NASCAR

FOX Sports Exclusive

Young driver likes old track

Share This Story

Darrell Waltrip

Legendary stock car driver Darrell Waltrip — winner of 84 career NASCAR Cup Series races and a three-time champion — serves as lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX. He was selected for induction into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012. Want more from DW? Become a fan on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.

MORE>>
 
Updated Dec 13, 2008 1:36 PM ET
     
 
You know folks, every time I have been to Darlington Raceway for the last 30 years, I think about who was going to win the race or who had a shot at winning, who could handle that tough old track or who would be around at the end — I think about people like David Pearson, the track's winningest driver. He was always crafty and always cautious. You might not hear a lot out of him early in the race, but there at the end of the race David would show up there at the front of the field. Other names that quickly come to mind are Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt Sr. It was guys like this that had so much success there and they all did it the same way. They raced the race track and stayed out of trouble. They let the race come to them, which is usually what you do at Darlington. When you saw someone driving aggressively and hustling a race car, you just knew they probably wouldn't last. They would usually end up beating themselves. Saturday night you heard Greg Biffle's crew chief tell his driver not worry about letting Kyle Busch by because he wouldn't be there at the end of the race with the way he was driving. That's a perfect example of what I am talking about. That's the old Darlington and that's how I kind of thought Saturday night would go. Remember this, when we looked at that track, with these new cars and that smooth, fast surface, well, you can see where we were coming from. There were an incredible amount of unknowns. There were so many things leading into Saturday night's race that you might think it was going to be a disaster. So they throw the green flag and in the first couple laps you had Elliot Sadler wrecking and taking Tony Stewart with him. I have passed a million cars going down on the apron, but that's where the cross-over move came into play. Let the guy on the inside go and enter that corner real hard. He then would slide up the hill and you cut under him, pass him and go on. That's what we anticipated happening there because that's always what has happened in the past. Well, guess what? With this new surface, this new car plus the tires they had, they were able to do things at Darlington Saturday night that I had never seen before. I have never seen so many cars running so fast and bouncing off the wall — but they just kept going! I have to tell you something. There is not another wall in racing that has been used like the ones in Darlington. If you just look at all the cars that got into the wall over the three days the Nationwide and Cup teams were in Darlington, there simply isn't another wall in racing that gets used and abused like the Lady In Black does. It doesn't matter if it's concrete, guardrail or the SAFER Barrier, the Darlington Stripe lives and lives large at that place. The beautiful thing about this new car is that you can literally lie against the wall and rub the side of that car on the SAFER Barrier and get away with it. I think it is all that foam protectant in the right side of the car. I think the way the car is built and the SAFER Barrier just complement each other. I have never seen a car hit the wall and continue racing the way I saw Kyle Busch's hit the wall Saturday night. Sparks flew, dust flew and the car jumped up in the air and he should have been out of the race, but he never lost the lead. That's a tribute to him and his driving ability. It's also a tribute to the car and how tough that thing is. This car will definitely take a licking and keep on ticking. From the start of the race we got the early caution, but then it basically settled down and it became casual contact. You can actually get away with casual contact at Darlington now.

Around the field

  • What did you think when Dale Earnhardt took the lead? Wasn't that Mountain Dew car a thing of beauty? I've said it before and I am sticking to it, I still believe he will win at least six races this year. I thought Saturday night was a good chance because the way his car looked in practice and qualifying, plus he really likes that track a lot. The team made some changes to the car between qualifying and the race and unfortunately the car never was the same.
  • It was pretty obvious that Kyle Busch was going to run the wheels off his car from the get-go. He was running qualifying laps every lap — so you automatically say, "Well, that won't last. You can't get away with that driving style here." He was putting on a heck of a show, but you just figured he wouldn't last all night long. So you kind of had a question mark over him all night.
  • The guy I watched all night long was Jeff Gordon. Jeff was hanging around the top four or five all night and that is his style. He took care of his car all night long and it didn't have a scratch on it. To me, it was a typical Jeff Gordon Darlington race. When he got the lead late in the race, I just figured he was doing what he always does at Darlington by pacing himself until it was time to go for the win. I figured he was going on to take the win but it didn't happen that way.
  • My heart breaks for Greg Biffle. That young man has had more bad luck and it is not of his own making. He had gone down there twice with Goodyear for the tire tests and Greg had the car to beat Saturday night after qualifying on the pole. He drove a brilliant race but had trouble in the pits and he was getting frustrated. Listen, I don't blame him at all. On top of all that, the car finally breaks and he is out of the race. It was just cruel and I feel sorry for him. Greg Biffle is a great driver and more importantly, he is a great guy.
  • Carl Edwards was another guy you had to watch. He started the night so far back in the field. He cautiously and methodically worked his way through the field and the next thing you know, here he is and he's a contender for the win. David Ragan is another one. All night long he was a top-10 car and he had a great finish of fifth.
  • Matt Kenseth and his team were another group that needed to stop the bleeding and get a great finish. They needed to get things turned around if they are going to make the Chase and his sixth-place finish was just what the doctor ordered.
  • Denny Hamlin had another great car but he and Martin Truex Jr. got together and I think it hurt his opportunity to win.
  • It was a great nostalgia night at Darlington on Saturday. Travis Kvapil had his Fred Lorenzen look-alike car. Bill Elliott had the David Pearson colors on his car and of course, Dale Jr. as I mentioned earlier carried my old Mountain Dew paint scheme. Travis had a great run and finished eighth. Dave Blaney was another one that needed and got a great finish. He finished ninth in the race and more importantly got back in the top 35 in points as we head to Charlotte.
  • Jeff Burton, who is second to Kyle Busch in the championship, finished 10th.
  • And give a call to Jamie McMurray, who also needed a strong run and finished 11th. Darlington does this. Guys who for the most part stay out of trouble and don't hit the wall too awfully hard will be rewarded with good finishes at Darlington.

    Ask DW

    Final thought

    Overall I thought it was great. The car complemented the track. The new surface is extraordinary. I got to drive the track Friday in my FOX Drive and Ride car and I loved the track. They have a great new tunnel and the expansion plans for the track are exciting. Track president Chris Browning and his crew down there have done a phenomenal job. I just hope ISC, which owns the track, will let them continue to improve what I think is our shrine. Darlington is a part of our history and heritage and the old girl deserves to be well taken care of.

    Oh, by the way

    So you would think that an old track and a young driver wouldn't go well together. But the new Darlington is so much faster and with Kyle's driving style, well folks, I respect his driving. I have seen him do things with race cars that I haven't seen anyone do in years. We met with Coach Gibbs and his son, J.D. and I know for a fact they are working on his interview skills. They are trying to help him with that but he is a 23-year-old kid and he is having the time of his life. He is loving life large right now. The only thing that made me feel bad was Saturday night during Driver Introductions. Yes I know folks were still upset about Richmond, but golly, cut him some slack, he was introduced with his brother and his mother. I hated that for his mom. She didn't need to hear all that, especially on Mother's Day weekend. The young man will mature and who knows he might one day be voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. Take it from me, you just never know!
    • Tagged: Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Dave Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr.

    More Stories From Darrell Waltrip

    Fantasy Auto Racing


    Trending Now

    Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

    NASCAR Videos

    DW remembers Earnhardt Posted: Feb 10, 2012
    NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip reflects on Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and previews the D...

    NASCAR Drive for Diversity Posted: Feb 09, 2012
    Meet the new class for NASCAR's 2012 Drive for Diversity Team.

    Tire Testing in Texas Posted: Feb 09, 2012
    Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle talk about testing new ...

    MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

    Fox Sports Store

      itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
      Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Gordon/browse/featuredproduct/603017/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603017_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat
      Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603057/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603057_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat
      Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Joey_Logano/browse/featuredproduct/603115/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603115_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
      Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603117/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603117_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
      Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/616723/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616723_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
      Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731363/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731363_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black
      Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731374/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731374_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
      Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/731376/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731376_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
      Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Kevin_Harvick/browse/featuredproduct/731378/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731378_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
      Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Matt_Kenseth/browse/featuredproduct/731380/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731380_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Microsoft© 2012 Microsoft