Waltrip calls it quits on TV booth career
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – After living life in the fast lane for the last 60 years, Darrell Waltrip is backing off the throttle.
The 72-year-old NASCAR legend and resident of Franklin, Tennessee, says he will wrap up his television broadcasting career at the end of Fox Sports’ NASCAR race coverage this season. His final call will be June 23 with the Toyota/ Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, California. Waltrip, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame who has been in the booth since 2001, picked this week to make the announcement as he prepares to call the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he experienced his greatest success as a driver.
What better place for a memorable occasion than where some of his fondest memories took place? Waltrip won 12 times, including seven consecutive races from 1981-84, at Bristol.
“Bristol is my house. I’ve got 12 wins at Bristol, I’ve got a grandstand that has 43,000 seats in my honor at Bristol,” Waltrip said. “It’s in Tennessee. I love that racetrack. It’s been good to me. I could’ve waited until Charlotte or somewhere else down the road, but it’s been hanging over my head.
“I just wanted to clear the air, let people know what my plans are and then other people can make plans accordingly. Like who’s going to take my place or is somebody going to take my place?”
Replacing Waltrip, who shares the booth with Mike Joy and former NASCAR driver and fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, won’t be easy.
His familiar catchphrase “Boogity, boogity, boogity — let’s go racing, boys!” will be missed as much as his witty commentary and wealth of NASCAR knowledge.
“Darrell has been the heart and soul of the Fox NASCAR booth since Day One, so it’s incredibly bittersweet to know this is his final season,” Fox Sports CEO & executive producer Eric Shanks said.
“DW’s unmatched charisma and passion helped Fox Sports build its fan base when we first arrived at Daytona in 2001, and he has been the cornerstone of our NASCAR coverage ever since.”
Success on track and in booth
Waltrip admitted he never expected to experience the same satisfaction in the booth as he did on the track.
He was a three-time NASCAR Cup champion and three-time runner-up. He won 84 Cup races and earned the Most Popular Driver Award in 1989 and 1990. His 29-year NASCAR career ended on Nov. 20, 2000.
And yet his time as a broadcaster, he said, was just as gratifying.
Why now?
Waltrip said he has simply grown tired of trying to be the best in the business either on the track or in the booth.
“This is 60 years of my life I’ve devoted to this sport one way or the other, and ever since I was 12 years old I’ve been holding on to something,” he said. “I held onto a dream that someday I might be really successful at racing and that dream came true. When I went into the TV booth, I was holding onto that microphone thinking that maybe someday I could be considered one of the best broadcasters there’s ever been. So I’ve always been holding onto something. At some point in your life you have to say enough’s enough.”