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Written by:
Tom Jensen
04/29/2008 - 05:07 PM
Harrisburg, N.C.
Michael Waltrip made history in 1996 when he became the first driver to win the All-Star race by transferring in from a preliminary qualifying race. (Harold Hinson/HHP Images Photo) ยป More Photos
As underdogs go in NASCAR, they don’t come any bigger than Michael Waltrip in the 1996 running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race. And that made his storybook victory all that much more dramatic.
Waltrip, who began his Sprint Cup career in 1985, was winless in his first 309 races at NASCAR’s highest level. He came to Lowe’s Motor Speedway without a guaranteed spot in NASCAR’s All-Star event and therefore almost no attention paid to him whatsoever. Waltrip wasn’t even considered a dark horse. He was virtually invisible.
But somehow, the Owensboro, Ky., native pulled off one of the most improbable wins in NASCAR history.
Driving the fabled Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford Taurus, Waltrip finished fifth in the Sprint Open preliminary race behind Jimmy Spencer, Lake Speed, Hut Stricklin and Jeff Burton. That gave Waltrip the final transfer spot into the big race, where
Not that anyone gave Waltrip a chance. And that includes the driver himself. “I wasn’t in the minds of many, mine included,” Waltrip said. “I don’t think I ever told anyone I would come here and win this thing. If I did, I lied.”
In the first 30-lap segment, pole-sitter Jeff Gordon took the lead at the start, but Dale Jarrett ran him down and passed him on Lap 12, cruising to an easy victory over Bobby Labonte, Ward Burton, Mark Martin and Gordon.
Per All-Star rules, the field was inverted for the second section. Terry Labonte, who finished 17th in the first segment, led most of the 30-lap second segment until Dale Earnhardt got by him with five laps to go. Waltrip, meanwhile, moved up from his 10th starting spot to finish a solid fourth, positioning himself well for the final 10-lap shootout.
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