That is the Question   July 19, 2006 Jay Staton - SCR   Darrell, you are quite the enigma. That is, there are definitely two sides to the Darrell Waltrip story.   When commentating, sometimes you are opinionated, passionate, feisty, and often talk about evening the score when, in your opinion, one driver wrongs another on the track.   On the other hand, you discuss how moving over for a faster car is the smart move. This seeming contradiction would seem to be an insight into the two sides of your emotional state of mind during the course of your career.   Back in the day, you earned the nickname “Jaws”—and rightfully so, for using Cassius Clay-style intimidation tactics. And they were quite effective, actually, against such greats as Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough.

And you backed up what you said you were going to do on the track. Many was the time in the DiGard number 88 that you ran three wide through the turns, way out in the marbles, or got under someone going into a turn when there was just a little less room than Tony Stewart gave Ryan Newman last weekend (well, at least, according to Newman’s side of the story…).   As you quite correctly remember it, those were the best of the “good old days”. During the days of Budweiser sponsorship, you, Jeff Hammond and Junior Johnson (replete with his customary stone face that was somewhere between a scowl and a threat) were quite formidable.     And then… somewhere along the way, something happened. Maybe it was simply time, or age; maybe children, maybe one too many impacts with the wall. Maybe it was years of the fans booing that influenced you to become more politically correct, both on and off the track.   But somewhere along about the year of “The Winston” at Charlotte in which Rusty spun you out, the story changed. Although the pit crews battled, your response was that you could not understand how Rusty could do that, as opposed to a passionate vow to best him big time on the track.   Then you became a car owner in Cup during a time that the sport was growing dramatically, a time in which being a single car effort went from looking smart to looking suicidal.   During this time putting that front clip in a spot almost big enough for it started to look like a potential $10,000 repair bill. Additionally, everyone’s equipment got better. David Pearson-style coasting for the first 400 miles and racing for the last one hundred pretty much went out with Dale Earnhardt Sr., who basically trained the Richard Childress crew to build a car to stand up to his abuse, from lap one to the final lap.

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So, your final years in Cup were a struggle, both financially and emotionally. The wins stopped coming, and the races were harder and harder to make. Questions from the media went from “Why in the world did you do or say that” to “So, Darrell, when are you going to hang up the helmet?”   And then you signed with Fox as a big-time announcer. Interestingly, the same forum that chronicled your early bad-boy image has now endeared you in the hearts of millions. Additionally, your personality has rewarded you with a Toyota truck team. And along with that there have been more Darrell Waltrip driving comebacks that Elizabeth Taylor has had husbands. Thus far, they have mostly been mid-pack runs.   Waltrip fans, for both Michael and Darrell (and usually they emotionally support both), are among the most passionate in the sport. Typically, any Waltrip-based article generates a huge amount of fan feedback. These faithful tune in to both the races and the news every week hoping for something to hang on to.   Michael will be bringing Toyota to Cup next year. That should give them something to cheer about.   But in the meantime, Darrell, you have been asking to drive the Aaron’s Dream Machine (note the Michael Waltrip-style plug) for years. You now have the chance to fire up one of the most desirable rides on the planet—a NASCAR Busch stock car, one more time. To your credit, you and your family champion your spirituality. Your wife, Stevie, handed a passage to Dale Earnhardt Sr. in his racecar as he entered his final race at Daytona. Darrell Waltrip knows full well the meaning of “believe with your whole heart”.   So when you do climb behind that wheel this Saturday at Martinsville in that Monte Carlo, put on that race face-- the real-deal race face. Give the Waltrip faithful a glimpse of what you were-- and are, truly made of. Don’t race to be just out there as “one of the boys”, show them how it is done. You know where the button is on that “chrome horn” better than anyone. You have more laps at Martinsville and Bristol than most of the field has under their belt, period.   Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Darrell, one more time, believe in the win and remember the glory days… No doubt Richard, Cale, Bobby, Rusty and the rest of your peers will be pulling for you, as well as the new faithful. Get up on that wheel and show them how it’s done!   Questions, Comments; Email Jay   The views and opinions in this article are that of the writer and not necessarily that of SCR

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2006 StockCar Review.

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