Michael Waltrip’s career got off the ground in 1981 when he captured the Mini-Modified division track championship at Kentucky Motor Speedway. A year later, he entered the Goody’s Dash Series, where he won the championship in 1983 and was voted the most popular driver in 1983 and 1984.
Waltrip made his Cup debut in 1985 and completed his first full-time Cup season in 1986. Michael credits his Busch Series win at Bristol in 1993 as his most memorable racing moment. After taking the checkered flag he drove the first ever Polish victory lap in honor of Alan Kulwicki and then proposed to his wife in Victory Lane.
Michael’s first Cup victory was at the 2001 Daytona 500. Michael won the Daytona 500 again in 2003 and has a total of 4 Cup victories to his credit.
In his spare time, Waltrip is a big fan of the Carolina Panthers and an avid runner. He has run the Kiawah Island, Boston, and Tampa marathons. In 2005, Michael ran in the Las Vegas marathon in an effort to raise $1 million for the Victory Junction Gang Camp through the Michael and Buffy Waltrip charitable foundation. |
