"It's a blessing and a curse": When Darrell Waltrip reflected on the debate over his iconic 'boogity' call

Darrell Waltrip’s “Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let's go racing!” are arguably the most infamous and relatable words to express what the start of a NASCAR race feels like. While many people love the iconic Boogity call, some didn't, and Waltrip once came out to discuss the same.

Waltrip is a former NASCAR driver, broadcaster, and analyst who worked with FOX towards the end of his broadcasting career and retired from the sport at the end of 2019. He worked in the broadcast industry for close to two decades and made his debut in 2001.

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall Of Fame 2021 Induction Ceremony - Source: Getty

Waltrip sat with NASCAR in 2019 after his retirement and detailed the origin story of the boogity call. The broadcaster detailed how former FOX Sports chairman David Hill had a conversation with Waltrip and motivated him to come up with a call for the start of the NASCAR race.

Detailing the origin story, the former NASCAR driver said, via NASCAR:

“I was in the motorcoach on Sunday morning at Darlington, I’ll never forget, and the song, ‘The Streak,’ came on. ‘Here they come, boogity, boogity. There they go, boogity, boogity.’ I said, ‘That’s it, that’s it.’ Of course, I added one — ‘Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let’s go racin’, boys,’ and it stuck. Did I think when I did that that 19 years later, I’d still be doing that?”

Darrell Waltrip then reflected on the debate in the community over the Boogity call and expressed how some people loved it while others were of the polar opposite opinion. He added:

“It’s a blessing and a curse. Some people love it. Some people, they don’t even know how to start a race unless they start it that way. Other people think it’s the dumbest thing they’ve ever heard, so I’m caught in a trap. Some people want you to quit doing it, and other people said, ‘Please, please, don’t quit doing that!’ So you can’t make everybody happy.”

Waltrip’s NASCAR racing career spanned close to three decades, and the Kentucky-born won the championship three times in 1981, 1982, and 1985. The American accumulated 84 wins and 390 top 10s in the 809 races that he participated in.

“It took money and I didn't have any”: Darrell Waltrip detailed the early financial struggles in NASCAR

Darrell Waltrip sat down with Cory McCartney for an interview in 2012 and discussed his early racing career. Although the American was immensely successful in the series, he didn't get off to an easy start, as he explained the financial struggles that prevented him from getting a seat.

Waltrip said, via Sports Illustrated:

“I could wheel a car with anybody, but it took money and I didn't have any. I had a lot of talent and no money and that just didn't get you very far back in the day. I struggled and I did it mostly out of my own pocket with my own cars and my own people to establish myself, to let people see who I was.”

Darrell Waltrip was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 for his long-spanning career, contribution, and success as a driver.