To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
The NASCAR Driver People "Loved to Hate" Had No Time for God until a Horrible Crash "Knocked Him Conscious""It was a wakeup call that literally knocked me conscious." -Darrell Waltrip [God Reports] Before he retired from racing and became a broadcaster, NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip was one of the winningest drivers in the modern era. For a time, he was also one of the most unpopular drivers—someone people loved to hate. (Photo: Darrell Waltrip in 1979/via God Reports) "My passion was racing and quite honestly I went at it all the wrong ways in the early years," Waltrip told the 2016 National Prayer Breakfast. "I was just as aggressive off the racetrack as I was on. I didn't have a lot of friends. I didn't think I really needed friends." He was the driver with the loyal un-fan base. "They said I was brash, ruthless, pushy, cocky, conceited, aloof, boastful, arrogant, and downright annoying—and those were people that liked me." The fans booed him when the drivers were introduced. Fans wore 'Anybody but Waltrip' tee shirts to the track. "They hated me," Waltrip admitted. "The drivers despised me." Richard Petty once turned to him and said, "I don't know how you can get a sponsor, you're so unpopular with the fans." Waltrip also liked to argue with the officials at NASCAR. "I didn't like the rules, mainly because they never worked in my favor," he said. Off the track, he wasn't much better. "I was so arrogant. I drank too much. I liked to go to the bars and hang out. I did everything to satisfy me." Waltrip was also married to a woman of faith named Stevie. "Stevie would always pray for me. She was a godly woman who loved the Lord and she always prayed that someday, somehow we would get involved in a Bible study or church." When she needled him about going to church, he said, "I race on Sundays. I don't have time to go to church. I'm busy all through the week. I just don't have time for this church stuff and God stuff..." "Well I'll just keep on praying," she replied. God soon got his attention at the 1983 Daytona 500. His car spun out on lap 64, at nearly 200 mph as he tried to avoid rear-ending a slower car in front of him. (Photo via God Reports) Waltrip locked his brakes but the car slid for several hundred feet, then struck a dirt bank near the entrance to pit road. The force of the impact was extremely violent and his car was hurled back on the track, in front of oncoming traffic. Then he hit the outer concrete wall and bounced into oncoming traffic again. It was a miracle he survived. "I had a concussion," he said. "I went for a couple weeks to races and I didn't even remember being there. When I finally came to or woke up I realized that wreck had knocked me conscious"... Click here to continue reading.
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News Courageous: Worship Leader Sean Feucht Prepares to Confront Anti-Israel Evil, Darkness, and Horror New Emails Expose Biden's Connection to Whistleblower Who Got Trump Impeached Tennessee Passes Bill Letting Teachers Carry Guns at Schools Transgender Movement Is Losing Its Influence on Social Media to Shut Down Debate Ohio Attorney General Breaks Down Leftist Legal 'Trick' to Block GOP Efforts to Protect Kids Nearly 2,000 Minnesota Students, 15 Teachers Walk Out of LGBTQ 'Indoctrination' Lesson 'Just a Disaster': Biden's Title IX Rule Empowers LGBTQ Movement, Erases Women and Justice United For Israel March Happening on the Columbia University Campus, April 25th As Anti-Israel Activists Vandalize Texas Congressman's Office, He 'Stands With Israel' Did Letitia James Accidentally Reveal the Real Reason for Her Trump Witch Hunt? Report: the WHO Makes Major Changes to the Pandemic Treaty, and They're Good Ones; But Will It Last? Israelis Remember Hostages, Fallen Soldiers, Terror Victims as Passover Begins She Survived a Death Camp. Facing Biden DOJ Charges, She Is Prepared to Die in Prison Planned Parenthood Committed 392,712 Abortions, Received $699.3 Million in Taxpayer Funding in 2023 Student Loan Forgiveness: Morally Reprehensible and Legally Invalid Columbia Classes Go Virtual Before Passover Amid Protests Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |