio dog mascot on the hood of Jimmy Spencer's #7 car in 2003.
- "Fear the Turtles"--referring to the "Bumps" on the turns of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez which refers to the mascot of the University of Maryland, College Park, a large terrapin.
- "The Ol' Aaron's Dream Machine", refers to the #99 Aaron's Rent Toyota driven by brother Michael Waltrip.
- "Those crew chiefs can be real cheerleaders sometimes", used to describe how a crew chief will encourage their drivers in even the worst situations.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career Stats - NASCAR.com
- Darrell Waltrip Honda•Volvo
- The Callahan Report:Waltrip to sell team after Darlington
- AllWaltrip.com
| Preceded by Dale Earnhardt |
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 1981 |
Succeeded by Darrell Waltrip |
| Preceded by Darrell Waltrip |
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 1982 |
Succeeded by Bobby Allison |
| Preceded by Terry Labonte |
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 1985 |
Succeeded by Dale Earnhardt |
| Preceded by Bobby Allison |
Daytona 500 Winner 1989 |
Succeeded by Derrike Cope |
| NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champions |
|---|
| Byron • Rexford • Thomas • Flock • Thomas • L. Petty • Flock • Baker • Baker • L. Petty • L. Petty • White • N. Jarrett • Weatherly • Weatherly • R. Petty • N. Jarrett • Pearson • R. Petty • Pearson • Pearson • Isaac • R. Petty • R. Petty • Parsons • R. Petty • R. Petty • Yarborough • Yarborough • Yarborough • R. Petty • Earnhardt • Waltrip • Waltrip • Allison • T. Labonte • Waltrip • Earnhardt • Earnhardt • Elliott • Wallace • Earnhardt • Earnhardt • Kulwicki • Earnhardt • Earnhardt • Gordon • T. Labonte • Gordon • Gordon • D. Jarrett • B. Labonte • Gordon • Stewart • Kenseth • Busch • Stewart • Johnson |
