By Rick Houston
Twelve wins and a Winston Cup championship in a single season is the stuff dreams are made of. Doing it two years in a row is legendary.
Still, expecting such lofty success every year almost always leads to only disillusionment and disappointment. Anything short of those kinds of gaudy numbers just isn’t good enough.
Essentially, that’s what happened with Darrell Waltrip’s run with Junior Johnson & Associates. In 1981 and 1982, their first two years together, could not possibly have turned out better. But when they failed to make it to the top of the mountain the next couple of years, the shine of the brand-new penny began to fade.
Even though Waltrip captured his third Winston Cup championship with Johnson in 1985, his win total dropped to “just” three. The writing wasn’t exactly on the wall yet, but the pencil was being sharpened.
Rick Hendrick came calling in 1986, with the offer of a ride with his fledgling operation. When Waltrip told Johnson of the deal, that was that. Waltrip would be moving on.
This is Waltrip’s story.
For more than 32 years, Grand National/Winston Cup/NASCAR Scene writers and photographers were there to record NASCAR history as it was being made. Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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