On his birthday, NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip gave the keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning in Washington, DC, addressing a crowd that included President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and 4,000 attendees from 170 countries. As Waltrip prepares to broadcast his 15th Daytona 500 on FOX, he paused to reflect on the path that brought him to 84 wins, tied for fourth on the all-time list with fellow Hall of Fame member Bobby Allison and behind Hall of Famers Richard Petty and David Pearson, as well as future member of the club Jeff Gordon. Waltrip recalled a conversation with Petty that made him think about changing his ways. “Richard Petty once told me, “I don’t know how you keep a sponsor. You’re so unpopular with the fans. I don’t know how you keep a sponsor.’ This is Richard Petty. He’s the icon of our sport. He’s the king of our sport. I wanted to be king, but I went at it all the wrong ways,” Waltrip said. “This is what people said about me. They said I was brash, ruthless, pushy, cocky, conceited, aloof, boastful, arrogant and just downright annoying,” Waltrip said. “And I’ve go to tell you, those were people that liked me so you can imagine what people that didn’t like me had to say about me.” After dominating the sport and winning 24 races, 18 poles and two consecutive championships in 1981 and 1982, Waltrip suffered a crash in the 1983 Daytona 500 that changed his life. “When I finally came to or woke up, I realized that that wreck had knocked me unconscious,” Waltrip said. “It scared the hell out of me, and I mean that literally. I realized that I could have been killed that day. What if I’d lost my life right there that day at Daytona? What would I have done? Would I have gone to heaven? “I thought I was a pretty good guy, but folks, let me tell you something. Good guys go to hell.” The Waltrips started going to church together, and he said his life changed for the better. The National Prayer Breakfast has been held annually since 1953, when the United States Senate and House of Representatives met with President Eisenhower to discuss privately his experience with the “Almighty” on D-Day. Every U.S. president since Eisenhower has participated.(NASCAR.com)(2-5-2015)
