"He didn’t like Rick Hendrick at all": Darrell Waltrip recalls Junior Johnson’s reaction to HMS offer despite rivalry

In the mid-1980s, NASCAR was seeing a shift in team power, according to Darrell Waltrip. Junior Johnson & Associates had been one of the sport's dominant outfits for over a decade, while the relatively new Hendrick Motorsports was quickly making a name for itself.

In 1986, these two worlds collided when Waltrip, Johnson's star driver, received an offer from Rick Hendrick. Waltrip recently opened up about the moment on Dinner Drive with fellow Hall of Famer Kyle Petty, revealing just how complicated the situation was. Waltrip joined Junior Johnson & Associates in 1981 and immediately found success, winning three NASCAR championships in 1981, 1982, and 1985.

More than just a driver-team relationship, Waltrip and Johnson became like family.

"Junior Johnson became like a dad to me. He and Floss (Flossie Clark), they're like a mom and dad to Stevie (his wife) and I. Junior was looking for somebody to leave his legacy to. And I was that guy. And we were tight," Waltrip told Petty. (14:45 onwards)

It wasn't just about racing. The Waltrips and Johnsons spent time together off the track, sharing holidays, dinners, and a genuine closeness that extended beyond pit road. But as the team brought in other top drivers like Neil Bonnett, that dynamic began to shift.

Waltrip recalled one particular day in 1986 that would change the course of his career.

"I'll never forget, I went into his office one day. Rick Hendrick had called me.... he didn't like Rick Hendrick at all. That was the enemy. So, I went in and I said, 'Junior, Rick Hendrick called me yesterday… and offered me a pretty nice deal to come drive his car next year.' I shouldn't have ever said that. He never even looks up. He says, 'Boy, you need to go take that deal.' Just like that," Waltrip added. (15:10 onwards)

Darrel Waltrip was caught off guard by the reaction, and Kyle Petty shared the surprise.

Darrell Waltrip talks with owner Junior Johnson before the 1986 Daytona 500. Source: Getty

At the time, Junior Johnson & Associates was a powerhouse. But Hendrick Motorsports, founded just two years earlier in 1984, was quickly becoming a contender, and Johnson didn't like that. The rivalry extended beyond wins, it was also about attracting the sport's top talent.

Darrell Waltrip eventually accepted the offer, ending his run with Johnson after the 1986 season. However, his stint with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 Chevrolet would turn out to be far less successful than either side expected.

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"We couldn't work together": Darrell Waltrip and the 'dream team' failed to find success

Darrell Waltrip (17) and Geoff Bodine (5) during the 1986 Daytona 500. Source: Getty

In 1987, Darrell Waltrip joined Geoff Bodine and Benny Parsons at HMS in what many in the garage called a 'dream team'. On paper, it looked like a title threat. On the track, it didn't work that way. Waltrip won just one race that year - at Martinsville - in 29 starts. Part-time driver Tim Richmond claimed the only other two HMS wins that season.

"That's what they called it. The dream team... Great friends until we'd to work together and we couldn't work together... It was unbelievable. And of course in '87, the first year I drove that car, I won one race. After that, I said, 'We got to do something. It's not working.' I got my own cars. I got my own team. I got my own motor program," Darrell Waltrip said on the podcast (16:04 onwards)

The results improved slightly in 1988 with two wins, and 1989 saw Waltrip return to form with six victories and a fourth-place finish in the final standings. But in 1990, he went winless, prompting a split with Hendrick Motorsports. Waltrip formed his own DarWal Inc. team, racing part-time until his retirement in 2000, but he never again reached the championship heights of his Johnson days.

Meanwhile, Rick Hendrick's team went from strength to strength. HMS won its first Cup Series in 1995 and has collected 13 more over the next three decades. Today, HMS stands as the most successful team in NASCAR history, while Waltrip's story serves as a reminder of how the best drivers are not always the best teammates.