By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip has been named the 2019 recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award.
The Myers Brothers Award is determined by a vote of the NMPA membership and has been awarded annually since 1958. It recognizes individuals and groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.
The award, named in honor of former NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers, was presented Dec. 5 during the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards banquet held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Waltrip’s list of contributions to stock car racing is extensive.
The three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion began his racing career in go-karts in 1959. Waltrip climbed the ladder to stock cars, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the sport at the top level of NASCAR in the early 1970s.
In a 30-year career behind the wheel, the Owensboro, Kentucky native earned 84 victories and three championships in 1981, 1982, and 1985. All of those championships came while Waltrip drove Chevrolets for Junior Johnson, also a NMPA Hall of Fame inductee.
“I had no idea, this is a huge surprise,” Waltrip admitted. “To tell you the truth, Stevie (his wife) and I almost didn’t come. That would have been really embarrassing. This is a thrill. What a thrill. I thought retirement, kind of, sucked. But maybe with these things before I me, I will enjoy it a little more.
“I am really humbled for this award. I am really appreciative, thank you so much.”
In addition to his tenure with Johnson, Waltrip also drove for Bud Moore, DiGard Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Travis Carter, as well as several attempts as a driver-owner.
Waltrip was named the Driver of the Year in 1979, 1981, and 1982. He was later named Driver of the Decade for the 1980s. Waltrip won the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award in 1989 and 1990. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.
After Waltrip retired from competition at the end of the 2000 season, he stepped into the broadcast booth for NASCAR on FOX. There, he has worked as an analyst and race commentator until he retired at the completion of FOX Sports’ 2019 NASCAR broadcast season.