By Rick Houston
When Darrell Waltrip went to Rick Hendrick in May of 1990, he was taking a huge leap of faith.
During the meeting, Waltrip told his team owner and friend that he planned to leave Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season in order to form his own operation. It was a big step, but a gamble he felt worth the risk.
But then … then came a terrible July accident during practice at Daytona, which left him with a badly broken leg and elbow, in addition to a concussion. For the first time in his career, Waltrip’s injuries forced him out of his race car.
The timing couldn’t have been worse … or so he thought. Still nursing his injuries, and down to a gaunt 150 pounds or so because of the accident, Waltrip met with representatives of Western Auto.
One thing led to another, and they agreed on a partnership.
This is Darrell 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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