Darrell Waltrip, who parlayed a Hall of Fame driving career in NASCAR into a longtime broadcasting stint at Fox Sports, has stepped away from public life due to a progressive brain disease.
Waltrip and his family shared a statement Wednesday that noted the former driver “has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) complicated by possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) — likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.”
The 79-year-old Waltrip is one of NASCAR’s storied characters, among the first to build a brand around his supersize personality, and has served for decades as one of the sport’s strongest ambassadors.