While Michael Waltrip might not have won as much as his elder brother Darrell, he did achieve quite a lot of things in the top flight of American Motorsports. With a career spanning 33 years and over 784 races, the younger Waltrip recalls that a lot of his success and development wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support of the King of NASCAR and his son among others.
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Recently, Waltrip shared an image over social media that showcased Richard and Kyle Petty along with him in it. The captions for the image read, “I’m thankful for my 40 years of knowing the Petty’s. @kylepetty #75.”
Not long after, Kyle Petty replied to the post stating, “Back at you my friend.” The interaction between the two was a wholesome thing to witness, especially considering the friendship the two have shared throughout their lives.
When Michael Waltrip moved in with the Pettys to stay with them
Early into his career, Waltrip moved in with the Pettys and stayed with them for a brief amount of time. Later on, during an interview when the former DEI driver was asked who was it that helped him the most, he promptly answered, “Physically helping me with advice and direction and a job was Richard Petty. He did a lot for me at a young age, when I needed help and direction.”
“But what Darrell accomplished made my last name mean something, and that opened up a lot of doors and gave me a lot of opportunities. So Darrell and Richard are the two main people that helped me get up and running.”
Lastly, Waltrip stated that without the support of Dale Earnhardt Sr. believing in him, possibly beyond his prime in today’s terms, he would not have achieved what he was able to in his career.
