While older brother Darrell’s NASCAR legacy came as the result of three Cup titles and 84 race wins, it was Daytona that made Michael Waltrip a name and cemented his legacy in the sport.
The burden of an 0-for-462 losing streak was broken on Feb. 18, 2001 — the day that Waltrip finally won his first Cup race in the 43rd annual Daytona 500.
However, that day was marred and overshadowed by the death of the team owner that had taken a chance on Waltrip to drive over the offseason: seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.
While Waltrip was driving to victory that day over teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., the senior Earnhardt lost his life in a last-lap crash in turn four.
It’s a moment that Waltrip says is something he carries with him and has come to terms with over the years.
“It’s just what I live with,” Waltrip said. “I wouldn’t call it haunting. It’s just my life. I accepted it and I think I said it very well the days after that race. I think we have a number of days when we’re born that we’re going to live. Everybody has that number and that was Dale’s day, and me winning was the perfect person to win because I just wanted to give him the credit.”
“I still honor him by giving him the credit and I will say also as I get older, as you think about your day coming up, it’s a pretty good day when you’re watching your two cars drive off to win the Daytona 500 and then you’re in heaven right after that. Obviously, I wish I could have got a hug from him and everything had have turned out different, but that’s just not the way it was meant to be.”
While he shed tears that day and on many days after, those tears were eventually washed away with the rainstorm that handed Waltrip his second 500 triumph in 2003.
He led 68 laps that day and was the class of the field before the rains came and NASCAR called the race complete on lap 109 of 200.
“I know I got the trophy and the check and they didn’t shorten either one of those,” Waltrip joked. “Obviously I would rather the highlight of my Daytona 500 win be like Denny Hamlin’s last year when he makes that beautiful move and wins the race, but you know, that’s just not the way it is.”
“I know on that day the fastest car won the Daytona 500. We led the most laps and we were the fastest car. … On that day, we were not only the fastest car all day, we put ourselves in a position to be — and we didn’t just — we didn’t happen into it. We drove our way into position to be leading when the rains came.”
As he prepares for his 30th and final 500 ride on Sunday, Waltrip isn’t looking back.
Instead, he’s fully focused out the windshield for one final time before he retires his driving suit and returns to the FOX Hollywood Hotel for good.
“I try not to get reflective or nostalgic because it’s too emotional,” he said. “Mostly I just think about getting to race the car. I have faced a range of emotion that humans probably aren’t designed to face … and in all happened within 10 seconds, so that’s hard to think about and it’s hard to figure out, but I love Daytona. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, so every time we talk about coming to Daytona I get a big smile on my face.”
“Maybe it sounds crazy … but that’s racing, I guess. It’s Daytona.”
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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