Waltrip driving force in NASCAR Hall of Fame's third class
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Darrell Waltrip was nicknamed "Jaws" as a driver for his outrageous trash-talking. His loquaciousness launched his second career, as one of NASCAR's most recognized -- and outspoken -- television analysts.
But before his induction Friday night into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, 'ol DW had no idea what he was going to say in the ceremony.
"[I wrote] 10 speeches and after the 10th one, I threw it away, and said 'I can't write a speech,'" he said. "I'm pretty spontaneous, so I'm just going to get up and say what I think and hope it's the right thing."
Waltrip always hasn't said the right thing in a career that dates to his 1972 debut in NASCAR's top series. He angered his rivals as a driver, and his strong opinions as an analyst for Fox Sports and Speed have made him one of the more polarizing commentators in NASCAR.
Some might even think it cost him a year ago in voting, when despite three championships and 84 victories, Waltrip was shut out of the second Hall of Fame class. Waltrip signed on with Speed as an analyst for voting day, and from his perch on the stage at the back of the Great Hall, his face couldn't hide his heartbreak over not making the second class.
He tried not to get his hopes up this time around, but everybody knew how badly Waltrip wanted to be included in the third class. When Brian France called his name in June, Waltrip rushed onto the podium and kissed the NASCAR chairman.
Waltrip went into the Hall of Fame with three-time champion Cale Yarborough, NASCAR modified great Richie Evans, innovative crew chief Dale Inman and Glen Wood, one of NASCAR's original team owners.
The show belonged to Waltrip, though, who knew as a child he wanted to be an entertainer and found a way to incorporate his desire to perform into his NASCAR career. He was brash and bold and loved being in front of the cameras.
His style, his showmanship, was like nothing NASCAR had ever seen before and paved the way for more personality from the drivers.
"I always thought it would be fun to be an actor, or a comedian, but I guess race car driving suited me," he said. "I like to make people laugh, which is better than making them cry, right? Some people take the path of least of resistance, but I take the path I couldn't resist. I looked at everything I did, what if I did everything that everybody else is doing as they go down that path.
"I figured there's a lot more room going in this other direction then there is in that direction with all the other guys who chewed Skoal and wore belt buckles and cowboy hats. I'm not making fun of them, I just chose not to go down that route, to be more upscale, in a class by myself. I was a Penske guy living in an Earnhardt world."
His larger-than-life personality was certain to outshine Yarborough, Inman and Wood. Evans, winner of nine NASCAR national modified championships over a 13-year span, was killed in a 1985 accident at Martinsville Speedway. He was 44.
Yarborough from 1976-78 became the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, a record that stood until Jimmie Johnson's run of five consecutive titles. He finished second in the standings another three times, and ended his career with 83 victories -- sixth on the all-time list.
Yarborough was a four-time Daytona 500 winner, but decided in 1980 to run only partial schedules for the final nine years of his career.
Inman led his cousin, Hall of Famer Richard Petty, to a record seven championships. The crew chief won an eighth title with Terry Labonte.
Wood, at 86 the oldest member of the class, formed a race team that still competes today in Stuart, Va., with his four brothers. Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011 for the Wood Brothers, giving the team its 98th victory spanning seven different decades
First Published January 21, 2012 12:00 am
