DW to call it quits?

AdoubleU24 said:
This made me a little sad honestly...

"I don't know if I'll ever go to Daytona again. Every week I go to a track I look it and say, 'I don't know if I'll ever come back here.' This may be the last time I'm in Fontana ( California), my last time to go to Martinsville (Virginia), my last time to ever go back to Bristol.' I don't have a picture of what the future is going to look like."
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I hope the part where he says he is "healthy" is true.
 
Sad to see an end of an era but I think it was time to retire. DW's given nearly 50 years of life to Cup racing which is crazy enough. To do it in the spotlight/microscope for the majority of it and handle all the ups and downs with class makes it even more amazing.

I'd like to see Jarrett or Craven take over. DJ is great imo and keeps an older drivers perspective. Gordon was in the car recently so his views regarding the current climate carries weight with me. I always think it's funny when DW talks about car characteristics on a 1st hand basis at this point. Craven would be good partly because he was the face of the sport in a lot of ways on ESPN due to his studio work. The casual sports fans know him. He's media savy and very well spoken.

One completely off the radar personality is Marty Smith. He's well known to all sports fans who watch ESPN at this point. He's a smart guy that gets "it" in 2019. Smith loves racing/sports and would bring an interesting element to the booth imo. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea though. Not sure what his price tag would be.
 
There is no reason for DW to retire. Period. Many around here acknowledge that the technical aspects of this sport (which is what draws me to this sport BTW) are not the driving direction of its popularity (or lack thereof). Driver personalities and drama BS are what many seem to be looking for. In this context, why the hell do you need a younger personality like Jeff Gordon? Even if you were looking for a more modern perspective, I would contend that a year out of this sport with the rules changes, etc.; and you are no longer relevant. If anything, DW adds texture to the driver personal interest side...."This is what they have v. this is what we had..." DW is gone because he is a polarizing personality with a style to match. With social media, polarity tends to take a negative and destructive direction of which DW has fallen victim. Howard Cosell was one of the greatest color commentators of all time, and perhaps one of the most hated as well. Social media cannot get its collective head around that. Tearing down a HOF'er to run his ass out of the booth is not a good look for this sport.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
One completely off the radar personality is Marty Smith. He's well known to all sports fans who watch ESPN at this point. He's a smart guy that gets "it" in 2019. Smith loves racing/sports and would bring an interesting element to the booth imo. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea though. Not sure what his price tag would be.
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Marty seems to have vastly grown his status as a “personality” and I doubt ESPN would let him go. But yes, he would be a good talker, just don’t know if he’s knowledgeable enough to add anything to the conversation beyond “color”.
 
Revman said:
There is no reason for DW to retire. Period. Many around here acknowledge that the technical aspects of this sport (which is what draws me to this sport BTW) are not the driving direction of its popularity (or lack thereof). Driver personalities and drama BS are what many seem to be looking for. In this context, why the hell do you need a younger personality like Jeff Gordon? Even if you were looking for a more modern perspective, I would contend that a year out of this sport with the rules changes, etc.; and you are no longer relevant. If anything, DW adds texture to the driver personal interest side...."This is what they have v. this is what we had..." DW is gone because he is a polarizing personality with a style to match. With social media, polarity tends to take a negative and destructive direction of which DW has fallen victim. Howard Cosell was one of the greatest color commentators of all time, and perhaps one of the most hated as well. Social media cannot get its collective head around that. Tearing down a HOF'er to run his ass out of the booth is not a good look for this sport.
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Social Media literally forced Brent Musburger out after he made a comment during the 2016-17 Sugar Bowl. He suggested that the then OU running back Joe Mixon deserves a second chance after he was involved with a domestic incident a couple of years prior. Twitter blew up and Brent was gone less than a month later. Cosell's comment regarding Redskin's WR Alvin Garrett really did him in.

I'm hoping DW was not forced out rather there was some respectful terms meant. I really haven't got caught up in the drama surrounding this.. I've taken it as more of a mutual parting....
 
Revman said:
There is no reason for DW to retire. Period. Many around here acknowledge that the technical aspects of this sport (which is what draws me to this sport BTW) are not the driving direction of its popularity (or lack thereof). Driver personalities and drama BS are what many seem to be looking for. In this context, why the hell do you need a younger personality like Jeff Gordon? Even if you were looking for a more modern perspective, I would contend that a year out of this sport with the rules changes, etc.; and you are no longer relevant. If anything, DW adds texture to the driver personal interest side...."This is what they have v. this is what we had..." DW is gone because he is a polarizing personality with a style to match. With social media, polarity tends to take a negative and destructive direction of which DW has fallen victim. Howard Cosell was one of the greatest color commentators of all time, and perhaps one of the most hated as well. Social media cannot get its collective head around that. Tearing down a HOF'er to run his ass out of the booth is not a good look for this sport.
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He’s been slipping the past few years. Getting quotes wrong, not as sharp as 5 years ago and forgetting things. It will happen to all of us. Watch Ken Squier call a few laps during throwback weekend. He was getting drivers hometowns wrong, drivers in the wrong town, he thought he was in Martinsville and other things. Don’t want to see dw like that.
 
I am not going to miss DW at all and it is fine by me for him to move on. For what ever reason I have never ever liked him in the car or the booth.

PS: What that reporter wrote on DW is all mouth no brains.
No doubt in my mind DW has been good for this sport, if you do not think so, just ask him.
 
Listen, DW is a badass. Plain & simple. Fantastic race car driver and a epitome of what it means to be a kind human being.

Although recently his on air personality has become a pardody of his actual self. It’s almost like “Darrell Car-ltrip” is in the booth. It’s hokey, cringeworthy, and not good for TV analysis.

His decision was not influenced by social media and he is content. I hope he has a great retirement and can have plenty of laughs with his family for the rest of his life.
 
oldschoolnascardude1 said:
about how Fox has pushed him to say the "boogity, boogity, boogity" deal
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Really? Fox couldn't have pushed it if he hadn't trotted it out in the first place, but I no longer blame him for its longevity.
oldschoolnascardude1 said:
and how he may just go home to Franklin and stay away.
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I don't know squat about DW's personal life, but this sounds like comments I've heard from any number of people in and our of the public eye. It sounds like he has built his life around one thing and with that ending, he has no other interests to turn to. But I repeat, I don't know jack-shee-it about how he spends his time away from the track.
 
Spotter22 said:
NASCAR is where he got his start
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NASCAR.com specifically. His weekly race recaps, his during race weekend articles and insider articles during the week were some of the things I’d look forward to during my senior year of college in 08. Hell of a writer and I was excited when he got with ESPN but then espn dropped nascar coverage. I will caution the Network has turned him into the Country Bro who reports on SEC and other southern College Football but the dude is very talented.
 
Good story for the history buffs. DEI was struggling badly at that point.
"Darrell Waltrip's Career Revival At DEI"
At 51 years old, most assumed Waltrip's career was over. In the three months that Darrell drove the #1 car, he scored the second most points by a Chevrolet driver, behind only Jeff Gordon. For a team in their first year, Waltrip outscored teams from Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and even his boss Dale Earnhardt.

https://www.racing-reference.info/showblog?id=3433
 
Snappy D said:
NASCAR.com specifically. His weekly race recaps, his during race weekend articles and insider articles during the week were some of the things I’d look forward to during my senior year of college in 08. Hell of a writer and I was excited when he got with ESPN but then espn dropped nascar coverage. I will caution the Network has turned him into the Country Bro who reports on SEC and other southern College Football but the dude is very talented.
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Marty goes back a long way.
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Back to when Turner owned Nascar.com, or NOL as we called it. He used to have good conversations with the fans in threads he started about something he had written. I've been kicked off a few of them. :rolleyes: Anyways, he was the first I knew of that part took of social media even though we didn't call it that back then. I have to wonder though if he is up to date. I think I would prefer someone current, like Jamie Mac.
 
People announcing or commenting on sports get shoved aside or pushed out all the time. I’ve lost track of most. Pam Oliver got dumped in favor Erin Andrews and Phil Simms got the boot in favor of Tony Romo I think MNF either fired their booth or they quit before it happened. I think MNF will be using its 4th play by play guy in 5 years.

I don’t care if DW stays or goes as the race is the show not the personalities presenting it.
 
I wasn't a fan of DW during his driving days but he often would do an interview with humor. I could see he was a natural for the booth, he has the gift of gab and that is an important trait for an announcer that has to talk for hours. I think he has been a very good race announcer except for one thing - the baby talk to start the race. Most drivers don't get to pick how they leave the sport, DW has had a longer career that most and that says something.
 
Kinda sad to see him going away. So many things involved in his ascension to the booth, for me, personally.

I do agree with others that he’s changed, not as sharp, and becoming a bit of a characature of himself.

Truth be told I was never really a “fan” of his, starting as a driver. When he was winning, and winning a lot, he was annoying. Or simply had an annoying persona. He was like the polar opposite of Johnson, when the 48 was winning all the time, except he didnt give corporate, PC, bland, vanilla interviews ( which are annoying as well ), he ran his yap to anybody with a microphone.

In hindsight I probably should have enjoyed that time, little did I know the brash talking cup driver would be systematically weeded out in favor of corporate speaking automatrons.

Marty Smith I would enjoy in the booth, as long as it’s the MS from say 15 years ago, the one I saw recently had altered his delivery and such. He did, along with two others usually, Track Smack on the old nascar.com I think. Great stuff.

Dale JoonYer wins at Tal-A-DAY-guh!!!
 
I remember my first time seeing Waltrip race in person. It was in the early to mid 70's at New Smyrna. He arrived late with his wife Stevie and a friend of mine said "that will never last -- he'll have another woman on his arm a year from now." Guess he was off by some 45 years!
 
Good riddance, he's annoying and always has been. Hopefully he takes his even more annoying brother Michael with him into retirement.
 
I don't see any good replacements. Harvick is a good broadcaster. Jamie Mac and Labonte are studio guys not play by play.

Hopefully Fox brings Dale Jarrett or Kyle Petty over from NBC honestly.
 
A couple of points about this.

1 - First, when DW first started broadcasting however many years ago, I thought it was great. I thought he was a natural for it, being the great talker that he is along with his great knowledge of the sport.

2 - I don’t know if it was his own decision to retire or if someone else told him to. Judging from some of the questions on the NASCAR fan survey last year and the year before, it might have been someone else who at least strongly suggested that it was time for him to go. I think there are a lot of people who, while liking him a lot and appreciating what he has done for the sport are of the opinion that it was time for him to move on. I am one of those.

3 – If it WAS someone else who nudged him to retire, it was pretty much foreseeable. NASCAR is almost certainly trying to change its image to one more "mainstream" and less as that of one run by and for "country rubes".

4 – If it came down to only one Waltrip leaving, they got the WRONG Waltrip leaving. MIKEY is the one who should be retiring if only one of them could! Hopefully Mikey will go soon as well.

5- FOX better pick his replacement carefully. I like Jeff Gordon a lot and don’t think he is doing a bad job in the booth but he is sometimes bland and at times seems to stumble trying to find the right words.

6 – Who will replace DW at FOX? Dave Caldwell, in this recent “Forbes Magazine” article seems to think that it’s Harvick’s job to lose. Next to Harv, he recommends Ricky Rudd, Geoff Bodine or Tony Stewart. While Geoff Bodine and Ricky Rudd aren't names most people would immediately think of, upon further thought I’d like any of those (especially Smoke).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveca...n-could-replace-nascars-chattiest-mouthpiece/
 
I am all for Harvick , he is doing a great job on the TV side, but I personally dont want another driver added to the booth, I would like to see Larry Mac move back into his old roll( it could of been his choice to stop being a part of the road crew) or another CC to replace DW.

Personally I would love to see Harvick and Chad Knaus move into the booth when they retire , that would be a great combo I feel and both are great in their TV roles.
 
AuzGrams said:
I don't see any good replacements. Harvick is a good broadcaster. Jamie Mac and Labonte are studio guys not play by play.

Hopefully Fox brings Dale Jarrett or Kyle Petty over from NBC honestly.
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DW is like John Madden, you can replace him but it will never be the same.

My question is now how much longer will Mike stick around with DW gone? He's approaching 70 too.

Kyle Petty is underrated and one of my favorites for what he brings to the broadcast, very colorful funny, good voice, easy to listen to, and he is good at explaining things to the lay person. Let Jeff get technical for the hardcore viewer. I'm not sure how Fox could wrestle him away from NBC, but he would fit the role, and he has the necessary experience to be good off the bat.

Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace are 2 with a uniquely recognizable voice that fit the description with experience.

If it's just going to be a temporary hold over until Harvick's swan song, then Larry Mac makes sense. I wouldn't be too jazzed about Harvick taking over though, it's too redundant with Jeff there imo. Chad Knaus is an interesting option if him and Jeff have some chemistry.
 
Rusty Wallace sucks as a play by play. Admittedly good humor in a Hollywood Hotel/NBC pit box role.

Kyle and DJ are kinda wasting away at their current roles. I think KP is underrated as a commentator.
 
AuzGrams said:
Rusty Wallace sucks as a play by play. Admittedly good humor in a Hollywood Hotel/NBC pit box role.

Kyle and DJ are kinda wasting away at their current roles. I think KP is underrated as a commentator.
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Dang is he that bad? I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

KP and DJ are 1,2 for me. I want to see more of Knaus though.
 
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