A truck used to hauler the NASCAR race car to the track sat parked for 20 years; Going through it brings treasures from a forgotten racing era
Darrell Waltrip spent 29 years at the NASCAR Cup Series level. He collected three championships and 84 wins throughout his career.
Waltrip come from a different time in NASCAR. A time when box trucks hauled the race car to the track. Such is the case with this 1971 GMC Astro.
In the video below, ‘The Garage Shop’ goes through an old hauler. The hauler was registered to Darwal, INC. (Darrell Waltrip INC.)
Any driver that wins creates enemies and picks up a few haters along the way. In this case, there’s a bullet hole in the door of the truck to prove it.
“I don’t even know what’s in there. We parked it behind the shop up there. It’s sat there for 20 years I bet ya,” Darrell Waltrip stated via a phone call within the video below.
It’s a time capsule of lost treasure from an era of NASCAR that no longer exists.
Inside sits a 1981 championship plaque, Busch Pole plaques and even karting trophies. There’s even a letter from the governor of Tennessee which declares Friday December 4th, 1981 as Darrell Waltrip Day.
Other items included unpackaged boxes of Raisin Bran with Darrell and Michael Waltrip on the box. Hand painted die-cast cars were also stuffed in boxes. A briefcase from ‘The Winston’ victory which came stuffed with sunglasses and binoculars.
A letter from Goodyear to Rick Hendrick discusses the tire wars between Goodyear and Hooiser.
Another signed picture comes from Miss USA 1981. Kim Seelbrede wrote, “Darrell, congratulations to the Dew Crew 1981 Winston Cup Champions.”
Darrell Waltrip talks the truck
“It takes all day to tell the story about that truck,” Waltrip added.
“I needed a truck to tow my car with. I had an old International that I had gotten up in Owensboro, big old truck but it wasn’t worth a damn.”
“My father in law who was the President of Texas Gas, they owned Terminal Transport. He called them up and said, ‘I want to get my son in law a truck.’ So, they re-built that. It was all brand new. Motor, everything about that was brand new.”
“He brought it down and gave it to me. It didn’t have a box on it, just a tractor. About the same time, I signed a deal with Digard. So, I didn’t need the truck and the truck just sat.”
“I sold it to Bud Moore, he used it forever. He towed Dale’s car with it. The Wrangler car, I don’t know. He used it for a long long time.”
Waltrip concluded, “I sold it to Bud for $15,000. I bought it back from him for $25,000.”
