Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltripis an American motorsports analyst, author, national television broadcaster, and former racing driver. He is also a three-time NASCAR Cup Series championand a three-time NASCAR Cup Series runner-up. Posting a modern NASCAR series record of 22 top five finishes in 1983 and 21 top five finishes both in 1981 and 1986, Waltrip won 84 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 1989 Daytona 500, a record five in the Coca-Cola 600, and a track and Series record for any...
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth5 February 1947
CityOwensboro, KY
It's hard to have a good time and do your job. We'd get our cars inspected; we'd cover the car up and go to the beach. We'd go to the liquor store and buy a case of beer and sit on the beach or go sit in the lounge at the hotel maybe until it was time to come back the next day.
I do it because I want to continue to be in the driver fraternity, ... I was so happy at Martinsville last week. I had on my great big Toyota Tundra uniform. I've got my truck there. I've got my team there. I'm parked right next to Jimmie Johnson, and we're talking driver talk. Right next to me is Kyle Busch, and we're talking driver talk.
I'm just going to let you in on a little something just to file away. I understand that there's a chance that they may have a Busch race at Martinsville next year. Just thought I would throw that out there.
I've been watching Joey Miller in the ARCA Series and he's done a great job, ... If he can come close to what he's done in ARCA in the Craftsman Truck Series, that would definitely be big for us.
I've been fortunate to win many times, in many series. But there is still that goose egg in the truck series. I plan on changing that come Oct. 22nd, when it's one and done for me. The No. 17 made it to Victory Lane, so I'd like to get (my No.) 12 there, too.
Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let's play some football, boys.
When you're that many points behind and they wipe the slate clean, that's what I don't like.
We can't change the past. Those tracks have always been there and those races have always been there. What NASCAR has to look at is the future -- and this place is the future.
Understand that the sponsors are the people that are making this sport happen. It's not the purses; it's the sponsors. The sponsors want to be in Texas, they want to be in California, they want to be in Las Vegas.
We could have had media day in a pup tent. You came down here to race and you went in the garage and worked on your car. They tried to hype it up and add TV. There wasn't the intensity that you have in the sport now. People are getting pulled in so many different directions; it's hard to have fun.
I was shocked that he did it so blatantly. An older driver (usually) knows a way to do it subtly.
Since I'm in Seattle, I'm pulling for Seattle!
With a $16 million purse, it's pretty damn important. Just a few years ago, we only had a handful of big races that paid big money that you really wanted to win. It was Daytona, the Charlotte 600; they threw Indianapolis in there and the Southern 500. They paid you a $1 million bonus if you won three of those races. Those are the ones you set your sights on when the season started. Now, everything pays $1 million, and that has diminished the value of some of our bigger races.
With a $16 million purse, it's pretty damn important, ... Just a few years ago, we only had a handful of big races that paid big money that you really wanted to win. It was Daytona, the Charlotte 600; they threw Indianapolis in there and the Southern 500. They paid you a $1 million bonus if you won three of those races. Those are the ones you set your sights on when the season started. Now, everything pays $1 million, and that has diminished the value of some of our bigger races.