April 2nd, 2010 
Journo Could Michael Waltrip match the success of Richard Childress?
I know it’s an odd question, but I was thinking about this the other day. At this point both have built teams that are consistently competitive and capable of winning races and on track they both have had very comparable success in their driving careers (though Waltrip’s career has lasted 14+ years longer). With Waltrip stepping into the role of owner, could he join Childress as a mediocre driver who became a great owner?
Richard Childress spent 12 full and part-time seasons competing in what is today the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He began his career in 1969 (at age 23) serving as one of the fill-in drivers at the now infamous Talladega race (it was boycotted by the sport’s top drivers). Through the years, across 285 starts, Childress accumulated zero wins, six top-fives, 76 top-tens, and zero poles. He ended his career with an average finish of 17.6.
Michael Waltrip began his NASCAR career in 1985 at age 22. Through 761 starts over 26 seasons (and counting), he has four wins, 39 top-fives, 128 top-tens, and four poles. Waltrip has an average finish of 21.9.
What blossomed into Richard Childress Racing began with Childress’ first race in 1969. He gave up the drivers seat in 1981 to Dale Earnhardt; Ricky Rudd took over in 1982. Earnhardt returned for the 1983 season and never left. Together Childress and Earnhardt racked up 69 wins and six championships. On top of that, RCR has another 20 Cup wins. They also have 75 wins and six championships in the Nationwide and Truck Series’.
Michael Waltrip Racing began in earnest in 1996, fielding a Nationwide and Truck ride for Waltrip. For the next several seasons Waltrip and a slew of other drivers ran in the Nationwide Series. In that time, Waltrip racked up four wins (David Reutimann has one win in 2007).
In 2007 the team underwent a major expansion and began fielding Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, and David Reutimann in the Cup Series. While the team struggled both on and off the track through their first couple of seasons, they came into their own in 2009. Despite missing the cut for the Chase, Reutimann was consistently competitive and even scored his first Cup Series win. In addition the team fields a car for Marcos Ambrose, who has shown recently that he is capable of running up front. With the addition of Martin Truex Jr. and Pat Tryson this season, and prospects like Trevor Bayne and Ryan Truex, the team has a solid foundation from which to grow.
While the two organizations are at vastly different stages in their life cycles and Michael Waltrip doesn’t have a young Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel, they really share a lot of similarities. Both had humble beginnings (Waltrip ran the team until quite recently from a shop on the property of his Sherrills Ford, N.C. home), some early struggles, and owners with an intense passion for and commitment to NASCAR.
While it’s still young, MWR has quickly made itself a competitor in NASCAR’s top series. Given another 20 years can Waltrip find the success Childress did?
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I don’t think MWR will have the same success as RCR. Richard was not interested in me,me, me, like Waltrip is, and he put forth the effort to educate himself in the racing ownership business. He also went out to get the best driver he possibly could, and took care of him in the highest degree. Waltrip,on the other hand, has not shown that he can or will pay the kind of money a top flite driver commands, which will transend into wins, or lack of them.
Richard Childress is a man of integrity who has brought tremendous credibility to the sport. Waltrip on the other hand is a cartoon character who will flee the sport when the opportunity to make big money runs out. His committment is to himself only and he has no interest in the betterment of the sport beyond his own interests. He rode in on his brother’s coat tail and that will be his legacy
Here we go with people who know only Michael’s public persona judging how he’ll run a business. The man’s been committed to racing for his entire life. To say he’ll dump out is just ignorant.
I’m not a Waltrip fan, however I think he will make it as a top tier owner. I don’t think he’s the goofball that he presents himself to be in front of the camera. He seems to be a great opportunist. I believe that DW once stated Michael was living with the Petty’s when they had a strong orginazition. He was able to get on board with Dale Earnhardt and I think that was his big break. He was able to get face time on tv and parlayed that into a Toyota flag ship deal taking NAPA as a sponsor from DEI. So like him or not in my mind Big E delivered him to us and he will thrive. Now if we could only reduce DW and MW’s mic time down to ZERO life would be fantastic! As a side note the one thing that might wreck him is his personal life as WUI’s(wrecks under the influence) seem to happen from time to time.
I think MWR has grown well over the three or so years its been around. However, they need to get a driver in the chase and a win or two before I can consider them a legitimate team.
Also, and this is sort of off-topic: Waltrip, as you stated, has four wins…two of which came in the Daytona 500. I think that this is proof that the race is slightly over-hyped. Yes, it is among the most important in a season, however a career should not be judged based on wehter or not a driver wins the 500. Waltrip’s case is proof because even though he has not one, but two, victories in the Great American Race, he is in no way one of the greatest drivers in the sport, nor is a champion.
I agree with Scott. Some people just hate MW and will find any excuse to say something negative.
On the article’s subject. My dad was a professional athlete and always said a mediocre player would always make the best manager because they had to learn all the technicalities in order to reach a professional status. Whereas a star had natural talents above most others and those technical skills were so natural to them they couldn’t explain them.
Time and time again it is the average professional that has succeeded. And odds are that MW will end up being a far better owner than he was a driver.
Michael and great just doesn’t belong in the same sentence.
I don’t think DW helped MichaelW.at all I don’t think he had much to do with him. He was to busy trying to get in himself.and he proved himself and MW has done so himself
I think it’s easy to be a coward who hides behind a keyboard. MW wasn’t a great driver, but he could drive circles around many of his peers. MW lacked racing luck. I guess DW used it all in his career. I get sick of loud mouths ripping people a part simply because the live in the public eye. Big mouths let’s see you take on the high banks of ‘dega and Bristol. MW won only 4 races in his career but they rank among the biggest in our sport. He won 3 races races at Daytona, the EA Sport 500 at ‘dega, and 11 Busch races. It’s not a great career, but far from mediocre.
Will he match RCR? Who knows, but to suggest he will cut tail and run like some of you cowards would is simple stupidity. He will stay the course because his heart is in NASCAR. He and TY Norris has built MWR with the same blue print that Big Dale and Ty used at DEI. It is solid and will stand, IMHO.
I admire anyone who has done what Michael has done. I’m sure he has invested all his wealth into this venture. So far he has made the correct moves for drivers and crew chiefs. Now we need for David and Martin to get a break or two and run up front like we know that they can.
I don’t think the goofball we see on TV is the real Michael Waltrip. That persona is what got him the meeting with Toyota, Arrons, NAPA etc but it’s not what got him the gig and enabled him to keep it. I don’t think he will be Hendrick any time soon but he is going to leave a mark on Nascar and in a good way and I’m OK with that.
Isn’t he hosting a dopey NASCAR themed talent show?
He’s not serious enough to be in the NASCAR top tier. Childress, Roush. Penske & Hendrick are serious CEO’s who are into all aspects of automotive technology. Waltrip’s just not in their league