Darrell Waltrip has touched upon his rookie NASCAR season with Bud Moore Engineering in a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast "Dale Jr. Download". The former NASCAR driver shared how he failed to meet Bud Moore's expectations in the 1970s.
Waltrip made his debut in the Cup Series after Moore brought him as a replacement for Bobby Isaac, already a renowned driver back then who decided to retire from the sport. Following this, Moore appointed an unpolished Waltrip in his race-winning car.
However, Waltrip's start for Moore's team in the series in 1972 didn't go as planned. The debutant driver failed to use Moore's winning car and wrecked most races. Recalling the stories from the '70s in the podcast, Waltrip said:
"I'm supposed to win every race, that's all I know. That's a winning car that's a winning car owner. I'm supposed to win every race. But anyway, Bud called me and it was kinda hard because it was '73, and I was just getting my act together, and Bud wanted me to drive his car, and I thought, 'Man I don't know, do I want my name on the front of the check, or do I want my name on the back of the check?'" [36:50]
"I couldn't make up my mind. But I figured the back was a lot better than the front. So I went, drove his car for eight or 10 races, and I wrecked every week. I didn't go well at all," Darrell Waltrip added.
In total, Darrell Waltrip raced five times for Bud Moore Engineering in 1972 where he racked up a Top 5, and three Top 10s, along with two DNFs. In 1973, the former NASCAR driver participated in 19 races and got wrecked in 11 of them. In the 19 races, he registered a Top 5, and five Top 10s.
A dive into Darrell Waltrip's illustrious NASCAR career
Darrell Waltrip is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (Winston era) after he claimed the titles in 1981, 1982, and 1985. A NASCAR Hall of Famer, he is also a part of NASCAR's Greatest 50 and 75 Drivers. His illustrious Cup Series statistics consist of 809 races over 29 years, where he claimed 84 race wins, 59 pole positions, and 390 Top 10s.
Waltrip also had short stints in NASCAR Xfinity, Craftsman Truck, and Grand National East Series with 13 wins in the Xfinity. His number of Cup Series wins put him fifth on NASCAR's all-time wins list behind Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jeff Gordon, and Bobby Allison.