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'Time waits for no man'

Darrell Waltrip to retire after 2000 season

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Posted: Friday July 30, 1999 04:01 PM

Waltrip leads all active Winston Cup drivers with 84 career victories. Jamie Squire/Allsport

NEW YORK (AP) -- Darrell Waltrip is set to retire from NASCAR racing, but not before a farewell tour in 2000.

The three-time Winston Cup champion still leads active Winston Cup drivers with 84 victories. But he has not won a race in seven years and is struggling to remain competitive.

Waltrip and team sponsor Kmart will announce the move Thursday during the opening day of practice and qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

His final season apparently will be modeled after the recent retirement tours of Richard Petty, Mario Andretti and Bobby Rahal, all of whom tied their farewells to marketing campaigns.

Waltrip was not available for comment Friday, but personal representative Keith Waltz told The Associated Press the announcement will be "no surprise to anybody."

Waltrip signed a two-year contract with team co-owners Travis Carter and Carl Haas last fall. At the time, he said it would be his last as a driver and the 2000 season probably would include some kind of goodbye to the fans, depending on his sponsor's wishes.

"Darrell hasn't made any secret of his plans," said Carter, who also owns a team that fields cars for Jimmy Spencer in the Winston Cup series.

"He'll be finishing on his own terms and that's a good thing for anybody," said Phillipe Lopez, Waltrip's crew chief. "He'll finally be able to do some other things besides being at race tracks just about every week. Family is very important to Darrell and he'll be able to spend more time at home.

"He is just at a point where he wants to see and do other things in life."

The charismatic driver from Owensboro, Ky., and a longtime resident of Franklin, Tenn., has not won since the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., in 1992. He finished 25th at last week's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway and is 38th in the season standings.

Waltrip owned and drove for his own team for eight years, but sold it in 1998 because of financial problems and disputes with sponsors.

At the time, he said 1999 would be his last season as a driver, but he changed his mind when Carter and Haas offered him the two-year deal.

Waltrip has done race commentary for The Nashville Network and has said he might want to enter broadcasting after leaving racing.

 

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