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Famous Like Me > Actor > W > Darrell Waltrip

Profile of Darrell Waltrip on Famous Like Me

 
Name: Darrell Waltrip  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 5th February 1947
   
Place of Birth: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
   
Profession: Actor
 
 
From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Darrell Waltrip
Born: February 5, 1947
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

NASCAR 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 Waltrip (born February 5, 1947 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a NASCAR driver, active from 1972 to 2000, who won three Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) titles (1981, 1982, 1985) as well as the 1989 Daytona 500 stock car race. His 84 Winston Cup race wins are the most by any driver in NASCAR's modern era, which began in 1971. He and his wife, Stevie, currently reside in Franklin, Tennessee.

"Jaws"

Early in his career, 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."

Waltrip becomes a fan favorite

By the time he won the 1989 Daytona 500, fans loudly cheered the child-like exuberance of his post-victory celebration: shouting "I won the Daytona 500! I won the Daytona 500!" accompanied by a now-infamous "Ickey Shuffle" dance in Victory Lane. Of all of Waltrip's 84 victories, it was his only victory in the Daytona 500, NASCAR's premier event. Waltrip is currently 3rd on the all time winners list for NASCAR behind Richard Petty with 200 wins, and David Pearson with 105. Waltrip however, is recognized as the "Modern-era" leader in wins.

He is now a color commentator for the Fox network's NASCAR telecasts. As the cars take the green flag to start each race, Waltrip shouts "Boogity Boogity Boogity!", a meaningless 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.) Waltrip also owns a Honda and Volvo dealership in Franklin, Tennessee and appears in advertisements for Toyota and for Aaron's alongside his brother, Michael.

His younger brother Michael Waltrip is currently a top NASCAR driver, and winner of the Daytona 500 in 2001 (the race in which Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash) and 2003. He and Earnhardt were close friends, and the finish of the 2001 race was an obviously emotional one for him, as he was torn between joy over seeing his brother take the flag and concern over Earnhardt's condition.

He was voted one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.

See Also

  • List of catch phrases

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Darrell Waltrip