[h=2]Waltrip: Daytona 500 will be final NASCAR race[/h] Thursday, 26 January 2017


Kelly Crandall / Image by LAT

Michael Waltrip will call it a career following the Daytona 500.
The news came Thursday afternoon from Waltrip, who has four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins, including two in the Daytona 500. Retirement will come after making 784 career starts, and 30 in Daytona 500.


Waltrip will drive for Premium Motorsports in the No. 15 Aaron's #ThanksMikey Toyota. Premium Motorsports does possess a charter, which guarantees Waltrip a spot in the race.
"I can reflect on my career with a lot of emotions, and one company that has been there for me is Aaron's," Waltrip said. "I started working with Aaron's almost 20 years ago with some commercials and six Xfinity Series races when I had a team behind my house. We have been together ever since, and it makes my heart smile thinking about all the great things we did together."
After making his Cup debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1985, Waltrip earned his first career win in the 2001 Daytona 500. He followed it up by winning his second Daytona 500 in the rain-shortened event in 2003. Each of his other two Cup wins also came in restrictor plate races: the 2002 July race at Daytona and the 2003 September race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Waltrip is also an 11-time winner in the Xfinity Series as well as having one win in the Camping World Truck Series. Although he has made limited Cup starts the past few season (his last full season was in 2009), the 53-year-old Waltrip has served as a Fox Sports analyst since 2012.
"The Daytona 500 in a lot of ways defines a racer's career, and I am proud to have been able to win our sport's most prestigious race twice," Waltrip said. "I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows at the Great American Race. But when you are a NASCAR driver who has the privilege of racing here, you love Daytona no matter what happens.
"In my 30th and final Daytona 500, I am just going to enjoy every moment and be happy that Aaron's has given me one more opportunity to hoist the Harley J. Earle trophy."