by Darrell Waltrip

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I was with my brother Tuesday at his press conference when he announced that next year Martin Truex Jr. will drive the No. 56 NAPA Toyota full time for Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael will run a handful of races himself in the No. 55 car next year as well.

Back in 2006, I can remember Michael taking me over to a movie theater up at Exit 26 in Cornelius, N.C. I had been to that theater before plus it's right across the street from a Japanese steak house we frequent when in town. Michael proceeded to tell me that he was going to turn all of it into a race facility.

When I shook my head and asked him why, he said simply that he was following his dream of being a team owner. He saw that as his future. He knew he wasn't going to drive forever so he was planning for the day when he would have cars on the track competing for wins and championships. I have to admit I never saw that for Michael. I guess I always assumed he would drive for someone else until he got tired of that and then move onto TV or possibly even the movies. He's a pretty good actor.

Having owned my own team I had all the knowledge of the good and the bad of doing it. Trust me, the minuses are always outweighing the plusses in a deal like that. The highs were never as high as the lows were low. So I tried to discourage him. It wasn't long after that when I realized I needed to be doing just the opposite. I needed to encourage him.

I remembered back to 1990 when I told my car owner at the time, Rick Hendrick, that I wanted to leave and start my own deal. Rick said he could definitely understand my desire. He had the same dream when he bought his first car dealership, City Chevrolet, in Charlotte. It was a big gamble for him but look where he is today with his hundreds of dealerships and NASCAR's premier teams.

Rick understood my vision and my dream so I had to really stop and begin encouraging Michael and what he wanted to do. Michael tells me all the time that I worry too much. I admit it, I do but it comes from experience. I worry too much because I know what to worry about.

But as I sat up there on stage Tuesday, I spent time looking around at what was once a movie theater but is now a state-of-the-art racing facility. It has all the things necessary there to be successful. There's race cars everywhere. There are roughly 300 employees. I mean everything you need to be successful in this sport is there at their fingertips.

So I take my hat off to Michael. He has built his Rome and it only took three years. You know how you always hear us talk about NASCAR being a family sport? Well it's pretty neat that not only is David Reutimann using the No. 00 that his father and grandfather raced, but now Martin Truex Jr. will be in the No. 56, which was not only Martin's dad's car number but also Martin's as he came up through the ranks. So Michael has two families that have a great racing heritage joining the Waltrip family. That's just cool.

Like you heard me say from Day 1 when Tony Stewart announced what he wanted to do, I said we should support him. When Michael announced what he wanted to do, I said we should support him. Racers will always be there. True racers will never go away. Racers are in it for the long haul. They put their heart and soul and everything they've got on the line.

Bean counters and folks that come into NASCAR simply to make a profit never last. They just don't. At the first sign of trouble, they tuck and run. When things get hard and when the bottom line gets a little shaky, man, they are gone. Racers don't do that. Racers are all in, all the time. My brother is an example of someone that has made incredible sacrifices to do what he has done in such a short period of time.

He's trying to compete with the Hendricks, the Roushs, the Gibbs and Childresses of the world who have been in NASCAR for 25 years. Three short years ago, there wasn't Michael Waltrip Racing at all on the Cup level. Now they have three cars and one with a win and on the verge of making the 2009 Chase.

I'm envious of my baby brother. I built Darrell Waltrip Motorsports so that I could be a team owner one day and have others drive for me. It didn't work out for me. Luckily David Hill and FOX Sports came along and the rest is history as they like to say.

Members of the Waltrip family at Michael Waltrip Racing's press conference this week. (Courtesy of Darrell Waltrip Motorsports / Special to FOXSports.com)

I would wager to say that being a car owner is perfect for my brother. Sure, he acts silly in those NAPA and Aaron's commercials, but that's just acting. He is a lot more astute about the entire racing world than anyone gives him credit for. He has a great grasp on everything he is doing. I am so proud of him. There's 16 years difference in our age. He grew up in the shadow of my success and let me tell you, it wasn't always easy for him. I wasn't always there for him when he needed me because I was off doing my own deal.

I never dreamed he'd be doing what he's doing and I'd be doing what I'm doing and we would be successful. Yesterday was a fun day. I was thrilled that my other brother, my mom and my sisters could be there too.

I really love what I am seeing for the organization for the future. I spent time last weekend in Michael's NAPA pit at Daytona and I am seeing more of what Michael's vision is. He has the right people in the right places. He's got great sponsors like NAPA in place. He's also got a great lineup of drivers for next year with David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, now Martin Truex Jr. and as I mentioned, Michael in a part time role.

Congratulations, Michael. I am so proud of you plus a big welcome to Martin Truex Jr. I see only bright things on the horizon for him and the No. 56 team next year. Michael truly is building something that will stand for a long time. Remember, greatness and vision is not measured in a short period of time. It's measured over a long period of time. I can now clearly see my baby brother is in it for the long haul.

Who knows? Michael might still win a race before the end of the year. We have some tracks like Talladega coming up where he runs so well. I hope I am there when it happens. Trust me folks, when I say there is nothing sweeter than leaving the race track covered in confetti, smelling like champagne and carrying out a big honkin' trophy from the joint.