Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Lee Waltrip is an American motorsports analyst, author, national television broadcaster, and former racing driver. He is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1981, 1982, 1985) and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. During his career, he also secured three NASCAR Cup Series runner-up titles (1979, 1983, 1986).

Waltrip set modern NASCAR series records with 22 top five finishes in 1983, and 21 top five finishes in both 1981 and 1986. He won 84 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 1989 Daytona 500, and holds a record five wins in the Coca-Cola 600 (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989). At Bristol Motor Speedway, he set a track and series record with 12 wins, seven of which were consecutive from 1981 to 1984. These victories tie him with Bobby Allison for fourth on NASCAR's all-time wins list in the Cup Series and place him second to Jeff Gordon for the most wins in NASCAR's modern era. He ranks second for all-time pole positions with 59, including all-time highs of 35 on short tracks and eight on road courses. Over four decades and 29 years (1972–2000), Waltrip competed in 809 Cup starts, achieving 271 top 5's and 390 top 10's. He became the first NASCAR driver to be awarded over $10 million in race winnings, amassing more than $26 million in today's currency. Waltrip also holds the all-time track record with 67 wins at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee, spanning multiple racing series.

Waltrip's additional race wins include 13 in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, seven in the American Speed Association (ASA), three in the International Race of Champions (IROC), two in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), two in the NASCAR All-American Challenge Series, two in the All Pro Racing Association, and one in the United States Auto Club (USAC). He competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona and remains highly regarded as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.

In addition to his racing accolades, Waltrip has won many awards, including the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award (1989, 1990), "American Driver of the Year" (1979, 1981, 1982), and "NASCAR's Driver of the Decade" for the 1980s. He has been honored as the "National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year" (1977, 1981, 1982), "Auto Racing Digest Driver of the Year" (1981 and 1982), the first "Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year" (1979), and received the Bill France "Award of Excellence" in 2000. His Hall of Fame inductions include the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2003) and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2005).

After retiring from active racing, Waltrip transitioned to a full-time role as a color analyst for Fox Sports alongside Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon. He also writes a column at Foxsports.com and is an author. Currently, he engages in public speaking, focusing on topics such as business, inspiration, and sports, and has spoken at significant events like The National Prayer Breakfast. He is the older brother of NASCAR driver and MWR team owner Michael Waltrip.