Darrell Waltrip Farewell - Atlanta 2000

in film media center here were there some very special presentations being made to DW here just to my right a lot of the sponsor he's had over the years have come by to give him a gift to going-away present now Billy Ray Cyrus music recording artists here to get Darrell a very special a very special presentation that from a CD that he had here and and in just a moment many of the drivers who have raced with Darrell over the years said what how do we how do we deal with Darrell leaving what do we do and so what is gonna happen here momentarily is the fact that six one stunts Cup champions are gonna come up we'll let Daryl finish his comments you're with Billy Ray Cyrus and in just a moment we're gonna have six Winston Cup champions come up with listen popular mule day but it's a pretty big deal and Billy rate comes out every year in performs and so I know he's a really good guy to be able to come over there and tolerate and put up with all of that and I'm really kind of disappointed because they came to me they said which would you which would you like to do pray or sing the national anthem and I always had a dream of singing the national anthem at a race I thought it would be really cool they said which would you like to do and I said well they said okay you pray and he'll sing the national anthem so anyway maybe I can just stand out there with you oh I'd love that there's a real special song on their own we put on this album just for you it's track number seven it's burned down the trailer park all right move in here with ol D W and Daryl a very special day an emotional weekend here for you I know and and for all of us at the SP and for the millions watching at home and the hundreds in the garage area it's sad to see you go but so many great memories eighty-four Winston Cup victories and eight hundred and nine starts as of today I should say as of tomorrow here at Atlanta your thoughts about what's been a incredible career well is it days like today are they make you feel good and then they st. birth they make you feel sad you know leaving all this behind this the the people and and the feelings that they have about me and about our sport and come around someone on their last race and honor on this way is it's very gratifying and and my children are here Sarah and Jessica and Stevie's here and a lot of my friends and they came just to be here for the last race and of course my best friends are right back over here in the corner and that's what I'm gonna miss the most is hanging out with that bunch of guys right back there let's bring that bunch of guys in let's start out with the first guy who's gonna come in and everyone knows him in the 1989 Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace Rusty's coming up to make a presentation to ol DW remember folks these guys have driven together for about 25 years and some of this will be some off the cuff stuff here's rusty I wrote on here - Darrell enjoy your retirement - the forest you know that's what makes that's what I'm gonna miss the most is the fun and we you know we we fight like brothers and we don't always agree but in the end at the end of the day we look at each other and say you know I slipped up a little didn't ya I got into you a little didn't I and you both walk away saying you know we could have done that a little differently and it's forgotten and as much fun as we've had with this through the years it's been ten years I still I I could have done something differently and maybe I'd never would have had well following me also all right Rusty Wallace the first one to come up as he makes a presentation and gives Darrel the $200,000 you took away from him in the Winston back in alright next up a seven-time once 10 Cup champion Dale Earnhardt to make a presentation to his retiring good buddy Darrell Walter well a long story here I used to drive for this guy I actually worked for him before he worked for me and he fired me his after I tore his race car up and we got pretty competitive at the end after then and started racing against each other I won a championship before he did I told him about it and then he won three more then he won a Daytona 500 and I didn't for a long while and he told me about that and we argued about it talked about Wells when we retired we can set on the porch and talk about how many races how many champions I've won and he said yeah and you've never won the Daytona 500 so we talked about sitting on the porch and talking and since he's retiring I think I got him a little something here for for the porch and I brought you you can get a head start in the rocking chair here Darrell and and you know when when I do retire and NASCAR is not going to put a mandatory 50 year old you get me a rocking chair and we can we can get back and rock and talk about the rest of these guys and what they're doing wrong but we I've enjoyed race for this guy so many races and we've argued a lot run into each other lot had a lot of fun but he's a true champion and got a great family Stevie and the kids and it's been a lot of fun a lot of memories don't talk too bad about me all right Dale Earnhardt make it a presentation Darrell Waltrip let's uh let's uh I just just want to say that they asked me yesterday morning over at the media breakfast if there was anything that people maybe didn't know about me I've always been so open and shared all my feelings and whatever I thought they said was there anything that we don't know about you and I thought about it and it was yeah I really like they learn hard you want to you want to sit on grandpa's lap there and that's the best things moved in quite a while okay next up two-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Texan Terry Labonte comes forward to be able to greet Darrell Waltrip and say goodbye here is Terry will bring Terry to the microphone well I'll tell you what Darrell it's been a quite a tradition with Kelly I was making a championship boxing since Kelly's wasn't in business that's really special thank you very much I don't have to tell you that Terry Labonte is one of the nicest men and Winston Cup racing and even though I spun him out at Bristol when he was leading the race he knows it was an accident and uh it was it was but I felt really bad I told my Stevie when the race no with I said I spun Terry out and he never even mentioned it and of course he was responsible for that but that's the kind of kids kind of the year you're having when you spend out the leader of the race and he doesn't even remember that so nonetheless he is one of the nicest men in racing and his family his brother I love love both of them their dad I mean they are what NASCAR is all about when we talk about a family sport yeah the people over in the grandstand would think we're talking about them but really and truly we're talking about the guys over here on this side of the fence that's where the family is indeed they are DW in the next Weston Cup champion to come up three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon to the driver to DuPont Chevrolet once again you are watching this live as we bid farewell to a NASCAR legend and six NASCAR champions come up to say goodbye the Darrell Waltrip here is Jeff Gordon well Darryl's been quite an inspiration to all of us but you know he's much more than just incredible racecar drivers driver is an incredible person as we all know and and I admire you most for your family values and the things you do off the racetrack this just Darrell and I had the honor to to be a person of the year with Darrell a few years back and this is a picture that they took we're tugging on a steering wheel and just wrote on there thanks for all the great memories and for steering NASCAR to the top because I feel like Daryl has played an intricate role in NASCAR's growth to this this unbelievable sport that we are all part of so thank you very much for that I've got a couple things I'll never forget before I came into Winston Cup standing on top of a tower at Bristol I think it was 92 and watching this guy wear them out on the top groove or about the middle groove I think there was a top groove then but it was unbelievable watching that and you know I just just was amazed at the things that he did and then since you were talking about record carry I one of my worst moments in my career in Winston Cup was one day at Dover Darrow I was I was torn up and he was going by me and I totally misjudged it clipped him right in the left first saw him go right in the wall this is worst day ever see the thing that really aggravates me and probably most of us down here in the garage area is when when you have someone like Jeff Gordon who is that probably in my opinion the classiest guy that has come into this sport yet and I'm sorry to the rest of you but that's just how I feel I've known y'all a lot longer now have him maybe that has something to do with it but you know when people ask you about Jeff and you say you know what really makes me mad is he's he's really as good as you think he is and he's really a special person and he does a lot of really neat things that people don't know about or else they just don't care about but he is a classy young man he has a beautiful wife and he makes lots of money and he's and most everybody in here is pretty envious of him and that's probably his biggest problems but thank you Jeff I'm glad you remembered that to Dover incident cause I thought I may have to remind you of it all right Darrell Waltrip remind those of you watching at home you are watching live today's race has been postponed we'll be back here live tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for the green flag as we continue with our tribute to Darrell Waltrip and bring up the next driver who was a defending NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett driver of the quality care and next year the ups Ford Taurus here is DJ DJ step up to the microphone if you would and we'll hear what he has to say Darrell I thought about this as I knew about what we were going to do is what would be really special and of course we're all know that what a great job you've done force a champion and a true champion in our sport and really have done what our sport needed at a time that it really needed it most but I think the thing that struck Kellie and I the most in our family this is a crystal cross for you and I can give you about a night matter of fact is right before my very first Winston Cup race as we were in Nashville racing the Busch race coming back to Martinsville to run my first Winston Cup race and I was with Darrell and Michael was on the plane and we just that was about the end of all of our careers and we had a tough time lending that night and we would have loved have had that cross and many more to get through that night we were having a tough time but something I'll always remember but I think the thing that that we remember as a family and most people the most is that you made this not only a great sport but you made it a place that our children can grow up in a Christian atmosphere you helped bring that to our sport and I don't think a lot of people at that time Shirley and and even today they have a hard time getting the idea that we can have these auto races in this competition and still have a Christian atmosphere for us and for our children to grow up and so thanks for everything that you've ever done for putting us here and for allowing us to be a part of this and be a part of you and your family's wonderful life thank you when I think about Dale Jarrett I just think about perseverance which is something we all need particularly those of us that are Christians and everybody in general but I've seen Dale go through some pretty steep some pretty low pretty low lows and certainly a competent pretty high highs and I've been glad to be able to stand by him and think he's a great guy and I just love to see what he has accomplished because I know there was a time when there was doubt in his mind and I I've always encouraged Dale to just keep doing what you've always done because he was a winner everywhere he went every car he ever drove he won in and he's proven now to be a champion and a winner as well so one of my favorite people and now the last of our champions have come up the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion awesome bill from Dawsonville Georgia Bill Elliott the sixth and final champion and then we have a special guest coming up in just a moment here's Bill Elliott well you know I know why the race was postponed today God knew that it was gonna take you all day but anyway you know everybody's talking about how nice Darrell was I need at a time what she said she felt like let me see if I get this right she'd been married to two men named Darrell Waltrip but anyway we're running for the championship I got no old Darrell indeed of your real well and now we're running for the championship out in Riverside in front row and 85 they're not and I broke his shifter part you know when I got back home and I kept hearing it was made in Franklin Tennessee when I got back home and I inspected the box and lo and behold in the bottom of the box was an inspection sway up and it's had it inspected by Dido and JJ owned it but I'm not sure I couldn't read those those deals but anyway but it says key to Darrell Waltrip snot the 85 Winston Cup championship presented by me here's what jr. would have said boy use a little bit too hard on that shift that's what jr. would have said and by the way these parts were made in Franklin Tennessee unbeknownst to me I mean I didn't have any idea that they were made in Franklin and certainly I would have never thought about something made in Franklin breaking but you know because of course I was always pretty impressed when Bill and Ernie and that crowd came on the scene at that time with the family run operation and for Bill to get out there and be able to do the things that he was able to do and basically did most of the work on the car itself that was pretty impressive and lo and behold I didn't find myself battling him pretty hard in 1985 he won 11 races that year and the Winston million and I mean you run you run second to Bill every week that was just what you did and so I remember at Daytona tow junior junior said you gonna have to keep up with that nine count car now because don't let him get away from you I said let me tell you something jr. on his bumper I was I was only his front he was on my back bumper and it was his front bumper he was coming around to lap me is what it was and that's the kind of year he had that year but had to pull out a lot of the had to pull a lot of a lot of stops here to win that championship and it was a little hard on no bill but he learned from and I think he gained a lot from it and he went on to win one in 88 and for that I'm most happy because he would have really not like me if he never won one tribute has not won a Winston Cup championship yet but I think he carries even more weight than a champion that because he is a brother he is Darrell Walter's brother who can forget the the poignant memories this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Darrell Waltrip qualified and suddenly as he steps out of the car they leap into each others arms and Darrell says he and heavy he's my brother here's Michael Walter well Darrell as any brother would do I brought you on this great day for you I brought you a wonderful picture of me and that nice this is my favorite picture favorite moment of this career of mine I was gonna say illustrious but I think I'll just say career this this made all the struggles and and everything that that has been so difficult for me at times all worthwhile and it came just simply from a hug for my brother and that that's a special feeling I wanted you to have that plus son I don't know if you remember this but in 1986 I was in Riverside California and I never had borrowed any money from here or bothered you for anything but I didn't I didn't have no money and I needed to get home and I got 200 bucks from you I said I pay you back and so there and I threw in for interest from some Sambo's tavern three free lunch yeah and you can and I wanted you to treat them to your buddies there's from rusty and Dale Wow yeah just give those to all the guys and just remember that when when you were retiring Oh Mike was there was a little bit of pocket change for you I just wanted to thank you for the guidance and the inspiration that you were to me you didn't even know it you were off robbing fenders with Richard Petty and you were robbing finishes Bobby Allison and these guys and I was sitting back at home in Owensboro Kentucky watching all this from afar and it instilled something in me that I could have never went somewhere and purchased it instilled a desire and a and a goal for me to one day be like my big brother and the way you turned out you know that's a great great thing to be that was Indianapolis was a special moment I'll tell you when I was coming down that pit lane and I saw Michael it remind me of that movie ten when what's his little guy was running toward Bo Derek you know a neighbor they were in slow motion you know and he couldn't wait to get there but one of my favorite stories of Michael toad somewhere recently was he you know he lived with Richard in Kyle for a little while when he first moved in North Carolina and he thought it was really cool that he every night he get to go sit on the couch with Richard and watch television and they were sitting on the couch one night watching television eating popcorn Richard let me ask something boy where'd you learn about racing in Michael C well I learned everything I know about racing from my brother and Richard said you don't know much about racing do so but it's it's really special for all of us guys that have whether its sons or brothers or whatever out here to be able to spend time with them not so much compete against them because that's our job but to spend time together Michael in our 16 years of art in our age and so we were obviously always at different ends of the spectrum but we've been much closer these last few years than we ever were before and that's good news because we've needed each other a lot more than we ever have before our dad passed away this year and I wish he was here and moms at home and our sisters and our other brother Bobby but it's good to have your best friend your best buddy that you can always look for when you need a couple hundred dollars so I Love You Man memories of Darrell Waltrip ESPN's very first race was March 1st 1981 and Darrell Waltrip Warren at Rockingham in front of 8 Megan Holmes tomorrow he will make his final start in a 30-year career here at Atlanta Motor Speedway in front of 80 million homes for all of us for the millions watching at home and for everyone in this room including the other champions DW will always be number one he's a champion and always will be so many things you think of when you remember Darrell Waltrip the ickey shuffle when he won the Daytona 500 and the ickey shuffle at Indianapolis more memories from Atlanta Motor Speedway when we return that app' 500 postponed till tomorrow

Channel: Joe Lajoie

Views: 60,589

Keywords:

Id: tAJMdc_UJQw

Length: 22min 42sec (1362 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 04 2019