Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver.

Waltrip served as a color analyst for Fox Sports alongside Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Jeff Gordon, a columnist at Foxsports.com, and an author.

He was an early racer at the Kentucky Motor Speedway (an asphalt track in Whitesville) and Ellis Raceway, a dirt track on US Highway 60 west in Daviess County (Ellis Raceway is now closed), driving a car called "Big 100" built by Harry Pedley, owner of Pedley's Garage, on West Second Street, in Owensboro and sponsored by R.C.

Waltrip would use the success he enjoyed at the Music City Motorplex, and his notoriety and public speaking skills that he acquired from television appearances in Nashville, as a springboard into NASCAR's big leagues.

The early years found Waltrip competing against legendary stock car racers such as Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and Bobby Allison, among others.

The DiGard racing team was founded in part by Mike DiProspero and Bill Gardner, who were brothers-in-law, with the legendary Robert Yates as engine builder.

Waltrip would compete in ten more races in the 1975 season for DiGard, sponsored by Terminal Transport, and get his second career Winston Cup victory October 12, 1975, in the Capital City 500, in Richmond, Virginia.

In that 1979 season, Waltrip won seven Winston Cup races and was a serious contender for what would have been his first championship despite numerous engine failures, mechanical problems, and differences with DiGard management.

Not only did Waltrip win 12 races, he also won the Winston Cup championship over nemesis Bobby Allison, rallying from a nearly 300-point deficit in midsummer and taking the points lead for keeps with a second-place finish at Dover in September.

He claimed his second championship in a row that year, again scratching and clawing his way past Bobby Allison with a late-season charge, taking the lead at Martinsville in October, and winning the title by 72 points.

At the 1983 Daytona 500 on February 20, 1983, Waltrip, a pre-race favorite to win the race, drove the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Pepsi Challenger.

When he heard drivers and fans joking that the crash would "knock him conscious" or "finally shut him up", he realized for the first time how unpopular he was and resolved to clean up his image.

The years following that crash would see a different Darrell Waltrip, one who worked hard to repair and rebuild his relationship with fans and fellow drivers.

With two laps to go, Waltrip was leading the race and poised to win when Rusty Wallace hit his car exiting the 4th turn, sending him into the infield and costing him the victory and the $200,000 purse.

A Darlington victory would award him a one million dollar bonus for winning three of the sport's four majors in the same season, the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Mountain Dew Southern 500.

During the ensuing confusion of a 17 lap caution flag (NASCAR did not have electronic scoring at the time) Bodine was able to make a pit stop for fresh tires without losing any positions.

Waltrip's final race as an owner-driver was at the TranSouth Financial 400, and was originally post-drive a sponsorless car, but instead decided to drive a "Tim Flock Special" as the former 2-time Grand National Series champion was fighting liver and throat cancer and was without medical insurance, and Waltrip wanted to help raise money for Flock and his family by having a trust fund with NASCAR's 50th Anniversary.

Waltrip believed that four deaths in the previous ten months, all caused by basilar skull fractures incurred in accidents, were too many, and was not shy about asking Helton for an explanation.

Seven months later, NASCAR mandated the devices after a crash during an ARCA Re/Max Series race, held after qualifying for the UAW-GM Quality 500, killed driver Blaise Alexander.

The catchphrase had always been preceded by fellow analyst and former crew chief Larry McReynolds telling Waltrip to "reach up there and pull those belts tight one more time!"

In October 2011, Waltrip, Joy, Calvin Fish and Australian Leigh Diffey traveled to Australia to host Speed's coverage of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 race held at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit.

[13] Waltrip announced his retirement from broadcasting on April 4, 2019, at Bristol Motor Speedway citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren.

The speedway and adjacent Tennessee State Fairgrounds is located in an urban area of south Nashville, roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) from its downtown business district.

In May 2015, FOX announced that Jeff Gordon would join him and Mike Joy starting in 2016, replacing their long-time broadcast partner Larry McReynolds.

Waltrip currently owns Honda, Volvo, Subaru, and Buick/GMC automobile dealerships in Franklin, Tennessee, in partnership with his former team owner Rick Hendrick.

As a Fox Sports analyst and broadcaster, Waltrip's opinions, views and comments carry considerable weight with drivers, team owners, fans and NASCAR heads.

Waltrip officially won 84 NASCAR cup races, but yet another, additional, and uncounted "win" was as relief driver for Donnie Allison, at the 1977 Talladega 500.

1 Hawaiian Tropic sponsored Chevrolet, due to the excess heat of the day, and Waltrip was asked to complete the race in Allison's car.

Waltrip, along with fellow commentators Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, made a cameo appearance as themselves in the 2017 heist comedy film Logan Lucky.

In May 2004, Waltrip became the second sports figure to be featured in former NBA player and basketball coach Jay Carty's One-on-One series of devotional books.