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  • Darrell Waltrip’s five most memorable calls from the booth

    Darrell Waltrip’s five most memorable calls from the booth

    Darrell Waltrip announced his retirement as a broadcaster in an exclusive interview on Thursday in the Tennessean.

    When I read the announcement, my mind immediately flashed back to my countless memories of hearing his voice through my television set. As a kid, I still recall his K-Mart No. 66 Ford as he raced in his final two years for Travis Carter Enterprises. And then, he hung up his racing helmet, replaced it with a suit and tie, and grabbed the mic. After 19 years in the FOX broadcast booth, Waltrip will retire at the end of FOX Sports’ 2019 NASCAR race coverage on June 23 at Sonoma Raceway.

    There had been some speculation and rumors of his potential retirement last year, but Waltrip assured everyone on Twitter at the start of the year that he was still in the booth for one more year.

    “FOX Sports is putting together an amazing group of young and enthusiastic journalists,” shared Waltrip over his Twitter account in January 2019. “But they still need “old guy” wisdom, I’m happy to say that for another year that “old guy”will be me!”

    Waltrip had what he called an “old school” style that he felt may have clashed with Jeff Gordon’s younger crowd style. Gordon’s retirement from driving to continue his involvement in the sport was an exact replica of Waltrip’s footsteps 15 years later. As social media developed over the years, it seemed that some fans shared controversial opinions about Waltrip’s remarks, either in the booth, on pit road or during the week.

    But that didn’t stop him from calling racing as it was.

    “Race fans are very intelligent. They know what happens,” Waltrip stated just days before his retirement from driving in 2000. “How are you going to try to tell them something didn’t happen when they saw it? You can’t try to fool them. You’ve just got to tell it like it is.”

    So after getting the green light from former head of Fox Sports David Hill, Waltrip used his personality to create his most well-known catchphrase: “Boogity, boogity, boogity – let’s go racing, boys!”

    So as a former champion and race winner aspiring to become a lap-by-lap announcer myself, here are my five favorite calls by Darrell Waltrip.

    #5 – Darrell’s First “Boogity”

    The story goes that Waltrip grew tired of the same calls for each race.

    “I hated the way a race started on the radio,” said Waltrip in 2017 to Scott Fowler with The Charlotte Observer. “The announcer would say, ‘The green flag is in the air, and the cars race off into Turn 1.’ Are you kidding me? That’s the best we can do?”

    Waltrip recalled listening to Ray Stevens’ ‘The Streak’ on country radio. He and Ray were great friends and golfed often, so he was already familiar with a lot of his music. However, the idea dawned on him during one section of the song: “Here he comes – Boogity, boogity! There he goes – boogity, boogity!” That’s when he caught it.

    If you’ve watched a NASCAR race for the past decade or so, you would fall into one of two categories. You love it, or you hate it. But for FOX Sports and NASCAR, it became their signature sound clip. Waltrip subtly said it over the air at the start of the 2001 Coca-Cola 600 after Mike Joy announced the green flag. Throughout FOX’s share of broadcasting the first half of the season, Waltrip would say the iconic phrase sporadically, but would lock it in starting at Sonoma in 2001.

    #4 – McDowell’s Massive Qualifying Crash at Texas

    Waltrip had a distinctive ability to catch things mere seconds before they actually took place. His championship experience behind the wheel allowed him to show fans and his colleagues what exactly to look out for as they watched on television. As each driver would make their way around the circuit, his body language would translate through the broadcast as if he were behind the wheel himself.

    The first major test of the Car of Tomorrow was during qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008 when Michael McDowell was fighting a tight race car. In most cases, if the car got loose into a turn, it was common to see drivers overcorrect to compensate for what would be a loose condition. That’s exactly what happened to McDowell heading into Turn 1. The car got light going into the turn, slid sideways ever so slightly, and Waltrip caught that from the booth to bring immediate attention to what would be a disastrous crash that would test both the SAFER barrier and the new COT package.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5MrquaBBXQ

    #3 – Sharing a Hall of Famer’s Insight on Racing

    Starting in 2006, NASCAR started to see big changes across the sport. Some of those changes were fantastic and even influential to other racing series across the world. SAFER Barriers and the mandatory HANS device has helped save many lives in vicious crashes. The investment and technology installed at tracks within the schedule have already been tested many times, but other changes have not been taken as well.

    The Car of Tomorrow made its debut at Bristol in 2007, and Kyle Busch, the winner of the race, said the new car “sucked”. The year before, Waltrip called the car “ugly” and even gave a perspective as a team owner wondering why the designers couldn’t take the technology in the Car of Tomorrow and put them into their current generation cars to save teams “$2 to $4 million dollars a year”.

    The biggest controversy for today’s package in the 2019 season has been the high downforce, high drag and low horsepower racing. Qualifying sessions have been all about drafting for the best run instead of the fastest lap and the practice sessions have given teams little information about race day. And during the races, while we have seen more passes in the middle of the pack, there has been a “catch the leader and stall” style of racing. Fans across social media have been controversial about the new package, but they weren’t the first to say something negative. Waltrip, during the 2009 Auto Club 500, said that restrictor plates, or a draft-focused style of racing, would “destroy racing of any kind.” NASCAR had tried this before at New Hampshire, resulting in Jeff Burton leading every lap in 2000.

    #2 – The Closest Finish in Cup History

    The year before the Chase was introduced into NASCAR, there was a lot of scuffle about many things regarding NASCAR. One was the debate of taking the iconic Labor Day race weekend away from Darlington, and fans fought hard to keep the grassroots tradition with the Southern 500. The Lady in Black had bigger plans when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first visited the egg-shaped raceway in March of 2003.

    The battle between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch would not only be one of the most exciting and closest finishes in the history of NASCAR, but would subtly have fans remember the most classic of lines in motorsports history; “Have you ever? No, I’ve never!”

    #1 – From Tearful Joy to Tear-Filled Sorrow

    Who would have ever guessed that Waltrip’s first race from the booth would be one that would change NASCAR as my generation would know it. NASCAR on FOX kicked off the season with the 2001 Daytona 500, and what would be a special day for the Waltrip family would quickly be overshadowed by the death of Dale Earnhardt. As Michael Waltrip crossed the line to win his first Daytona 500, televisions across the nation would hear the cheer of older brother Darrell proclaiming, “Mikey! Mikey!”

    A few brief moments later, Waltrip would look to the left and say the sorrowful words, “I just hope Dale’s okay. I guess he’s alright, isn’t he?”

    And one week after NASCAR’s darkest hour, Waltrip stood on the front stretch at Rockingham Speedway to share a prayer for fans in the stands (or in attendance) and around the globe.

    “Lord, our hearts are hurting. We’ve lost a great friend, and it all seems so unfair. People ask us how can we go out and race today. We can do that first of all because we know that’s what Dale would want us to do, and second of all, because Lord we know without a doubt that he is dwelling in your house and will forevermore. Amen.”

    It’s not just Waltrip’s calls from the booth, his memories of racing history or his race wins and championships that made him a NASCAR Hall of Fame member. It is also his personal care and attention to every single member in the garage and to all the fans across the world on a weekly basis. All of this and more will be be missed when Waltrip calls his last race.

  • The White Zone: FOX is giving the Daytona 500 the wrong vibe with ‘Daytona Day’

    The White Zone: FOX is giving the Daytona 500 the wrong vibe with ‘Daytona Day’

    “A letter to FOX Sports…”

    Dear FOX Sports,

    STOP TRYING TO MAKE “Daytona Day” A THING! IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

    Sincerely,
    Tucker White

    *Reading a book*…*Looks at the audience* What?

    Okay, I have more to say.

    FOX Sports brought their “Daytona Day” ad campaign back this year to promote the 59th running of the Daytona 500. It’s as cheesy and silly as you’d expect and tries to give off an atmosphere of a party environment for NASCAR’s biggest race. You can find it on YouTube at “Happy #DaytonaDay! | The Daytona 500 on FOX” if you wish to check it out ( and if you missed it during the Super Bowl).

    Here’s the problem FOX. You’re giving off the wrong mood.

    A party atmosphere works if you’ve just finished a particularly hard 40-hour week at the office and need a few drinks. The type of people “Daytona Day” appeals to might tune into the Daytona 500 for a “party event,” although it’s worth noting that last year’s race was down 14 percent in ratings and 15 percent in viewership compared to 2015 despite this ad campaign (Sports Media Watch), but it won’t draw them in long term. Doing so is vital for the long-term sustainability of a sport that’s been on a downhill slide in television ratings and at track attendance for a decade now.

    The way FOX should go is making every race, especially the Daytona 500, feel like a truly epic event. What I mean by that is an ad campaign that makes the hair raise off your skin and sends shivers down your spine.

    The music for it shouldn’t be corny. It should be performed by an orchestra and sung by a choir.

    The song should also be high energy, such as “Dies Irae” and “O Fortuna.”

    And the best part is that all these classical songs are public domain. You don’t have to clear it with anyone over copyright for usage.

    FOX, if you wish to have your own song for the occasion, that would also work. It should be something along the lines of one of the classical songs I listed or another high energy song, such as “Duel of the Fates.”

    Or how about tap into the creative well that is YouTube. There are a number of YouTubers who make NASCAR related videos either for fun or as their living. Some of them make promos for races that are on par, or sometimes better than what FOX and NBC are producing.

    You don’t believe me? Then check out this video by a user named Balto Racing.

    I mean this with 100 percent sincerity when I say that this promo Balto made for the 2014 Daytona 500 is hands down the best NASCAR promo I’ve ever seen. Everything from the music and visuals just screams NASCAR with this.

    Now as someone who consumes other forms of mass media when I’m not covering NASCAR, I know marketing is not an exact science and what I’m talking about is subjective. Everybody has their own likes and dislikes.

    But the way we counteract that is doing the equivalent of “making your character interesting and identifiable,” and not trying to be “hip” and “KEWL!” In other words, the promos should make NASCAR races seem epic and larger than life, not the latest fad.

    BOTTOM LINE: FOX, you’re going about promoting the biggest race in NASCAR wrong, but it’s an easy problem to solve.

  • The White-Zone: Stop Whining About “Daytona Day”

    The White-Zone: Stop Whining About “Daytona Day”

    “The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading…” and I need to tell everyone to calm down with the freakout over “Daytona Day.”

    From time to time, NASCAR nation gets embroiled in some ridiculous discussions like the Confederate flag and the restart zone. By far the most ridiculous discussion of all still belongs to the damn restart zone, but the uproar over Daytona Day is a close second.

    For those of you who weren’t watching the NFC Championship Game this past Sunday, FOX ran a one-minute promo for the upcoming 58th running of the Daytona 500. If you didn’t get to see it, here it is.

     

    As you can see, it’s basically a promo aimed at people my age who love to socialize and have fun while watching sporting events. It’s not meant for those of us who are diehard fans of NASCAR and already had the Daytona 500 circled on our calendars. While I think it’s a little cheesy, I know people to whom this would appeal nicely. It’s basically saying get your friends together for a Daytona 500 viewing party like you would for the Super Bowl.

    Judging from the reaction of the fans already here, you would think FOX took a truck full of bibles, dumped them into a hole, doused them with gasoline and lit a match.

    Fans were taking to Twitter to bitch and moan about a promo saying it doesn’t portray NASCAR fans the right way, it doesn’t depict the NASCAR experience and that it didn’t make any mention that Pope Pius XII died of heart failure on Oct. 9, 1958.

    Some even said that this was the final straw and that they’ll never watch NASCAR again.

    As I said in the lede, “get a grip!” This isn’t Augusta National where only the select few can enter. This is a sport with a fan base whose average age is 50 (Sports Business Journal).

    Just like the human body, sports need new blood to keep the sport going. Our fan base isn’t getting any younger and we need people my age to get into the sport. Some of us weren’t born into families that already watched NASCAR religiously. Those people like myself had to find our love for racing on our own.

    A lot of the old school fans have attacked the people in the ads as a bunch of yuppies who wouldn’t stay for the entire 36 race season. Even if that were the case, the Daytona 500 is the biggest race of the year for us. We should be getting as many freaking eyeballs as possible in front of the TV sets every February.

    Let me put it to you another way. NASCAR races every season average around 4 million viewers. Let’s say you throw a viewing party for the Daytona 500 and invite 20 people to watch it. If even just four of them are converted and continue watching for the next 35 weeks, that’s 16-million new people introduced to the sport we all love.

    I understand that the old guard doesn’t want to acknowledge their time has come and gone. I understand that they don’t want to feel like NASCAR isn’t catering to them anymore. I’ve been following this sport long enough to qualify as a “legacy fan” so I get it. I also feel there needs to be a balance between serving those fans that got NASCAR here and serving those who are just starting their journey as fans into NASCAR. But the fact is the legacy fans aren’t going to live forever and what worked back in the day doesn’t work for my generation.

    In any sport, the last and probably most important responsibility of the old guard is to help facilitate and initiate the new guard to take over. It can’t work, however, if you’re not willing to welcome those new guns and new ideas into the mix. Last year when Kansas Speedway announced that it had partnered with Nickelodeon to call the Kansas spring race the SpongeBob SquarePants 400, so many people turned their nose up at it saying it makes it too much for kids. To which I say, that was the whole point. What is wrong with using companies like Nickelodeon to help us market to children? I loved it because I grew up watching shows like SpongeBob and to a degree still enjoy it as an adult. A lot of the current stuff is crap, but it still brings in the youth that this sport desperately needs.

    I found my love of NASCAR through a show called NASCAR Racers. Yeah, remember that show from back in 1999? When I discovered that this show was based on a real sport, I started tuning in and that’s how I’m here.

    The bottom line is it’s ridiculous to get so worked up about a promo aimed at getting new blood into the sport we all love because the fan base is one of the oldest in professional sports. I’m not saying you have to like every new idea or new marketing campaign, but don’t get so worked up over a promo for one of the biggest races in all of racing because it’s cheesy and doesn’t include the fight of Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison in 1979. If you just stand around with your finger in your nose and do nothing, expect to get left behind.

    My plane is about to take off so I must wrap this up. Until next time, I’ll leave you with this fact. The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction was $1.3 million.

    The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and may or may not represent the views of Speedway Media.

  • NASCAR and Monster Mile Give Voice to Autism Speaks

    NASCAR and Monster Mile Give Voice to Autism Speaks

    There is no doubt that one of NASCAR’s greatest charitable partnerships has been with Dover International Speedway and Autism Speaks, an organization devoted to helping those impacted by autism. But with the diagnosis on the rise, including one in 88 children affected, NASCAR and the Monster Mile have helped Autism Speaks find an even stronger voice.

    Although Dover International Speedway forged the partnership with Autism Speaks seven years ago, this year marked the  third straight year FedEx joined the effort to team up with the speedway and Autism Speaks. The track hosted multiple charity auctions and a track walk to benefit the NASCAR Foundation and Autism Speaks, which raised money for the cause.

    The Monster Mile even created a program that has all of the race participants sporting the Autism Speaks decal, which has brought huge awareness to the cause.

    But even more important has been the awareness raised by the NASCAR community and Dover International Speedway over the years of the partnership with Autism Speaks. And for many in the NASCAR community, that awareness has been very personal.

    “I have an 18 year old son with autism who talks about NASCAR all the time,” Artie Kempner, Coordinating Director of NASCAR on Fox, said. “This partnership between NASCAR, Dover International Speedway and Autism Speaks came together in 2007.”

    “When FedEx came on board, it’s just grown,” Kempner continued. “The awareness is that much greater.”

    “Autism is not a foreign word to them,” Kempner said. “Families know autism is not a hopeless situation.”

    “To be involved with NASCAR is phenomenal because this community gets behind these types of causes,” Kempner continued. “There is no better sport for community involvement like this than NASCAR.”

    For NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, increasing awareness using his NASCAR celebrity is also critical. In fact, McMurray currently stars in an Autism Speaks and Ad Council Public Service Announcement campaign for the cause.

    “My niece is 15 years old now and is affected by autism,” McMurray said. “My Foundation has done what we can to create awareness and I will continue work hard for the cause.”

    One of the most significant impacts that NASCAR has made in partnership with Autism Speaks is in the area of advocacy. In fact, the organization is currently working on new laws throughout the country thanks to a NASCAR connection with Lori Unumb, who was the 2012 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner and now serves as the VP of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks

    “My oldest child Ryan, who is twelve, is severely affected by autism,” Unumb said. “To help his situation, I wrote a law, called Ryan’s law, to require health insurance coverage for children with autism.”

    “The law was passed in South Carolina and Autism Speaks brought me on board to help replicate that law in all fifty states,” Unumb continued.  So, that’s what I do now in trying to pass that law.”

    Unumb credits her work and the partnership with NASCAR as being able to open many more legislative doors.

    “When you go into a state legislature for a new law, years ago you had to start with what is autism,” Unumb said. “These days, when I go into the state legislature, everyone knows what autism is.”

    “That makes it easier to focus on what do we need to do to remedy this problem,” Unumb continued. “NASCAR has done so much autism awareness and that has been immensely helpful in my advocacy work.”

    Unumb is also most appreciative of not only the exposure that her NASCAR award has brought but also for the financial impact it has had on her work.

    “It’s hard to express the impact of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award on my life,” Unumb said. “My husband and I founded an autism academy which was the recipient of a $100,000 charitable donation from the NASCAR Foundation.”

    “The financial impact alone has been incredible but more than that, I’ve had a continuing relationship with NASCAR,” Unumb continued. “The platform the sport has raised for autism awareness has been incredible.”

    “I encourage others to apply for this award.”

    But perhaps the best part of the partnership with Autism Speaks is the model program developed by Dover International Speedway at track that is now being used in many other sports venues. The Monster Mile has  pioneered a quiet zone where children and young adults can come and enjoy the race without having sensory overload.

    “The great thing for Ethan is that he will be in an environment where he will be able to handle all the stimulus at the track,” Kempner said. “A lot of kids with autism have issues with sensory situations so this is an environment that is created for them and their families.”

    “This environment is so welcoming,” Kempner continued. “This really worked last year and we doubled the number of families that have participated.”

    Lisa Goring, VP of Family Services for Autism Speaks, agreed that the special area developed by the speedway for the group makes all the difference as to whether or not kids and families can attend events like this.

    “NASCAR and Dover are so welcoming to our families,” Goring said. “The sensory friendly room at the track made the race accessible to the whole family and to kids with autism.”

    “It is a personal issue for me too as my youngest Andrew, who is 16 years old, has autism,” Goring continued. “NASCAR is a sport that is so inviting and inclusive of families.”

    “So, to have that opportunity to enjoy the sport here at the Monster Mile with my family is really what it is all about.”

    The initiative at the speedway has been so innovative and inclusive of those with autism that other sports have begun to replicate their efforts.

    “This model of the quiet zones has worked well with other leagues,” Alec Elbert, Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Autism Speaks, said. “We used the model in major league baseball where we had a quiet area for Autism Speaks in each of the thirty parks and that is still ongoing.”

    “It really helps to give the families a way to come out and see the event.”

    “We have the opportunity to change the landscape for millions of families around the world,” Elbert continued. “This is an amazing program with the entire NASCAR community.”

    “It’s a once in a lifetime partnership between Autism Speaks, Dover International Speedway and NASCAR,” Elbert said. “It’s unparalleled.”

    “When they see the needs and then the pure joy of the kids who love NASCAR racing, everyone involved is so committed,” Elbert continued. “The looks on these kids’ faces are priceless.”

    “NASCAR, the Monster Mile, and Autism Speaks working together is a real gift.”

     

     

     

     

  • Monster Mile Makes Monster Smiles with Autism Speaks Day at the Races

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]The Monster Mile, otherwise known as Dover International Speedway, has partnered for the past several years with Autism Speaks, a nonprofit organization with the mission of raising funds for and calling attention to this spectrum disorder.

    But this weekend, Dover took that partnership to a completely new level, creating an innovative, first of its kind ever autism-friendly NASCAR race track experience.

    Families with children along the autism spectrum were provided special race seating in the Monster Mile’s air-conditioned grandstands, with dedicated quiet spaces for children to get away from the frenzy if they became over-stimulated.

    “We created an autism-friendly NASCAR experience at the track and that’s never been done before,” Gary Camp, Sr. Director of Communications, Dover International Speedway, said. “For a first-time event, there’s been a lot of planning.”

    “There’s a quiet zone where, if the kids get overwhelmed, they can go,” Camp continued. “Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has donated some bean bags and we’ve got toys that Toys R Us donated.”

    “It’s just a real fun atmosphere.”

    The children and their families were also treated to special appearances by NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson, sporting the No. 48 Lowe’s Madagascar car this weekend, and Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevrolet, whose family has a close connection to the issue of autism.

    “It is always a nice feeling to make an appearance like that,” McMurray said. “It is something that is so simple for me to do.”

    “To see the excitement on the faces in that room really makes you feel special,” McMurray continued. “I know that I really appreciate what Dover International Speedway and the Autism Speaks group does to host all the families for this event and I am just glad that I can do something to put a smile on someone’s face.”

    McMurray has been so committed to this cause because of his family’s involvement that he also has recorded a public service announcement for the cause.

    “I have received so much positive feedback from friends and fans on the public service announcement that we did for Autism Speaks, with my niece who has autism,” McMurray said. “It is just a small part to try and promote awareness about autism and to encourage the public to learn the early warning signs.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsqXDSJZVMY

    “Autism Speaks is the largest and leading science and advocacy organization in the world, founded seven years ago,” Mark Roithmayr, President of Autism Speaks, said. “We are a $60 million organization, funding research, awareness, advocacy and family services, all to combat the fact that one in 88 children in the United States are being diagnosed with autism.”

    “First and foremost, Autism Speaks and our autism community are blessed by Dover,” Roithmayr said. “We’re blessed with NASCAR. We’re blessed with FedEx, who for the second year in a row are sponsoring this.”

    “It’s been six years ago when NASCAR and Dover first came to us and said they wanted to make us the beneficiaries of that sponsorship and call this the Autism Speaks 400.”

    “Denis McGlynn (President and CEO, Dover Motorsports), Mark Rossi (Vice President Sales and Marketing, Dover Motorsports), and Artie Kempner (Executive Producer, NASCAR on FOX) who is involved with Autism Delaware saw that autism was becoming a big issue for their families.
    Roithmayr continued. “So, they came to us and said they would like to offer the opportunity for lots of awareness and promotion and that it was important to their fans.”

    “NASCAR, of all the sports, has a tremendous heart and soul and came to us.”

    “Dover has been incredible,” Roithmayr said. “Since that first year, we always tried to do something to encourage families with autism to come out to the track.”

    “So many of the families tell us their children love NASCAR and they wanted to be part of the experience. We tried a couple of different locations but with autism, the noise, the smells and the sensory experiences were overwhelming, Roithmayr continued. “So, to have a grandstand that was air conditioned, price the tickets at $88 for the adults to symbolize one in 88 who have autism and $20 for the children, and an area buffeted from the over-sensory part of NASCAR but still a part of it, has been amazing.”

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”186″][/media-credit]“There is a quiet room, where the lights are muted, with toys that are specially designed from our good friends at Toys R Us for kids from autism,” Roithmayr said. “The last piece is that we are going to have a series of special presentations for the families, presenting on science, services, and family support. We even have a young man with autism who graduated from college who will talk about what his life has been like.”

    “We are so blessed.”

    In addition to Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray, team owners Coach Joe Gibbs and his son J.D. Gibbs also made appearances to interact with the children and their families for the Autism Speaks day at the Monster Mile.