Michael Waltrip facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Waltrip
Waltrip at Sonoma Raceway in 2024
Born	Michael Curtis Waltrip (1963-04-30) April 30, 1963 (age 62) Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Achievements	1983 Darlington Dash Series champion 1996 The Winston Select winner 2001, 2003 Daytona 500 winner 2002, 2005 Gatorade Duel Winner
Awards	1983, 1984 Darlington Dash Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
784 races run over 33 years
2017 position	38th
Best finish	12th (1994, 1995)
First race	1985 Coca-Cola World 600 (Charlotte)
Last race	2017 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	2001 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Last win	2003 EA Sports 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 133 4
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
279 races run over 22 years
Best finish	13th (2004)
First race	1988 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Last race	2011 Aaron's 312 (Talladega)
First win	1988 Grand National 200 (Dover)
Last win	2004 Pepsi 300 (Nashville)
Wins Top tens Poles 11 105 14
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
9 races run over 6 years
Best finish	61st (2004)
First race	1996 Carquest 420K (Las Vegas)
Last race	2011 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona)
First win	2011 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 4 0
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2011
Teams	AF Corse
Best finish	DNF in LMGTE-PRO (2011)
Class wins	0
Statistics current as of February 25, 2017.

Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He was also a racing team owner, a commentator, and an author. Michael is the younger brother of Darrell Waltrip, who won three NASCAR championships. Michael Waltrip is famous for winning the Daytona 500 race twice, in 2001 and 2003. He also works as a TV analyst for NASCAR Cup Series races and a commentator for the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series on Fox Sports. His last race was the 2017 Daytona 500. All four of his NASCAR Cup Series wins happened on very fast tracks while he was driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc..

Michael Waltrip's Racing Journey

Starting His Career in Racing

Michael Waltrip began his racing career at age 12. He first raced go-karts in his hometown. With help from his older brother Bobby, he was noticed by racing legend Dale Earnhardt. Michael later lived with another famous racer, Richard Petty. Petty told him to aim for the top NASCAR Cup Series right away.

Waltrip's car in 1989

In 1981, Michael won a championship in the Mini-Modified division at Kentucky Motor Speedway. The next year, he joined the Goody's Dash Series. He won the championship there in 1983 and was voted the most popular driver in 1983 and 1984.

Michael made his first Cup Series start in 1985. He raced in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. His brother Darrell won that race.

Racing Through the Late 1980s and 1990s

In 1986, Michael finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He got his first top 10 finish in 1987 at Martinsville. In 1988, he started racing in the Busch Series (now called the Xfinity Series). He won his first Busch Series race at Dover.

Waltrip's 1990 Kool-Aid car after a crash at Bristol

In 1990, Michael had a big crash at Bristol. His car hit a gate in the wall and was badly damaged. Everyone thought he was seriously hurt, even his brother Darrell rushed to the scene. But amazingly, Michael only had minor cuts and bruises. He even joked about it later on TV. Years later, the track changed the gate's location to make it safer.

From 1991, people started calling him "Michael Waltrip" instead of "Mike" or "Darrell's little brother."

Waltrip driving for Bahari in 1994

In 1991, he got new sponsorship from Pennzoil. He won the Winston Open and earned his first two pole positions (starting from the very front). He almost won a race at Darlington but a slow pit stop cost him the victory. He raced for the Bahari team until 1995. Then he joined Wood Brothers Racing. In 1996, he won The Winston race. After a few tough years, he left Wood Brothers Racing in 1998. He then drove for Mattei Motorsports, which later became Ultra Motorsports. Michael said that 1999 and 2000 were very disappointing years for him. He started to lose hope of ever winning a Cup Series race.

Big Wins and Challenges (2001-2005)

In 2001, Dale Earnhardt hired Michael to drive the No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts car for his team, Dale Earnhardt Inc.. In his very first race with the team, the 2001 Daytona 500, Michael won! It was his first win in 462 Cup races. His teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished second. However, this big win was overshadowed by the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the final lap of the race. Michael didn't know how serious Earnhardt's crash was until after he celebrated his win.

After this sad event, Michael and his team kept racing to honor Earnhardt's memory. Michael had a tough time after the tragedy. But he finished second again at Daytona in July, helping his teammate Earnhardt Jr. win that race. Michael said that moment with Earnhardt Jr. was "even bigger than any races I've won."

In 2002, Michael won another Gatorade Duel race. He also won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, which was his second career Cup Series win. He finished 14th in the points standings that year.

In 2003, Michael won the Daytona 500 again, which was shortened by rain. He also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, his only Cup Series win not at Daytona. He was often in the top five that season.

In 2004, Michael did not win any races. In 2005, he had seven top 10 finishes. He had a disagreement with another driver, Robby Gordon, at New Hampshire. They later talked and apologized to each other. After the 2005 season, Michael left Dale Earnhardt Inc. to join Bill Davis Racing.

Forming His Own Team (2006-2017)

In 2006, Michael helped form Waltrip-Jasper Racing. He drove the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Dodge. He missed a few races that year and did not have any top 10 finishes.

In 2007, Michael started his own team, Michael Waltrip Racing, in the Cup Series. He hired Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann to drive for him. Before the 2007 Daytona 500, NASCAR found that his team had used an illegal fuel additive. Michael and his team faced penalties, including losing points. Michael failed to qualify for many races that year. He also had a minor car accident outside of racing. Later that year, he earned a pole position at Talladega Superspeedway and had two top 10 finishes.

Waltrip's 2008 car at Daytona

In 2008, Michael Waltrip Racing got new partners. Michael started the 2008 Daytona 500 in second place. He finished second at a race in New Hampshire. He made his 1,000th NASCAR start in October, which is a huge number of races!

In 2009, Michael Waltrip Racing had two full-time cars. Michael got two top 10 finishes himself. He almost won his third Daytona 500, but the race ended early due to rain. He finished seventh.

From 2010 onwards, Michael decided to race part-time. He mostly focused on the Daytona 500 and other big races. In 2011, he made his 25th straight start in the Daytona 500. He also won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona, exactly 10 years after his first Cup Series win there. This made him one of only 22 drivers to win in all three of NASCAR's top series.

Michael also started racing in sports car events, including the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

In 2013, Michael raced in the 2013 Daytona 500 with a special car to raise money for the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. He finished 22nd. Later that year, his team, Michael Waltrip Racing, faced penalties from NASCAR for trying to change the outcome of a race. This caused a major sponsor to leave the team.

In 2014, Michael continued to race part-time. He competed in four races, including the Daytona 500. In 2015, he raced for his own team at Daytona and Talladega. In 2016, he drove for BK Racing and Premium Motorsports.

His final NASCAR race was the 2017 Daytona 500. He finished eighth, which was a great way to end his long racing career.

Life Outside of Racing

Waltrip in 2004

Michael Waltrip was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. He now lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. He was married to Elizabeth "Buffy" Franks, but they divorced in 2010.

Michael is a big fan of running. In 2001, he ran in the famous Boston Marathon.

In October 2017, Michael had planned to go to a music festival in Las Vegas but changed his plans. Later that night, a terrible shooting happened at the festival. Michael later shared that he had met a family who was also going to the festival, and he reached out to them to make sure they were okay.

Michael in Popular Media

Acting and TV Shows

Michael Waltrip appeared on the TV show My Name Is Earl in 2009.

He is also a well-known TV commentator for NASCAR on Fox. He has covered the Xfinity Series since 2015 and the Truck Series since 2004.

In 2014, Michael was a contestant on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. He danced with professional dancer Emma Slater. They were eliminated in November 2014.

In 2019, Michael appeared on an episode of WWE Raw. He even put on a referee's uniform to help Kyle Busch win a wrestling championship.

His Book

In 2011, Michael Waltrip wrote a book called In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything. It became a New York Times best-seller. A movie based on his book, called Blink of an Eye, was released in 2019.

Motorsports Career Highlights

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Results

Images for kids

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  1989 car

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  This is what was salvaged from Waltrip's 1990 Kool-Aid sponsored Busch Series car after his accident at Bristol.

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  Waltrip driving for Bahari in 1994

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  Michael Waltrip's No. 55 NAPA Dodge (right) in 2006

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  Waltrip's 2008 car at Daytona

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  Waltrip in 2008

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  Waltrip competed in the 2013 Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown

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  Waltrip's 2016 Cup car for BK Racing

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  Waltrip in 2004

See also

In Spanish: Michael Waltrip para niños

• List of Daytona 500 winners
• List of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race drivers
• List of people from Kentucky
• Michael Waltrip Racing