Nascar News

The LAST GREAT RACE of Darrell Waltrip’s Career

Darrell Waltrip dominated the world of NASCAR in the late 1970s and through to the late 1980s. He can easily be considered one of the top 10 drivers in the history of NASCAR and many remember him just for this. What some remember though was the fall of both his results and the team that he owned, but in 1998 he was given a late career lifeline. In this year he got the chance to drive Dale Earnhardt Incorperated’s #1 Pennzoil car. This is the last great race of Darrell Waltrip’s career.

My Twitter

My Instagram:

Video Credits:
ABC Sports
Black Flags Matter
Calhoun98
CBS Sports
Dave W
DigitaliseMe
ESPN
FOX Sports
Joe Lajoie
Motorsports on NBC
NASCAR
NASCAR on FOX
NASCAR Productions
NascarAllOut
NBC Sports
Ryan Nawrocki
Skracing
Turner Sports
YouTube Audio Library

Thumbnail Credits:
Getty Images
NASCAR
NASCAR Images

Outro Song:
Strange Animal (Crowder Remix) by Gowan

Songs:
Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration on the YouTube Audio Library by Chris Zabriskie

#NASCAR #Motorsports #Racing

Related posts

2024 Daytona 500 Highlights | NASCAR on FOX

klengel

A LOOK BACK AT THE BUSCH BROTHERS AND THEIR LEGACY IN NASCAR – NASCAR RACE HUB

klengel

An encore of Nashville’s spicy radio chatter | Stacking Pennies

klengel

41 comments

The Iceberg December 28, 2022 at 9:45 pm

What is your favorite feel good story in NASCAR?

Reply
Paul Ielase January 7, 2023 at 2:44 am

DW engine blowing up as soon as he crossed the finish line !!

Reply
Lewis Kemp January 7, 2023 at 1:53 pm

Watching Kulwicki win the championship and do his victory lap and hopefully not hitting Richard Petty doing his last lap. Lol Richard went later with Alabama playing on the speakers

Reply
Lewis Kemp January 7, 2023 at 1:54 pm

@Chris Guardiano Have you heard of Tony Stewart?

Reply
Lewis Kemp January 7, 2023 at 1:57 pm

This is a good race you picked. Good job

Reply
Everyday Carry Canada January 9, 2023 at 3:02 am

Dale Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr winning the Daytona 500. Mikes win was the brightest point on that very sad day in NASCAR history. And jrs win well that was just its own story, looked like Sr was driving that car that day. Not sure how many father/son duo’s have one the 500 but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Earnhardt s were the first. Only other father son combos I can think of are the Petty’s, Jarrett’s.

Reply
Little Moose IV December 28, 2022 at 10:04 pm

DW is in my top 5 favorite personality’s in the sport, just seems like a great dude who I could sit down, get a ice cold root beer with and just talk about absolutely everything and nothing at the same time

Reply
Fahrenheit97 December 28, 2022 at 10:05 pm

My dad was a huge fan of him and we have a flag signed by him and he said that he never thought he could win again and when he lost he said that was his last chance which it kind of was

Reply
Brian Griffin Family Guy Fan December 28, 2022 at 10:06 pm

If Darrell Waltrip won that race, he would’ve became in the Top elite group of people who won in the NASCAR Cup Series in their 50’s

Reply
Chad December 29, 2022 at 8:44 pm

@Elijah barber I got him competing for the ’01 title for sure. He finished 2nd in ’00 and Harvick finished 9th in points in his car as a rookie, minus one points race.

Reply
Chad December 29, 2022 at 9:21 pm

@Elijah barber Good call. Maybe he would have gotten both!

Reply
Peter Wesolowski January 9, 2023 at 5:44 am

Not to discredit cup but mike stefanik and Ted Christopher were winning races well Into their 50s as was Tiger Tom Baldwin, in the oldest most difficult division the modifieds

Reply
Peter Wesolowski January 9, 2023 at 5:47 am

And for a racer Bentley warren was doing it in super modifieds from the 60s well I to the 90s and I believe rusty Wallace won into his 50s, Kevin Harvick is knocking on 50 and racking them up still

Reply
Mark K December 28, 2022 at 10:17 pm

To me, this is THE best feel good story I can remember since I started watching the sport in 1996. It still brings tears to my eyes, and goes to show, given good equipment, a driver can always drive.

Reply
Ronald Shank December 31, 2022 at 4:30 pm

I can picture in my mind, too, that there were always two, who were in those cars that he drove. 1: Darrell Waltrip. 2:An Angel of the Lord! Had to be! So glad that Darrell Waltrip is not only a LEGEND in NASCAR, but also a Devout Christian!

Reply
cctitansfan December 28, 2022 at 10:22 pm

Terry Labonte’s Win in The 03 Southern 500 is my favorite feel good moment

Reply
Charlotte Andor December 28, 2022 at 11:29 pm

Yup, same vibes of a past champion on his way out getting that last good run, but Terry was able to close the deal where Darrell was not.

Reply
zlinedavid December 29, 2022 at 1:11 am

@Charlotte Andor Although somewhat ironically, the Southern 500 was also DW’s final career win, 11 years earlier.

Reply
Aaron Talks Culture December 28, 2022 at 10:54 pm

It’s unfortunate DW stuck around inside the cockpit for so long. I started watching NASCAR in 1995 and as a kid growing up I only thought of DW as a bum running 25th every week. Gordon was fortunate to compete right up to his retirement. JJ did the next best thing and retired after just a few mediocre years, and he wasn’t nearly as bad as DW got.

Reply
Santiago Ortiz Echeverri December 28, 2022 at 11:06 pm

Being able to see Matt Kenseth win in his “last full time season” at Phoenix

Reply
Kyle Wagoner December 28, 2022 at 11:19 pm

For the record, I don’t think Dale was ever past his prime. I think he absolutely would’ve finished top 5 in points in 2001 if not challenge for the championship. The team (led by a rookie Kevin Harvick) had two wins and finished 7th in owners points.

Reply
Keith Risk December 29, 2022 at 3:36 am

TRUTH!

Reply
Elijah barber December 29, 2022 at 6:34 pm

Injuries and competition surpassing RCR was what slowed dale down once he healed in 2000 he was once again a top 3 driver even if you think Gordon and labonte were better

Reply
Kyle Wagoner December 29, 2022 at 9:44 pm

@Elijah barber yep. I think if you look at Dale’s results from that time, they speak for themselves. He has 2 wins and 11 podiums in 2000. He finished 2nd in his penultimate race, for Pete’s sake. Not the kind of results of someone who is washed up or past his prime.

Reply
SiVlog December 28, 2022 at 11:19 pm

One of the biggest feel good moments, strangely enough, was from DW’s final season. At Indianapolis in 2000, he needed to qualify for the race without a Champion’s provisional, but he did so much more than that. To rousing and echoing cheers from the thousands in the grandstands, he put his Big KMart #66 of Haas Carter Motorsports fastest (at the time). As he completed his slowing down lap, he had his hand out of the window in celebration. After taking his helmet off and climbing out, he gave an enthusiastic bear hug to his brother, Michael.

Although Ricky Rudd ended up going faster than DW to take the pole, it would prove to be the high point of DW’s final season

Reply
George Killer December 29, 2022 at 12:46 am

Wow that’s awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Paul Stough December 29, 2022 at 1:29 am

I was at that race! I was a DW fan,and glad he had such a good run that day.

Reply
SiVlog December 29, 2022 at 7:02 pm

@Paul Stough  it also turned out to be the best race finish of his final season as well, finishing 11th

Reply
Sean Nolan December 31, 2022 at 4:34 pm

@SiVlog Would have been a top ten if Carter’s team had a better pit crew.

Reply
SBMCVP December 29, 2022 at 12:07 am

I never was a “Jaws” fan, but I remember this race well, and I was rooting for him. It was very satisfying for Big E to give DW this opportunity. Definitely top “feel good” story!

Reply
BigDaddy Dave December 29, 2022 at 12:08 am

Bobby Allison and Davey Allison finishing first and second in the Daytona 500 is one of my favorite feel-good moments because my father was a big Bobby Allison fan and I was a Davey Allison fan. Bobby pouring Miller beer over daddy’s head in Victory Circle is, in my opinion, and iconic moment in Daytona 500 history and NASCAR history in general. Sadly, it has become a heartbreaking moment because in spite of watching the footage of it and knowing that is him and his son, Bobby Allison has no direct memory of that entire race due to the brain injury suffered in his career ending crash at Pocono not long after that.

Reply
Chris Sarcino December 31, 2022 at 5:40 pm

Thats awsome. I was a davey fan and my dad was bobby. I cant even watch now that my dad has passed on.

Reply
Ticona2 December 29, 2022 at 12:25 am

I started watching NACAR in the late 70’s, I loved watching Darrell race in the bud car and the MT Dew car. Great racing back then. TY for the videos to keep us entertained until next season starts.

Reply
Ryan Sheehan December 29, 2022 at 12:30 am

As great as this was, I also absolutely love watching his qualifying run for the 2000 Brickyard 400 and the celebration in the pit lane and grandstands that followed

Reply
Michael Marburger December 29, 2022 at 1:12 am

Not to take away from Ol’ DW, but my favorite feel good moments in NASCAR were after Dale passed in 2001, Steve Park won the next race at Rockingham with crediting his success to Dale Earnhardt teaching him to drive the track. Also in that same year Harvick winning Atlanta and Junior winning the summer race at Daytona were all feel good moments that all NASCAR fans needed when they needed them.

Reply
Extra Google Account January 6, 2023 at 11:18 pm

Junior and Mikey celebrating the summer race in the Daytona infield was so emotional and healing for both the racers themselves and the sport as a whole. Great moment to call out.

Reply
Jeremiah Gehrig December 29, 2022 at 1:38 am

Ernie Irvan’s 1997 win at Michigan. That is the best feel good story for me.

Reply
The Franchise December 29, 2022 at 2:31 am

Dale Jr.’s 2001 Pepsi 400 win was a feel good story for me

Reply
Tronixx39 December 29, 2022 at 5:43 am

‘Ole DW’ – one of the best ever in Nascar, in my opinion top 5 all time driver though is impossible to compare eras. He was the man from about 78 – 85, among a sea of legends in the sport. Honestly was an outstanding TV analyst in interviews or in studio shows, he was a bit of a clown in the booth unfortunately but in small doses when he was being serious the guy was great. Never quite seen a guy like him from his early 80s days and his extreme arrogance. People hated him at the time but looking back the guy really dominated the sport mentally in a different way that Sr. later did.

Reply
Cameron Chiesa December 29, 2022 at 7:29 am

Love DW, so grateful for all he done for NASCAR and the memories he created during my childhood!

Reply
Syd 41 January 1, 2023 at 8:20 pm

Great video as always.It’s been said countless times “if Earnhardt hadn’t been killed in that crash…..” and rightfully so but I always add to that if Park hadn’t gotten hurt so badly in crashes DEI would’ve been a dominant race team with several championships to their name. The team just slowly fell apart after Dale left us, Dale was the glue that held it all together.

Reply

Leave a Comment