This is a tough time to be
Darrell Waltrip.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer turned
NASCAR On FOX analyst has been a target for naysayers and detractors throughout
his storied career. But recently, the hatred has ramped-up to a level that far
exceeds the limits of good taste.
Last week, unconfirmed reports
surfaced that the 72-year old Waltrip is contemplating retirement at season’s
end, closing out a career that has encompassed nearly half a century and has enriched
our sport in ways too numerous to count.
From the day he first landed in
the NASCAR garage in 1972, the Owensboro, KY native has been a rabble-rouser.
He has consistently spoken his mind, straight from the heart and without a
filter, calling things like he sees them with little regard for political correctness
or social decorum. Virtually upon arrival, he called out the biggest stars of
the day – Petty, Pearson and Allison – earning the nickname “Jaws” after getting
under tough-guy Cale Yarborough’s skin just one time too many. He employed
psychological warfare in an era when most competitors could not spell
psychological warfare, and aroused the passions of NASCAR Nation like no one ever had
before, and few (if any) have done since.
He pushed buttons –
intentionally at times – and pushed this sport’s fan base to levels of passion
it had never before experienced. He’s still doing that today, in his own unique
and unapologetic style.
Nobody has heard more boos in
his lifetime than Waltrip, and no one has embraced the heel’s role more
willingly, or with more passion. Rather than cower from the catcalls, he once famously
challenged his detractors to meet him in the Kmart parking lot after the race
for a good old-fashioned punch out.
Who else can combine a sponsor
plug with an invitation to fight?
Only DW.
Waltrip has been polarizing
from Day One, and God bless him for that. In an era when people spend most of
their time looking for reasons to be offended, Waltrip continues to bulldoze
his way forward, stepping on toes when necessary and telling us exactly
what he thinks, 100% of the time.
Based on his track record – on
40-plus years of being consistently and unfailingly himself -- what exactly do the
haters expect from Waltrip today?
Do they really want a
politically correct, Pollyanna Waltrip? A man devoid of opinions, who says wonderful
things about everyone and never toes the line of controversy?
If that’s what you want, you’ve
got the wrong guy, my friends.
Darrell is what Darrell is. He’s
opinionated, outspoken and sometimes annoying; saying things that make you
think (really THINK) about what’s going on in the sport of NASCAR. He
compliments when compliments are due, and criticizes with equal passion. And if
you don’t like it, you can take a page out of Rusty Wallace’s playbook and “go
choke on that $200,000.”
Unfortunately, just as they
did at the end of his competitive career, the haters and naysayers refuse to allow
Waltrip to leave with the grace, dignity and respect he deserves. Social media
is filled with hateful, “throw the bum out” commentary, authored by people who
were still in diapers when Waltrip was laying waste to his on-track competition
and raising the bar of expectation for what a NASCAR champion should be.
Many drivers walk away from
the sport when their time behind the wheel is done. Waltrip never walked away,
choosing instead to continue to contribute as a television analyst. His
perspective is one-of-a-kind, combining the behind-the-wheel savvy of Jeff
Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with a “been there, done that” long view of the
sport that no one else can offer.
Somewhere along the line, it
became cool to be cruel.
Social media has made a
cottage industry out of hurtfulness, insults and disrespect, to the point where
now, even a respected institution like the Associated Press confuses character
assassination with insightful commentary.
It’s a sad state of affairs,
and Waltrip deserves better.
As a NASCAR Hall of Famer with
three premier series championships and Daytona 500, Southern 500 and Coca-Cola
600 trophies among his 84 premier series wins, Waltrip has earned the right to
choose his own exit strategy. He has earned the right to say goodbye at the
time of his choosing and on his terms; without being hounded out the door by a
pack of rabid wolves, hungry for their Hot Take Headline and their self-serving
pound of flesh.
People who criticize Waltrip's "shtick" don't understand. DW is not playing a character on television, he is being himself. That "Boogity Boogity Boogity" enthusiasm at the start of every race is neither contrived nor created. It is Darrell, being Darrell.
You don’t have to like Darrell Waltrip. You don’t even have to agree with Darrell Waltrip. It’s OK if he gets under your skin from time to time. As a matter of fact, it’s part of his job.
The philosopher Aristotle once said, "There is only one way to avoid criticism; do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." After spending every Sunday afternoon in our living rooms for the last 20-odd years -- delivering an unapologetic mix of opinion, commentary and analysis... doing, saying and being -- Mother Teresa would rub you the wrong way, every once in a while.
You don’t have to like Darrell Waltrip. You don’t even have to agree with Darrell Waltrip. It’s OK if he gets under your skin from time to time. As a matter of fact, it’s part of his job.
The philosopher Aristotle once said, "There is only one way to avoid criticism; do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." After spending every Sunday afternoon in our living rooms for the last 20-odd years -- delivering an unapologetic mix of opinion, commentary and analysis... doing, saying and being -- Mother Teresa would rub you the wrong way, every once in a while.
During the glory days of
Monday Night Football, people disliked Howard Cosell; criticizing his shtick
and bemoaning his sometimes self-possessed commentary. They lambasted Dandy Don
Meredith for being unpolished and “too country;” eventually running both men
out of the broadcast booth in the mid-80s.
Monday Night Football has never
been the same since.
Without Waltrip, NASCAR would long
ago have been overrun by those who consider insightful Victory Lane commentary
to be “thanking the boys back at the shop,” along with God, Gatorade and
Goodyear. Without Waltrip, there would be no Kevin Harvick, no Brad Keselowski and
no Kyle Busch; all of whom have built on his “call it like you see it”
foundation to become outspoken, opinionated and insightful spokesmen for our sport.
Waltrip blazed trails and
opened doors for those who came behind him – both on and off the race track –
and for that, he deserves our thanks and our respect.
If DW is truly retiring at
season’s end, he deserves to be embraced and applauded for his lifelong efforts
to improve and add color to our sport.
The recent spate of “here’s
your hat, what’s your hurry” character assassination says more about the
assassins than it does about Waltrip.
