by Darrell Waltrip

Racing is a family affair for the Waltrips. (Darrell Waltrip Motorsports / Getty Images)

I think about my Dad every day and with Sunday being Father's Day, it's a really special day to me. It's even more so because I am dad, having two beautiful daughters in Jessica and Sarah.

Dads are kind of different. Your Mom takes care of you and watches over you. Dads on the other hand are providers. My Dad spent his whole life working at the Pepsi Cola plant in Owensboro, KY., to provide for us five kids. For you new fans to NASCAR, there are five Waltrips: I am the oldest, followed by Caroline, Bobby, Connie and of course, the baby of the family, Michael.

Normally when you go to your dad before Father's Day and ask him what he wants, he would probably say "I don't need a thing." They just want their kids to be happy and healthy. That's just how Dads are.

In our family, while we never wanted for the basics or essentials, we never had the frills. But let me tell you, when Dad and I saw that go-kart on sale for the very first time, we drooled over it. We couldn't afford to pay cash for it. We didn't have a credit card, so what Daddy did was sign a note at the store to pay so much a month on it. I always laugh when I think about that because my Dad was always the classic example of it didn't matter how much it cost, he just wanted to know what the monthly payments were.

So Daddy and I come home with that first go-kart and we were sky high. We had visions of this leading us to winning the Daytona 500 someday, fame, glory and money. Now Mama on the other hand, she had a vision too, but it was of bankruptcy. She could tell right away that we were going to go way overboard on this whole deal.

It was love at first sight. (Darrell Waltrip Motorsports / Special to FOXSports.com)

She's also sitting there doing the math in her head — behind me there were four other little birds with their mouths open wondering where they were going to get their food from if we spend all this money on the go-kart.

So Daddy and I went down the racing path. Mom on the other hand was pretty reluctant about the whole thing. She didn't want to see me get hurt. More importantly, she didn't see how we could afford it. That's the difference in moms and dads. Dads will go out on a limb and take a chance and I see it in the garage area every Sunday.

I see all these dads standing with their race car driver sons, basking in what their sons have accomplished. Whether it's the Loganos, the McMurrays, the Truexs, the Newmans or whomever, dads are right there. Let me give you a quick example: David Ragan's dad, Ken, sold his prized 1966 Corvette just to help fund David's early racing career. That's the sacrifice he was willing to make for his son. The neat part of the story is now that David has made it to NASCAR's top tier, he tracked down the Corvette last year, bought it back and gave it to his father. That's just one example of many you'll find in the garage area.

Our Dad was like that. Between me and Michael, Daddy was at a racetrack almost every weekend. He enjoyed what we were doing. He supported us any way he could. If he were still with us, he would be having a ball right now with all the success Michael Waltrip Racing is enjoying this year. He'd probably end up in the booth with me sometime too.

Our dad was a character. He didn't leave anything on the table. When we lost him 10 years ago to cancer, he pretty much had done everything he ever wanted to do. He truly was one that lived life to the fullest. He was also very proud of how all five of us kids turned out.

Its Father's Day weekend and I miss my Dad. I think back to when the doctor told him he had cancer. Daddy was a chain smoker and so he had to give that up. Then the doctor told him he had to give up alcohol but he was allowed to have one drink a week — but just one.

Well out of nowhere, Daddy started taking a liking to Mexican food and for the longest time we never could figure out why. Well come to find out, he would try every Mexican restaurant to see who had the biggest margaritas in town. He would go there and they would bring him a margarita that looked to be in a glass the size of a fishbowl. That was Daddy's one drink a week. It was only one, but he made sure it was a week's worth.

I miss my Dad. He was a great man and meant the world to us five kids. If your dad is still alive, give him a hug this weekend or call him on the phone and tell him you love him. Let him know you appreciate him and appreciate all the sacrifices he made for you. Whether you know it or not, your dad has made a lot of sacrifices just for you. That's what dads are for.