Another look back at a current nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Darrell Waltrip. I remember Ol’ DW when he was dubbed “Jaws” by fellow driver Cale Yarborough.

As a youngster and a fan of all the old school drivers like Yarborough, Pearson, Petty and Allison, I was not any early fan of Darrell Waltrip when he arrived on the scene. I remember my sister and her friends were all in taken with his looks, but I still preferred the old hard-core drivers and their no-nonsense style.

As I got older, though, and moved into my career as a motorsports photographer, I began to warm up to DW. Just as the writers liked the fact that he was always good for a funny quote, we photographers knew we could always count on Darrell for an interesting photo.

Over the years I aimed my camera at DW and, among other great shots, was rewarded with photos of him doing the “Ickey Shuffle” in Daytona’s victory lane, Darrell and Jeff Hammond hold the Waltrips’ new baby daughter Jessica over a race car engine in the garage area, DW thoughtfully sucking on a lollipop as he prepared to climb into one of Junior Johnson’s race cars and many classic winner’s circle celebrations.

Darrell Waltrip’s ability to turn a catchy phrase was and continues to be his charm, but he was also a natural in front of the camera, and a subject I always enjoyed shooting.

Oh yes, he was also a pretty decent race car driver who will undoubtably earn his spot in Charlotte much sooner than later.

Click here for Darrell Waltrip Photography on bcpix.com

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