Sibling duos in NASCAR have a special place in the sport. It grows from their own backyard races, those backyard whispers, and Sunday fights in the garage, and continues to cement through the Victory Lane celebrations. However, no brother duo has left behind a more grand legacy than the Waltrip brothers: Darrell and Michael. One engraved his name on the walls of the coveted NASCAR Hall of Fame. The other fought tooth and nail for 462 races, until he found his mojo, winning the Daytona 500 in 2001.
Darrell Waltrip’s record speaks for itself: 84 Cup Series wins, three championships, and all the swagger of a showman long before driver branding was so cool. Well, his stint just ended with racing, he picked up the mic in the FOX booth alongside Mike Joy and struck a new note with the fans. “Boogity, boogity, boogity, let’s go racing, boys,” became his signature call to get the races up and running. Well, not just the fans, but his brother Michael was also influenced by Darrell’s unique personality.
When Michael Waltrip first stepped into NASCAR, he really was following an old road, a road in study, right beside a shadow. A well-heeled, sponsor-savvy, prime-time drama whirlwind of a shadow. “My brother was unique,” Michael reminisced in a heart-to-heart with Kevin Harvick. “As a kid, he was my hero,” Michael said. “I wanted to do everything he did. So I dressed nice, talked about my sponsors… I just studied him.”
Michael’s broadcasting career was nothing less than destiny. “I think the first time I did any TV or radio was pit road reporting for Performance Racing Network at Charlotte,” he recalled during the interview. “Then I was on pit road for TBS, did some stuff for ESPN. It was just a natural transition… I felt like I was part of the media even as a race car driver.“
Well, even before Michael picked up the mic in the broadcast booth, he was fairly active in putting his personality in front of people. In 2009, he appeared in a two-part episode of the American TV sitcom, My Name Is Earl. And the episode was titled, “Inside Probe.” In 2014, he was announced as one of the celebrities who would participate in the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Emma Slater, so Waltrip understood the tricks of the trade and moving to broadcast was a natural transition for him.
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 02 Fox Sports commentator Michael Waltrip visits the NASCAR Camping World Series garage before practice for the Stratosphere 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday March 02, 2018. (Photo by Josh Holmberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But do not mistake natural for easy. Michael endured a grueling 462-race winless streak, finally breaking through. Even then, he credits that struggle and the lack of anything handed out by Darrell as what really formed him. “He didn’t give me no money, he didn’t give me no rides,” he said, laughing. “I think he thought, ‘If you can’t take my name and do something with it, then I’m sorry.’“
Well, the veteran driver is also making a comeback this weekend at the Talladega Speedway. Not in the NASCAR events, but in the ARCA Series race.
Steve Lewis Jr. will run the ARCA race backed by Michael Waltrip
The former DEI driver knows a thing or two about winning superspeedway races. After his triumph at the 2001 Daytona 500, Michael Waltrip would go on to win three more Daytona races, along with a win at the Talladega Superspeedway in 2003. DEI certainly had their noses in front over the rest of the competition when it came to superspeedway racing, and Waltrip is hoping to bring that energy back at Dega this weekend.
Stever Lewis Jr. is the driver who will be piloting the classic DEI car, backed by SmartGrid Integrations Inc. and his own Michael Waltrip Brewing Co.“Talladega has always been a really special place for me, I remember going there as a kid, in awe of those hot banks.” But, the agenda this weekend is to have a good time and also carry on the legacy the DEI has built over the years. “It’s about having a good time and it’s about family,” he said. “It’s about legacy.”
Lewis is a seasoned driver who competed in the modifieds, and he’s now pivoted to ARCA Series racing. With Waltrips’ backing and the big event at Dega, the driver is excited to get into the thick of the action. “I’m absolutely pumped to be piloting one of Michael Waltrip’s classic DEI cars and representing SmartGrid Integrations Inc. This race is going to be special in so many ways.”
The goal this weekend is simple: make the team proud and expect a bit of shake and bake by the driver and the team at Talladega.
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