Michael Waltrip

src: www.latimes.com

Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is a former racing car driver, racing commentator, and published author. He is the younger brother of the three-time NASCAR champion and racing commander Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, having won the race in 2001 and 2003. He is also a pre-race analyst for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and color commentator for Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. for Fox Sports. He last rode in Daytona 500 2017, driving a Toyota Camry No. 15 for Premium Motorsports.

Video Michael Waltrip

Racing career

Beginner

According to his autobiography In Blink of An Eye , Waltrip's career began at the age of 15 years. When he was 15 years old he called his brother Darrell Waltrip, who came out of racing at Daytona 500 in 1978 and asked Darrell to help him build a career at NASCAR. Darrell, however, claimed he did not have time to help him and suggested that Michael focus in school. When Michael asks for his father's help, his father ignores his request. With no parents helping him, Michael builds his own racing career with influence & amp; help from his brother Bobby Waltrip, who was very close to him in childhood. He began to build a career with go-kart racing at the carnival and various racing clubs around his hometown. He won many races and, thanks to Bobby's help, was noticed by the rising hot star, Dale Earnhardt. When Waltrip moved from his home, he moved to Kyle Petty and then eventually he lived with Richard Petty as roommates. When Michael explains to Petty that he will try the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) to build his NASCAR career, Petty tells Michael that he's "wasting his time" and tells Michael that he's gone to the Cup.

Waltrip's car-stock career took off on the ground in 1981, when he won the Division Mini-Modified division championship at Kentucky Motor Speedway. A year later, Waltrip entered the Goody's Dash Series, where he won the series championships in 1983 and was voted the most popular racer on the circuit in 1983 and 1984.

Waltrip made his Trophy debut in 1985 at Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte driving to Dick Bahre. He finished 28th in the race and finished 57th in the standings after just 5 starts. His brother Darrell won the race. At the same time, Waltrip was confronted by Earnhardt, who questioned earlier steps at the start of the race in which Waltrip pushed him out of the way and Dale responded by turning the bird over. Despite this incident, Earnhardt and Waltrip agreed to disagree over the move and remain friends.

1986-90

In 1986, driving a car no. 23 Kool-Aid sponsored for Bahari Racing, Waltrip came second in the Rookie of the Year standings for Alan Kulwicki on the strength of a pair of 11th places in Martinsville and Pocono. The following season, he posted his first career in the Top 10 when he finished 10th in the Martinsville spring race. In 1988, Waltrip started running the Busch Series show, making 5 starts for his brother's team. He picked up the checkered flag for the first time in Dover at the 4th start. In 1989, he successfully completed his first major five in No. 30 Country Time Lemonade/Kool Aid sponsored by Pontiac.

Crash at Bristol Motor Speedway

For Waltrip, 1990 was impressive for the terrible accident at Bristol in the spring, where he destroyed his Pontiac Busch Series. After making contact with Robert Pressley at No. 59, he bumps into a gate that is on the outside wall at the two-turn exit. The gate is used to allow vehicles in and out of the infield because the track does not have a tunnel. The collision destroyed the gate, and Michael went straight to the end of the wall, smashing the car by crashing and tearing down the car itself. The audience was convinced that Waltrip was badly injured, possibly fatal, because of how big the impact was and his brother Darrell rushed to the wreck for fear of the worst. Remarkably, Waltrip survived the accident and he only suffered injuries, pain, and bruises on the wreck. After another driver had a similar impact a few years later (and also amazingly walked away), the gate was moved to just before the Turn 3 entrance, thus reducing the possibility of the car crashing into it as the car dived away from the wall. at the time.

1991-2000

In the starting lineup of the race, Waltrip was referred by the broadcaster as "Mike Waltrip" or Darrell's younger brother. It was not until 1991 that he began to be called in the racing lineup as Michael (Waltrip) .

In 1991, he got a new sponsor from Pennzoil and won the Winston Open, as well as his first two pole positions. He almost won the 1991 Transouth 500 with the team but had an incident that kept him from running. He stayed with the Bahari team until the end of 1995, when he was replaced by rookie Johnny Benson. He joins Wood Brothers Racing to drive the No Ford. 21 Citgo-sponsored. He won the 1996 edition of The Winston after seizing the final transfer spot at The Winston Open. After posting one top 5 finish over a three-year period, and losing his first race since 1986 in 1998 Dura Lube/Kmart 500, Waltrip left Wood Brothers in late 1998 to drive a Chevrolet No. 1. Mattei Motorsports, posted three Top 10 finishes and ended the season 29 points. The next season, Nations Rent replaces Philips as a sponsor & amp; he climbed to position 27 in points but finished in the Top 5 one time, causing him and the team to part ways at the end of the season.

2001-05

Waltrip was hired by Dale Earnhardt to drive a new Chevrolet Monte Carlo No. 1 entry. 15 NAPA Auto Parts sponsored, Waltrip drove to Earnhardt at the Busch Series in 1989 and 1994. In his first race with the team, the Daytona 500 in 2001, Waltrip broke the 462 consecutive record in the Cup without a win and won the first race to win the World Cup. His teammate, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished in 2nd position. However, the victory itself was largely overshadowed by Earnhardt's fatal accident, Sr. on the last lap. In the movie The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt, Waltrip says that Earnhardt let him queue at the end of the race, allowing him to lead, noting that Earnhardt "never let anyone in line". This is probably because Earnhardt wanted Waltrip and Earnhardt, Jr. to finish in the top 2 spots, as both are members of his team. Waltrip did not realize the severity of Earnhardt's accident until more than 30 minutes after the end of the race when he celebrated victory on the lane. Ken Schrader, after being treated and released from the infield treatment center after the accident (his car was struck by Earnhardt during the accident), told Waltrip that Earnhardt had been taken to Halifax Medical Center, 2 miles (3.2 km) from the speedway, where Earnhardt was declared dead at 17:16 EST.

Waltrip did not finish the other Top 10 until he returned to Daytona in July at Pepsi 400, where he finished 2nd while defending the field when his team Earnhardt, Jr. won his first throwing race. Earnhardt, Jr. Pepsi 400 finished emotionally for the entire DEI team and when Earnhardt, Jr. doing fatigue on infield grass, Waltrip stopped beside him. Waltrip will also have second place in Homestead with Bill Elliott victory, and finish 24th in the standings.

The following season, Waltrip won the second Duel Gatorade. The next top ten finish will be the second-place finish at Talladega, where he and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. combined to lead more than two-thirds of the race, with Earnhardt, Jr. taking home the second of four consecutive wins in Talladega. The following week, Waltrip ended up at No. 10 at the Auto Club. He has the eighth place finish at Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and the first Pocono race, and fourth place in the first Michigan race. He won his second career at Pepsi 400 in Daytona. After finishing ninth place at Watkins Glen, and eighth place finish in New Hampshire and Talladega, Waltrip finished 14th in the standings points.

In 2003, Waltrip won the Daytona 500 shortened rain and also won on the EA Sports 500 in Talladega (the only non-Daytona victory), while running in the top five for most of the season before falling back to position 15 in points. From a trivial note, Waltrip won the first three NASCARs on the Fox race in Daytona (2001 and 2003 Daytona 500, and 2002 Pepsi 400) with brother Michael Darrell at the broadcast booth. His victory at Talladega was also his only victory in NASCAR on the NBC race.

In 2004, Waltrip went without a win and dropped five places in the standings. In 2005, Waltrip had only seventies and one pole. This included runners up in Phoenix despite crashing into the wall next to the last lap. He had an incident with Robby Gordon in New Hampshire. After Waltrip deliberately destroyed Robby Gordon and spun, Gordon furiously tried to return his damaged race car to Waltrip. When Gordon fails to crash Waltrip's car in his own car, he jumps out of his girlfriend's car and throws his helmet at the side door of Waltrip's driver. Waltrip repeated the words Gordon said the previous year in another helmet throwing incident: "He just threw a helmet into my car." Waltrip was fined $ 10,000 after he signaled to Gordon for damage to his car from the helmet, but he and Teresa Earnhardt appealed and the fine was canceled after a brief investigation proved the allegations were wrong. But Gordon was fined $ 50,000 and underwent a probation for the rest of the year after he was known to say "You know everyone thinks Michael is this nice guy.He's not the person he's in. It's careful coming out, and he's ruined me, and he is part of the shit. "Waltrip and Gordon conferred later, apologized, and continued their careers. After the 2005 season, Waltrip left DEI for Bill Davis Racing.

2006-present

2006

On January 20, 2006, Michael Waltrip and Doug Bawel, who owned the No. 1 car. 77 owned by Penske Racing in 2005, announced the establishment of Waltrip-Jasper Racing. Bill Davis Racing lowers NAPA Auto Parts Dodge No. 55 in the Nextel Cup Series 2006, driven by Waltrip, with Bawel as the registered owner. Bawel has a guaranteed starting place in the first five races of 2006 by No. 77 who occupies the 34th position at 2005 ownership points. This arrangement enabled Waltrip to make the first five races in 2006 without qualifying on time. After the first five races this is not necessary and the name Waltrip-Jasper is dropped. Waltrip failed to qualify for the first time since 1998 at Coca-Cola 600. He bought a slot from No. 1. 74 McGlynn Racing Dodge from Derrike Cope to drive in the race and to maintain consecutive 262 streaks. Waltrip eventually lost a total of three races in 2006 and did not have a top ten finish. This is due to the BDR lawsuit with Dodge, which means the team does not accept manufacturer support for Waltrip or his teammate Dave Blaney.

Waltrip left Bill Davis Racing to form his own Nextel Cup team in 2007.

2007

Waltrip moved his Busch Series team, Michael Waltrip Racing, to the full-time Cup Series for the 2007 season. He hired Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann for races in three car operations. Reutimann in No. 00, Jarrett at No. 44, Waltrip at No. 55, Waltrip is listed as the No. owner. 44 and No. 55, while his wife Buffy is listed as the No. owner. 00 After the first round of qualifying for the Daytona 500 in 2007, NASCAR inspectors found evidence in the machine intake manifold that the Waltrip, Reutimann and Jarrett teams have used non-specific, non-specified oxygen fuel additives to improve performance. NASCAR seized the cars, forcing Waltrip, Reutimann and Jarrett to move into reserves for the Daytona 500. On February 14, 2007, NASCAR officials announced at a press conference penalty to be imposed: Bobby Kennedy (Competition Director for Michael Waltrip Racing) and David Hyder (Waltrip crew chief) was removed from Daytona International Speedway, and suspended indefinitely. David Hyder was also fined $ 100,000 and placed on leave, eventually to be released by the team in April. Waltrip, Reutimann, and Jarrett occupied 100 drivers and Waltrip and Buffy each gained 100 points owners. Waltrip's initial qualifying period, Reutimann and Jarrett were disallowed, but Waltrip and Reutimann were allowed to qualify by racing in their Gatorade Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500, while Jarrett qualified past Past Champions from the 1999 title but was also allowed to race a spare car in his Gatorade Duel. Waltrip interim crew chief was announced as Scott Eggleston, who was a former Waltrip crew chief in 2001. After finishing 30th place on Daytona 500, Waltrip became the first rider in the series history to go into the second race of the season with a negative number of points (-27 ). Waltrip failed to qualify for the next eleven races following the Daytona 500, so he maintained his negative points for almost 4 months. He qualified for the thirteen seasons race in Dover and finished 28th, moving his points total above zero to 52 points.

On Saturday, April 7, 2007, he fell asleep behind the wheel of his reverse Toyota Land Cruiser and crashed into an electric pole. Waltrip crawled out of a car with minor injuries. No Nextel Cup race was held that weekend. He was accused of reckless driving and failed to report an accident.

After failing to qualify for the Pocono 500 in June, Waltrip bounced back the following week by completing 10 at Citizens Bank 400 in Michigan.

Waltrip decided to make changes to No. 00 and No. 55 because both are out of the top 35 at owner points; he hired Terry Labonte to take over Waltrip No. No. 55 and PJ Jones take over No. 00 Infineon Raceway No. David Reutimann (Jones No. 00, Jarrett No. 44, Labonte No. 55), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Reutimann No. 00, Jarrett No. 44, Labonte No. 55) and Watkins Glen International (Jones No. 00, Jarrett No. 44, Labonte No. 55) Labonte escaped into the temporary Championship past from the 1984 and 1996 Labonte titles, while Jones was allowed to qualify as Jones was a Ringer Road Course.

In October 2007, before Bank of America 500 in 2007. Dale Jarrett announced his resignation from the race points after Food City 500 in 2008, Waltrip decided to put David Reutimann (rider No. 00) to take over No. No. 44. Final Jarrett race is an All-Star race in May 2008.

On October 6, 2007, Waltrip won a pole for the UAW-Ford 500 in Talladega Superspeedway, the first divider race race run with Car of Tomorrow. He finished 25 after the accident, but bounced back next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway with his second top-10 finish this season.

2008

In 2008, Michael Waltrip Racing underwent a change after a disappointing 2007 campaign. Waltrip welcomes business owner Robert Kaufmann, owner/founder of Fortress Investment Group and made an equal partner and gets more help with real estate developer Johnny Harris buys into the team during off-season 2007. Former Cup owner Cal Wells is brought to MWR to oversee day-to-day operations, Dale Jarrett No. 44 retired from the race points after Food City 500 in 2008, David Reutimann started this season at No. 00 then take over Jarrett's No. 44, while Michael McDowell took over Reutimann's No. 00. Waltrip enters three full-time cars for 2008 David Reutimann/Michael McDowell/Mike Skinner/Kenny Wallace/A. J. Allmendinger and Mike Bliss No. 00, Dale Jarrett/David ReutimannNo. 44 and Waltrip No. 55. On February 10, 2008, Michael escaped 2nd to run 50th from the Daytona 500, which gave him second place at the start of the race. Waltrip started the race with the "gold wheel" in his car as a tribute to the Daytona 500 golden anniversary; after the wheel race was signed and sold for the benefit of NASCAR charity. After leading the first two laps, he was not a factor in the race and finished 26th. Waltrip came second in Lenox Industrial Tools New Hampshire 301. He made the 1000th NASCAR tour series that began in Atlanta in October. He's second behind Richard Petty in most careers beginning to cover all the top divisions at NASCAR.

However, Michael McDowell struggled to keep the car in the Top 35 ranking in owner points, which required for automatic qualification to every race, and Waltrip replaced him with Mike Skinner, Kenny Wallace, AJ Allmendinger, and Mike Bliss in an attempt to reclaim Top 35 places. In October 2008, MWR transferred its third team to the No. Toyota. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing, driven by Marcos Ambrose, and stop the No. team. 00 for the balance this season.

At the end of 2008, MWR sells No. 44 to Richard Petty Motorsports and contracted two cars with David Reutimann moving back to No. 00, Waltrip at No. 55.

2009

Waltrip includes two full-time cars for 2009 David Reutimann No. 00, Waltrip No. 55. In early 2009, Waltrip announced that he would share the dream machine NNS Aaron 99 with David Reutimann and Scott Speed â€‹â€‹during the season. On May 25, 2009, Waltrip scored his first win as owner in the Sprint Cup Series competition at Coca-Cola 600, with David Reutimann winning the event.

In the 2009 season, Waltrip collected two ten finishes (Daytona and Talladega). He came in several rounds winning the third Daytona 500 as he moved forward when the race was called for rain. He finished seventh.

Waltrip decided to pass the highway course (Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International) handed it to Patrick Carpentier to regain No. No. 55 in the top 35 owners.

On July 7, 2009, Waltrip announced he would be driving part-time in the 2010 season starting with Daytona 500. Waltrip also announced Martin Truex Jr. will take over the Waltrip car as Toyota NAPA No. 56 Auto Full-time in 2010, using owner's point No. 55.

2010

In 2010, Waltrip announced that he would only race in Daytona 500 unless more sponsors were found; Waltrip drove a No. 51 for the Daytona 500 in 2010. Waltrip includes two full-time cars for the 2010 No. 00 David Reutimann and No. 56 Martin Truex Jr., with Reutimann and Truex Jr. running a full schedule, Waltrip ran 6 Daytona 500 races (No. 51 MWR), Food City 500 (No. 55 Prism), Aaron 499 (Prism No. 55), Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 (No. 55 Prism), Toyota/Save Mart 350 (No. 55 Prism) and AMP Energy Juice 500 (No. 55 MWR). Waltrip escapes 21 on Daytona Pole qualifying day. However, this is not fast enough to follow the speed race. He was then destroyed from the first qualifying race. Waltrip could earn a place on the starting grid when Scott Speed â€‹â€‹rider ran to make 500 using qualifying time in the second qualifying race, giving it the 49th position in 4th place. He finished in the honorable 18th place. Since then, Michael has started the No. 1 entry. 55 Prism Motorsports in Bristol, finishing 41st. Waltrip qualified for Aaron 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and drove to an early lead but eventually finished 39 after "The Big One" on lap 84 of the race. It was announced in May that Waltrip would be a pilot scheme for Toyota Sponsafier that won on June 20 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, but he failed to escape. Waltrip also manages Amp Energy 500 at Michael Waltrip Racing who packed the No. 55 Toyota where he will lead three laps and finish 28th.

Waltrip and his business partner Rob Kaufmann have entered the various endurance races of the GT, participating in Dubai 24 Hours and 24 Hours of Spa, driving a Ferrari F430 GTE for the Italian AF Corse team in both races. Waltrip, Kaufmann, and the AFCorse team completed the 5th overall and third rank in the class at Spa, seizing the podium.

2011

In 2011, Waltrip announced that he will try to make the Daytona 500 the 25th consecutive start driving No. 15. Waltrip retains its drivers for 2011 No. 00 David Reutimann at No. 00 and No. 56 Martin Truex, Jr. at 56, both will run full schedule. As well as the Daytona 500, Waltrip ran three races that year: Aaron 499, Quaker Country 400, and Good Sam Club 500. In addition to the Sprint Cup event in Daytona, Waltrip also competed in the Series of World Camping Trucks and the National Racing series there. He achieved an emotional victory in NextEra Energy Resources 250, which came 10 years to the day of Dale Earnhardt's death and his first Series Sprint Cup victory. The win also made Waltrip the 22nd driver to win the race in all three national tour series NASCAR. He followed up his win on Friday night with a solid 9-place finish in the National Series race the next day. On Sunday afternoon, as part of the tenth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death in Daytona 500 in 2001, (which Waltrip won), Waltrip drove a replica of No. 1 car. 15 NAPA Auto Parts he was driving at the time. However, Waltrip finished 40th in the race after being caught in an early crash that eliminated 14 cars. For the rest of 2011, Waltrip says he is working on a plan to try the Sprint Cup Inauguration event at Kentucky Speedway in July, along with his first Le Mans start with AF Corse. He ran in the 2011 24 Hour Le Mans in June in one of the AF Cors entering Ferraris. The car driven along with Robert Kauffman and Rui ÃƒÆ' guas completed 178 laps before retiring, completing 38 overall. On September 29, 2011, it was announced that Waltrip would replace Jeff Hammond at FOX's Hollywood Hotel in NASCAR on Fox starting with Daytona 500 in 2012 with Chris Myers and his brother Darrell Waltrip.

At the end of 2011, Waltrip hired Clint Bowyer to drive No. 15 in 2012. On November 4, 2011, MWR announced that David Reutimann would not return as a No. 2 driver. 00 for 2012 so Waltrip changed the number to No. 55 to honor Aaron's establishment in 1955 and he hired Mark Martin and Brian Vickers to work with Waltrip in 2012 and 2013

2012

In January, he was confirmed as a driver for Ferrari's AF Corse in the inaugural season of the FIA â€‹â€‹World Endurance Championship. Four weeks before Daytona 500, Waltrip and Rob Kaufmann entered Rolex 24 2012 in Daytona. After a series of mechanical problems and of course the trip, Waltrip, Rob Kaufmann, Rui Æ' Guas, and Travis Pastrana never gave up and pressed to finish 22 on the GT and 35 overall.

In early February it was announced that Waltrip would attempt to qualify for Daytona 500 2012 for Hillman Racing, prompting Toyota No. 1. 40 with sponsorship from Aaron. He failed to qualify for the race, crashing into a single car incident in the first Duel Gatorade race.

On May 6, Waltrip qualified for Aaron 2012 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and led several laps before finishing the 19th.

He also qualified for the fall of the Talladega race. On the last lap, Waltrip ran in 5th place as he jumped into the bottom line and moved for the lead to try to turn 4 with the help of a draft from Casey Mears. In turn 4, Tony Stewart tries to block Waltrip but underestimates Waltrip's speed. Waltrip tapped Stewart, and climbed into a packed pack, collecting 23 cars, while Stewart flipped once and slid by his side in the air and was propelled by a destructive field. Waltrip finished on the 25th.

2013

Waltrip enters Daytona 500 2013 driving a Toyota No. 30 for Swan Racing, which was changed for Daytona to No. 26 as a charity car to raise funds for victims of Newtown, Connecticut photoshoot. At Budweiser Duel, Waltrip ran as high as forwards, but faded back in the last lap. He finally finished 15, but that was enough to take the final transfer spot for the Daytona 500. At the Great American Race, Waltrip led four laps and finished 22nd in the race. He also finished in the top 5 in all the other races (3 others) as well.

In his first race at No. 55 for the season at Talladega, Waltrip occupies fourth position. He also ran in Daytona in July and finished 5th.

On September 12, 2013, NASCAR awarded Michael Waltrip Racing a penalty for deliberately manipulating the results of the Federated Auto Parts 400 race. As a result, NAPA Auto Parts withdrew its sponsorship from the team at the end of the year, forcing Waltrip to release Martin Truex Jr. of his contract.

2014

After initially announcing that he would lower half-time car for half-retired Jeff Burton, plans changed when Waltrip sold the # 56 team to the Identity Ventures investor who started the satellite team for MWR. Waltrip ran 4 races for Identity Ventures Racing owned by Jay Robinson, Mark Bailey and James Hamilton.

Waltrip runs Daytona 500, Aaron's 499, Coke Zero 400 and GEICO 500. At Daytona at Speedweeks, Waltrip is assembled in the last successive collision caused when Jimmie Johnson ran out of gasoline in the last round. Waltrip still managed to get into the race. He crashed in lap 144 and finished 41th. He finished 25th in Aaron 499 at Talladega.

For both races, he avoided working with the head of the regular Identity Ventures Cage crew, Scott Eggleston, with whom he won his first Daytona 500, and instead paired himself with Chad Walter. In the Daytona summer race, Waltrip finally decided to work with Eggleston, and finally got his first top 20 in over a year. But in Talladega in October, Waltrip returned to work with Walter and got another top 20. Identity Ventures Racing closes the shop after the season ends.

2015

Waltrip again driving for his own team, driving No. 55 in Daytona and Talladega in the spring. Waltrip missed the Daytona summer race, but returned at Talladega in the fall, running the third MWR entry after hiring the owner points from No. 1. 98 Motor Motors Premium.

â€‹â€‹Ã¢ â‚¬ <Ã¢ â‚¬ <2016

On February 4, Waltrip announced he would return to the Daytona 500, driving the Camry no. 83 for BK Racing. Waltrip piloted 55 Camry for Motorsports Premium in Talladega in April with Peak BlueDEF as a sponsor. Waltrip skipped another Daytona summer race.

2017

Waltrip announced he would run the Daytona 500, pilot Gull No. 15 Aaron's, Inc. for Premium Motorsports. This will be his last start in the NASCAR-sanctioned race. Waltrip started 32 of 40 car squares, avoiding several major accidents to end his NASCAR career by finishing eighth.

Maps Michael Waltrip

Personal life

Waltrip was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. He currently lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. Waltrip married Elizabeth "Buffy" Franks. They divorced in 2010. They have one daughter, Margaret Carol. Michael has a daughter older than his previous relationship, Caitlin Marie Waltrip-Kinnaird, who is married and has 2 children of his own.

Waltrip is a diligent runner. In 2000, he participated in the Boston Marathon.

In October 2017, Waltrip had plans to attend the Route 91 Harvest music festival, but he canceled the plan. That night, an armed man, Stephen Paddock, fired a shot at the festival from the 32nd floor of the hotel and casino Mandalay Bay, causing the deadliest mass shootings in US history. The next morning, Waltrip revealed in his Instagram account that he had been friends with family while in Las Vegas the previous day. On October 4, she tweeted that she had contacted the father of the family, adding that they "did as well as could be expected."

src: i.redd.it

In popular media

Acting

Waltrip appeared on the second episode of April 30, 2009/7 May 2009 from My Name Is Earl entitled "Inside Probe."

Television appearance

When not racing, he is a pre-race commentator with his brother Darrell for NASCAR on Fox . He has also worked as a color commentator for the Xfinity series since 2015 and the Truck Series since 2004.

On September 4, 2014, Waltrip was announced as one of the celebrities who will participate in the 19th season Dancing with the Stars . She is paired with professional dancer Emma Slater. They were eliminated on 3 November 2014.

Messages

Waltrip wrote a book published in 2011 titled In Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and The Changing Day. This is a best-seller New York Times .

Michael Waltrip Spills Taco over Denny Hamlin's Car - 2015 NASCAR ...

src: i.ytimg.com

Controversy

Feud with rival rider

In the race in the early 1990s, Waltrip hit driver Dave Marcis while he was still in his car, punching his mouth and cutting his lips open, and fined $ 500 for his actions.

In 1995 at Michigan International Speedway, Waltrip also hit the driver, Lake Speed. Waltrip hit Speed â€‹â€‹twice on national television, while Speed â€‹â€‹was tied up in his car. Waltrip was fined $ 10,000 for his actions.

Waltrip has a much publicized feud with Jeff Green, then Petty Enterprises driver No. 1. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger in the early part of the 2005 season, which came to a head during the race at Martinsville and Darlington, where Green and Waltrip destroyed each other on several occasions. The feud went back to 2002 when it raced to win at Rockingham and caused both to lose control of their car, allowing Jamie McMurray to win both successive Busch Series races. Finally NASCAR brings Green and Waltrip together and warns them to avoid future incidents.

In 2005 Sylvania 300, Waltrip destroyed Robby Gordon No. 7 Jim Beam Chevrolet after the yellow flag came out. Angry Gordon got out of his car and tossed his helmet into No. car. 15 as it passes. When TNT interviewed him about the accident, he said, "You know Michael, everybody thinks Michael is a good guy, he's not a good guy he shows, be careful he and he ruin me and he is a bastard." TNT apologized for the incident on behalf of both drivers, and both Gordon and Waltrip were asked to meet with NASCAR officials after the race. Gordon was fined $ 50,000 and docked 50 driver points. Waltrip was also punished, but the sentence was canceled on appeal. Gordon and Waltrip finally decided to auction off helmets for the benefit of the Harrah Employee Assistance Fund, a fund that provides assistance to Harrah employees displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

In 2008, Waltrip made contact with Casey Mears with 46 rounds to get the Mears through. In return, Waltrip rushes to Mears, locking his hood in the Mears destroyer and tries to push it through a struggle lasting more than 4 seconds. Eventually Mears fell, and soon after, NASCAR parked Waltrip as punishment.

In 2008 Sharpie 500, an angry Clint Bowyer, who was involved in an accident involving Waltrip, said "Michael Waltrip is the worst racer in NASCAR, period! Can not believe NAPA (main sponsor) returns it!" However, Bowyer followed him after 2008 and eventually joined the Waltrip racing team in 2012.

Scandal

In 2007, Waltrip brought the No. Toyota. It was confiscated by NASCAR officials after inspectors discovered an odorless Vaseline-like substance in a car engine. Later in the week, NASCAR handed down Michael Waltrip Racing, which included the release of team vice president of competition Bobby Kennedy and Chief Crew David Hyder from a garage in Daytona. Hyder was also fined $ 100,000, the biggest fine ever handed down by NASCAR (Until Kurt Busch was convicted of a pit road incident). Waltrip himself was penalized by losing 100 rider points and the qualifying time of the day pole on 11 February was thrown out. Elizabeth Waltrip, Michael's wife and the official owner of his car, also docked 100 points owners. The substance found in the fuel of the vehicle is referred to as "rocket fuel", then determined to be Sterno.

In 2013 Auto Parts Federation 400, the last race before Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Waltrip team was punished with the greatest NASCAR punishment in history. In the race, MWR's Clint Bowyer came out with 7 laps left after a radio conversation signaled an order to do it, and Brian Vickers was ordered to complain as the team "needed one more point". After an investigation by NASCAR, the team was fined $ 300,000, dismissing 50 points of the driver and 50 owner points for each team, indefinitely suspending team deputy chairman Ty Norris and placing each MWR crew head on probation until 31 December. With a loss of points, Truex misses Chase, who puts Ryan Newman back in the wildcard spot. Waltrip expressed in reaction to the punishment that "I want to sincerely apologize to NASCAR, our sponsors, fans and fellow drivers who are disappointed with our actions We will learn from this and continue."

Car crash

On April 11, 2007, Waltrip was charged with reckless driving and left the crash site after crashing his car into a telephone pole.

Michael Waltrip - The Crittenden Automotive Library

src: www.carsandracingstuff.com

Motorports career results

NASCAR

(lock) ( Bold Ãƒ, - Pole position is given by qualifying time. Italics - Pole positions received by points standings or practice time. * Ãƒ, - Most lead round. )

Monster Energy Cup Series

Daytona 500

National Series

World Truck Camping Series

^* Season still in process for ¹ Not qualified for series points

Sports car racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, Result is overall / class )

24 Hours of Le Mans result

24 Hours Daytona

Michael Waltrip & Denny Hamlin on Their Daytona 500 Wins I NASCAR ...