Michael Waltrip facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Waltrip
Waltrip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
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 "Mikey" Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is a famous American former professional stock car racing driver. He is also a racing commentator, a racing team owner, and an author. Michael is the younger brother of Darrell Waltrip, who was a three-time NASCAR champion.

Michael Waltrip is well-known for winning the Daytona 500 race twice, in 2001 and 2003. He also works as a commentator for NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series broadcasts for Fox Sports. His last race was the 2017 Daytona 500. All four of his NASCAR Cup Series wins happened on superspeedways while he was driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc..

Michael Waltrip's Racing Journey

Starting Out in Racing

Michael Waltrips racing journey began when he was just 12 years old. He wanted to build a career in NASCAR, but his older brother Darrell advised him to focus on school first. Michael then got help from his other older brother, Bobby Waltrip.

Michael started racing go-karts at local events and clubs in his hometown. He won many races. Thanks to Bobby's help, famous racer Dale Earnhardt noticed Michael's talent. Later, Michael even lived with racing legend Richard Petty for a while. Petty encouraged Michael to aim for the top NASCAR Cup Series right away.

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

Michael made his first Cup Series start in 1985 at the Coca-Cola 600 race in Charlotte. He finished 28th in that race.

Early NASCAR Days (1986-1990)

In 1986, Michael drove the No. 23 car for Bahari Racing. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He earned 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 in only his fourth start. In 1989, he achieved his first Top 5 finish in the Cup Series.

The Big Crash at Bristol

The remains of Waltrip's 1990 Kool-Aid sponsored Busch Series car after his accident at Bristol.

The year 1990 was memorable for Michael because of a very big crash at Bristol. During a Busch Series race, his car hit a gate in the outside wall. The impact was huge, and his car was badly damaged. Many people thought Michael was seriously hurt.

However, Michael Waltrip amazingly survived the crash with only minor cuts and bruises. Years later, he said he was surprised he walked away from it. This crash led to safety changes at the track.

Finding Success (1991-2000)

Waltrip driving for Bahari in 1994

In 1991, Michael got a new sponsor, Pennzoil. He won the Winston Open and earned his first two pole positions (starting first in a race). He almost won a race at Darlington, but a slow pit stop cost him the victory. He stayed with the Bahari team until 1995.

After that, he joined Wood Brothers Racing in 1996. He won the 1996 edition of The Winston race. After a few challenging years, Michael left Wood Brothers at the end of 1998. He then drove for Mattei Motorsports and later Ultra Motorsports. He had some Top 10 finishes but didn't win any Cup Series races during this time. Michael later shared that these years were tough, and he started to lose hope of winning a Cup Series race.

Daytona Wins and Challenges (2001-2005)

In 2001, Michael Waltrip was hired by Dale Earnhardt to drive for his team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). In his very first race with the team, the 2001 Daytona 500, Michael won his first-ever Cup Series race! His teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished second.

However, this victory was overshadowed by a tragic event. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was involved in a crash on the last lap and sadly passed away. Michael didn't know how serious the crash was until after he had celebrated his win. He later said that he and his team were determined to continue Earnhardt's legacy.

After this difficult time, Michael's race results were not as strong. But he had another second-place finish at Daytona in July 2001. This was an emotional moment for the DEI team, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. won that race. Michael finished 24th in the points standings that year.

In 2002, Michael won the Gatorade Duel race. He had several Top 10 finishes and won his second career Cup Series race at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. He finished 14th in the points standings.

In 2003, Michael won the Daytona 500 again, which was shortened due to rain. He also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This was his only Cup Series win that wasn't at Daytona. He was often in the top five for most of the season, finishing 15th in points.

The 2004 Daytona 500 saw Michael involved in a big crash where his car flipped over several times. Amazingly, he climbed out of the car without injury. He didn't win any races in 2004 or 2005. In 2005, he had a disagreement with another driver, Robby Gordon, on the track. After the 2005 season, Michael left DEI to join Bill Davis Racing.

Later Years in NASCAR (2006-2017)

Forming His Own Team (2006-2008)

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

In 2006, Michael Waltrip formed his own racing team, Waltrip-Jasper Racing. He drove the No. 55 car. He had a tough year and didn't get any Top 10 finishes.

In 2007, Michael Waltrip Racing became a full-time Cup Series team. He had two other drivers, Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann. Before the 2007 Daytona 500, NASCAR found an issue with the fuel in their cars. This led to penalties, including losing points. Michael failed to qualify for many races that year. However, he did get a pole position (starting first) at Talladega in October and finished in the Top 10 twice.

Waltrip's 2008 car at Daytona

In 2008, Michael Waltrip Racing made some changes. Michael qualified second for the 50th Daytona 500. He finished second at a race in New Hampshire. He also made his 1,000th NASCAR start, which is a huge achievement!

Part-Time Racing and Team Ownership (2009-2017)

Waltrip in 2008

In 2009, Michael Waltrip Racing had a big success when David Reutimann won the Coca-Cola 600, giving Michael his first win as a team owner. Michael himself had two Top 10 finishes that year.

In 2010, Michael announced he would race part-time, mostly in the Daytona 500. He also started racing in sports car events, like the Dubai 24 Hours.

In 2011, Michael made his 25th consecutive Daytona 500 start. He achieved an emotional win in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. This win was special because it happened exactly 10 years after his first Cup Series victory and the passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr. This victory also made Michael the 22nd driver to win a race in all three major NASCAR series. He also competed in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race.

In 2012, Michael tried to qualify for the Daytona 500 but crashed during a qualifying race. He did race in other events and was involved in a large crash at Talladega.

Waltrip competed in the 2013 Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown

In 2013, Michael raced in the Daytona 500 for Swan Racing. He finished fourth at Talladega and fifth at Daytona in July. Later that year, his team, Michael Waltrip Racing, faced penalties from NASCAR. This led to a major sponsor leaving the team.

In 2014, Michael raced in four Cup Series races. He continued to race part-time in 2015 and 2016, driving for different teams.

Waltrip's 2016 Cup car for BK Racing

Michael Waltrip announced that the 2017 Daytona 500 would be his final NASCAR race. He drove the No. 15 car for Premium Motorsports. He finished eighth in that race, ending his long NASCAR career with a strong result.

Life Outside Racing

Waltrip in 2004

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

Michael is a very active person and enjoys running. He even participated in the Boston Marathon in 2001.

In October 2017, Michael had plans to attend a music festival in Las Vegas but canceled them. Later that night, a tragic shooting occurred at the festival. Michael shared on social media that he had met a family earlier that day who were also planning to attend the festival. He later confirmed that the family was doing as well as could be expected.

Michael Waltrip is also an investor in the Nashville Kats football team and has his own company, Michael Waltrip Brewing Company.

In Popular Media

Acting and TV Appearances

Michael Waltrip has appeared on television shows like My Name Is Earl. He also works as a commentator for NASCAR on Fox, covering races since 2004.

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

In December 2019, Michael appeared on WWE Raw and helped Kyle Busch win a wrestling championship.

Books and Documentaries

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

Motorsports Career Highlights

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Results

NASCAR Nationwide Series Wins

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wins

Sports Car Racing Results

24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2011	AF Corse	Rob Kauffman Rui Águas	Ferrari 458 Italia GTC	GTE Pro	178	Did Not Finish	Did Not Finish

24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona results
Year	Class	No	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Pos.
2012	GT	56	AF Waltrip	Ferrari 458	Rui Águas Rob Kauffman Travis Pastrana	645	35	22
2013	GT	56	AF Waltrip	Ferrari 458	Rui Águas Rob Kauffman Clint Bowyer	677	16	8

Superstar Racing Experience

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