"Best surprise a man could ever get" - When Darrell Waltrip stood in shock before Hall of Fame induction

About 13 years ago, NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip received three big surprises in a matter of days. He found out he would be a grandfather for the first time and received a surprise visit from his other daughter in the Philippines a day before he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Darrell Waltrip, who competed in NASCAR between 1972 and 2000, is one behind Bobby Allison for fifth place in all-time Cup wins, at 84 races. He earned 59 pole positions and won three championships in the series (1981, 1982, 1985). After retiring, he worked as a NASCAR TV broadcaster for about two more decades.

The night before his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in January 2012, he found his younger daughter, Sarah, standing in his hotel room. He was so shocked that he didn’t recognize her at first, and his wife worried he might pass out. Then, he hugged her daughter and cried.

"I think I've seen Elvis a couple of times, and I think I've seen the Lord a couple of times, but I'd never seen anything like that. Best surprise a man could ever get," Darrell Waltrip said via Sports Illustrated.

Sarah had traveled 25 hours just to be there before returning to help flood victims.

"What I always dreamed of" - Darrell Waltrip on being inducted with Dale Inman and Glenn Wood

Darrell Waltrip began racing as a teenager and later moved to Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, Stevie, to race in NASCAR. After retiring from racing in 2001, he worked as a TV analyst for the sport till 2019.

During a 2012 interview at the DW Show, he talked about his induction into the Hall of Fame alongside Glen Wood, Dale Inman, Richie Evans, and Cale Yarborough.

"You know, they've had two classes prior, and I think getting in this class, the third class, has made it even better because it, you know, you had to wait. And it's like everything you do—you know, when you have to wait for something, it makes it that much sweeter," Darrell Waltrip said (00:05 onwards).

"And being inducted with the group I'm inducted with today, I mean, Dale Inman has been a hero of mine. Glenn Wood, I mean, these guys are heroes of mine. That I being in here and looking at all these pictures, these cars, this is what I aspired to be. I aspired to be one of these guys, to race the same tracks they raced, to hoist the same trophies they hoist. That was what I always dreamed of," he added.

Inman was the crew chief of NASCAR legend Richard Petty, they won seven Cup championships and 188 races together in the 1970s. Meanwhile, Wood was the founder of the Wood Brothers Racing team and raced for 11 years in the 1950s and 1960s.