Getty Darrell Waltrip returns for another FOX Sports appearance.
NASCAR fans are about to hear an iconic phrase yelled once again. Darrell Waltrip will make his return to the FOX Sports booth and add a little “Boogity, boogity, boogity” to the broadcast.
According to an announcement during the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, the NASCAR Hall of Fame member will join the booth for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 21. He will reunite with Joy, the man he spent several years with calling races. He will also work once again with Clint Bowyer.
North Wilkesboro Speedway returns and so does @AllWaltrip!
Darrell Waltrip will join @MikeJoy500 and @ClintBowyer in the FOX: NASCAR booth for the 2023 All-Star Race Sunday at 8p ET on FS1.
Waltrip enjoyed a long tenure in the booth after he retired from the NASCAR Cup Series. He joined forces with Joy and Larry McReynolds in 2001, and he remained in the booth until the end of the 2019 season. Waltrip also spent multiple seasons with Jeff Gordon while working for FOX Sports.
“One thing that I’ll never do is toot my own horn, but I’m going to toot our horn,” McReynolds told Heavy in 2022 during a discussion about the FOX Sports booth.
“I felt like Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds laid the template. One, being together for 15 years is almost unprecedented when it comes to sports broadcast TV… A fourth of my life, a fourth of my life was spent with Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip. Not a fourth of my career, a fourth of my life.”
The Track is a Fitting Choice for Waltrip’s Return
GettyDarrell Waltrip serves as the honorary starter at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The All-Star Race does not matter in terms of the championship battle, but it will be an important event on the 2023 Cup Series schedule. It will provide fans and drivers alike with an opportunity to celebrate the return of a special track.
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a fitting location for Waltrip’s return to the FOX Sports booth. This is a track where he achieved a staggering amount of success in his 45 starts. He secured 26 top-10 finishes and 19 top-five finishes while celebrating in Victory Lane 10 total times.
The number of wins is impressive in its own right, but Waltrip also went on a wild run at the North Carolina track. He won five straight races between 1981 and 1983, and he won six out of seven between 1981 and 1984 while driving for Junior Johnson & Associates.
The cars have changed since Waltrip last competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, the racing surface has not. The Hall of Fame driver still has expertise about the amount of tire wear and how to win on the aged surface.
Waltrip Made 1 Booth Appearance During the 2022 Season
FOX SportsLarry McReynolds, Mike Joy, and Darrell Waltrip pose together.
The comments from McReynolds took place after he had a reunion with Joy and Waltrip. This took place at Bristol Motor Speedway in April 2022 as FOX Sports brought some throwback vibes to the dirt race.
Waltrip, a three-time Cup Series champion, made his return to the FOX Sports booth for the second Cup Series dirt race. He joined Joy and Bowyer, and he provided analysis as Kyle Busch won his only race of the 2022 season.
Of course, Waltrip kicked off the race in the same manner that he did hundreds of times before. He yelled, “Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let’s go racing, boys,” as Chase Briscoe and Cole Custer led the field to the green flag.
The return of the unique introduction created excitement in the booth. It also entertained viewers at home as they celebrated the return of the man who won 84 Cup Series races during his career. They will now have this opportunity once again as Waltrip takes part in the All-Star Race broadcast.