Darrell Waltrip to leave broadcasting career
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| The Boogity Boogity Boogity man, Darrell Waltrip, is retiring |
It will be one to go at the line for NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and FOX NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip when he hits the air from Sonoma Raceway in June.
The three-time champion, a member of the original FOX NASCAR broadcast team that debuted at Daytona in February 2001, will retire from his FOX Sports duties at the conclusion of the network’s 2019 season. Waltrip’s final race calling MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES action will be at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23 (3:00 PM ET on FS1).
“My family and I have been talking this over the past several months, and I’ve decided to call 2019 my last year in the FOX Sports booth," Waltrip said. “I have been blessed to work with the best team in the sport for the past 19 years, but I’m 72 and have been racing in some form for more than 50 years. I’m still healthy, happy and now a granddad, so it’s time to spend more time at home with my family, although I will greatly miss my FOX family."
Waltrip steps away from the FOX Sports broadcast booth at the conclusion of the 2019 season after more than 330 races and 1,500 practice and qualifying sessions with the network.
“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," said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer. “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. We look forward to celebrating DW at Sonoma."
Waltrip, a three-time champion (1981, ’82 and ’85) and winner of 84 career Cup Series races, was inducted into the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2012. His 84 wins tie him with Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Waltrip completed his 29th and final NASCAR season as a driver in 2000 and joined the FOX Sports booth immediately upon retirement, pairing with Joy and McReynolds in the inaugural FOX NASCAR TV booth.
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| Back when it all began – Waltrip with Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds |
Waltrip also ranks fifth on the all-time Cup Series pole positions list with 59. He is the only five-time winner of the COCA-COLA 600 (1978-‘79, 1985, 1988-‘89), and was the winner of the inaugural NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1985. DW’s first NASCAR series start came in the 1972 Winston 500, and his first win just three years later in his 50th start. In 1981, Waltrip won a modern-era record eight races from the pole and tied the all-time record of four in a row.
He twice nabbed the Most Popular Driver Award (1989-‘90) and was the recipient of the prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence in 2000 for his lifetime of achievements in the sport. In 2003, Waltrip was elected to the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, an honor followed by induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Waltrip is a three-time winner of NASCAR.com’s Fan Voice Awards, crowning him as the overwhelming fan favorite. In 2006, Waltrip captured 38% of the votes for Best On-Air Analyst. That same year, Waltrip received a Sports Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Sports Person – Event Analyst.
In 2004, Waltrip’s autobiography, “DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles," debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List. His third book, “Sundays Will Never Be the Same," was published in 2012 and focuses on his career as both a driver and broadcaster. On the big screen, Waltrip was the voice of “Darrell Cartrip" in the hit Pixar movies, “Cars," “Cars 2" and 2017’s “Cars 3," and played himself in the Will Ferrell comedy hit, “Talladega Nights." He also made a cameo in the 2017 movie “Logan Lucky."