"Miss you pop": Michael Waltrip gets emotional recalling the last race his father watched him win

Michael Waltrip suffered the loss of his father, Leroy, in 2000. Before he passed away, he had been a strong companion in the revered Cup Series driver's life. So, remembering his 1999 victory in the Nationwide Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 62-year-old penned a melancholic message while reliving the special day.

Waltrip had been a common name in the Cup Series for over three decades, but his success in the top class was limited. However, his Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series adventure was a bit better as he fared 11 wins in the lower category.

One such victory came at the Charlotte Motor Speedway back in 1999, where his father was by his side to witness his son enter the victory lane. While this was not Waltrip's first race victory, it soon became etched in his mind as a special one due to it being the last win that his father was cheering for him in his side of the garage.

So, when a netizen remembered the Owensboro-native's 1999 race victory, Waltrip soon replied to the post and wrote on X:

"What a special day. The last race my dad was here to watch me win. Thank you lord. Miss you pop. 🙏"

Michael Waltrip

@MW55

What a special day. The last race my dad was here to watch me win. Thank you lord. Miss you pop. 🙏

Meanwhile, Michael Waltrip began racing in the stock car racing realm at a young age and started in the Cup Series before trying his hand at the lower leagues.

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Michael Waltrip once revealed that he had fulfilled his childhood dream

Former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Michael Waltrip - Source: Imagn

Though Michael Waltrip only has four race victories in the Cup Series, all carry a significant story behind them. His maiden race win came at the 2001 Daytona 500, and he repeated this feat just two years later.

Despite not winning a Cup Series title in his racing career, he was content with the results that he had achieved in his time racing in the series, as he revealed in an interview with The Athletic in 2021:

"Yes. One hundred percent sure. I dreamed of racing at Daytona and I wasn't bold enough to dream of winning there. I just remember wanting to race there. To be able to win at Daytona."

"I look around my house a lot of times and I think to myself, "For someone who is known for not winning a lot, I sure do have a lot of trophies." I've been really blessed. When we raced Darlington (two weeks ago), it was the day in '92 that I won the Busch Series race there... So having the wins I've had and being able to do the things I've gotten to do, I'm pretty lucky. Pretty thankful."

Since he bade adieu to racing, Michael Waltrip moved over to becoming a commentator and is still involved in the pre-race build-ups for NASCAR races as a part of the FOX Sports squad.