The family of NASCAR great Darrell Waltrip announced Wednesday that he's been diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration and is stepping away from public life. The 79-year-old Hall of Famer is also dealing with possible chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which his family said is likely tied to head injuries from a Cup Series career that stretched from 1972 to 2000, USA Today reports. While the brain condition is expected to worsen, his relatives said symptoms are currently mild and described Waltrip as "happy and otherwise healthy" while spending time with his wife, daughters, and three grandchildren.
A three-time Cup champion and 84-time race winner, he ranks fifth on NASCAR's all-time wins list and captured the 1989 Daytona 500 among other marquee victories. Waltrip is one of NASCAR's storied characters, the AP points out, one of the first to build a brand around his supersize personality. Nicknamed "Jaws" for his on-track feuds and sharp tongue, he parlayed that personality into an 18-year run as Fox Sports' lead NASCAR analyst, where his "Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing boys!" call became a staple. He was in the booth for the 2001 Daytona 500, calling his brother Michael's win and reacting in real time to Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash.
Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012, Waltrip has been recognized among both the sport's 50 and 75 greatest drivers. The Mayo Clinic categorizes frontotemporal degeneration as a form of dementia It affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are "associated with personality, behavior and language," per the Nashville Tennessean.
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