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DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles
A witty memoir by the NASCAR superstar reminisces about Waltrip's life in racing, from his early career, through his many victories, to his retirement and new role as a color commentator, and shares his memories of such racing legends as Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart. 125,000 first printing.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 17, 2011
A good friend is a real NASCAR fan and said I'd really enjoy this book. I learned a little about the various NASCAR tracks and some of the legends of racing but found "DW" way too egocentric for my tastes.
April 10, 2019
This book is full of awesome stories and life lessons. I decided to read it because I like NASCAR and I saw it in the school library. It is a good, short book that doesn't take too long to read. The book is great for anyone because of the life lessons but also is a great learning experience about NASCAR.
This book is told from the point of view of Darrell Waltrip and it is all about his life, climbing up the ladder of NASCAR as well as becoming a better person. He talks about his hard times when he barely had anything and was racing on smaller tracks. He also talks about his childhood and how it would affect him later. DW explains what he did for the sport and how he got his name out there. He would talk about how the sport changed to what it is now
Darrell also brings the aspect of family and religion into how it changed him. He says that without his wife he wouldn't have had the motivation to push through the hard times. He decides to race less hard once he has his daughter because he knows that he can't have his daughter grow up without a dad. Then he shows us how becoming religious helped him succeed. He says the ways of God helped him become a better person and helped him get better opportunities.
This book is a great book for all people because it has great life lessons and is also a great learning experience about NASCAR. The plot of the book is very intriguing and it kept me interested in the book. It flows very well and was not too fast or too slow. I liked the way he used italics and bold words to emphasize things. I learned from the book how people around a person can affect them and new things about a sport I like. I would recommend the book to a classmate who likes sports or who likes to learn new things about sports. 10/10 book and I've read it more than once; very interesting and funny.
This book is told from the point of view of Darrell Waltrip and it is all about his life, climbing up the ladder of NASCAR as well as becoming a better person. He talks about his hard times when he barely had anything and was racing on smaller tracks. He also talks about his childhood and how it would affect him later. DW explains what he did for the sport and how he got his name out there. He would talk about how the sport changed to what it is now
Darrell also brings the aspect of family and religion into how it changed him. He says that without his wife he wouldn't have had the motivation to push through the hard times. He decides to race less hard once he has his daughter because he knows that he can't have his daughter grow up without a dad. Then he shows us how becoming religious helped him succeed. He says the ways of God helped him become a better person and helped him get better opportunities.
This book is a great book for all people because it has great life lessons and is also a great learning experience about NASCAR. The plot of the book is very intriguing and it kept me interested in the book. It flows very well and was not too fast or too slow. I liked the way he used italics and bold words to emphasize things. I learned from the book how people around a person can affect them and new things about a sport I like. I would recommend the book to a classmate who likes sports or who likes to learn new things about sports. 10/10 book and I've read it more than once; very interesting and funny.
January 26, 2023
I loved Darrell Waltrip when I was a little NASCAR fan, probably because he reminded me of my dad--a goofball who was born to drive fast. Even now, when I'm older and not following the sport, I still have an affection for him. For old times sake, I decided to reread his autobiography and see if it made the same impression on me that it did when I was twelve.
What I see as an adult reader of the book is that it is fundamentally a tragedy. DW had genuine glory days swapping paint and rubbing fenders with the best men to ever get behind the wheel of a race car, but the long, slow decline and his desperate desire to reclaim those glory days strike me as deeply sad. You can tell that poor Stevie was still struggling with her husband's last decade of racing when this book was written. I hope they're both in a better place now.
Additionally, I think the co-author kept the story just a little too high level to be really engaging. DW had an interesting career, but so many details, big races, and exciting wins are skimmed over in favor of rehashing sponsor deals gone awry. I'd like more about the Daytona 500 and the Ickey Shuffle and less about Speedblock.
What I see as an adult reader of the book is that it is fundamentally a tragedy. DW had genuine glory days swapping paint and rubbing fenders with the best men to ever get behind the wheel of a race car, but the long, slow decline and his desperate desire to reclaim those glory days strike me as deeply sad. You can tell that poor Stevie was still struggling with her husband's last decade of racing when this book was written. I hope they're both in a better place now.
Additionally, I think the co-author kept the story just a little too high level to be really engaging. DW had an interesting career, but so many details, big races, and exciting wins are skimmed over in favor of rehashing sponsor deals gone awry. I'd like more about the Daytona 500 and the Ickey Shuffle and less about Speedblock.
December 7, 2012
By the time I started watching NASCAR, Darrell Waltrip was the veteran using the Champion's provisional to get the last spot on the starting grid most weeks who then retired from racing and became the best race announcer on TV today. Therefore, this book was an excellent look at a driver whose career should not be remembered by those last couple years of not being competitive. The book ends when he retires, with a brief mention of his first race as a broadcaster being the day he finally saw his little brother Michael get a NASCAR win but also lost one of his longtime rivals on the track with the death of Dale Earnhardt, so the title is very appropriate as it encompasses Waltrip's time as a driver.
Of course there is a little bit of biographical and off-track stuff to keep the book flowing and provide context, but the majority of the writing is about the racing. Waltrip's career had its many ups and downs, from going broke trying to start out to being so dominant that NASCAR had to make rules just to keep Waltrip from dominating every week, to nearly losing his life on a few different occasions. My favorite part of the book was when Waltrip was describing the technical 'innovations' his team was employing to make them the best in the field, things that weren't necesarily legal, but if they didn't get caught, they'd keep doing it. Told with DW's usual humorous inflection, the stories from race day about spraying buckshot all over the track or convincing track officials that a (nonexistent) engine backfire caused the restrictor plate to look 'off' had me laughing out loud during the reading. I also liked that at the end of each chapter, DW included an anecdote from someone else who was present at the time of the events described in that chapter, just to provide another perspective, whether in agreement or disagreement with DW's opinion.
Definitely worth the read if you only know DW as the guy who yells 'Boogity, Boogity, Boogity' at the beginning of the races shown on the FOX network, as there's much more to him than that.
Of course there is a little bit of biographical and off-track stuff to keep the book flowing and provide context, but the majority of the writing is about the racing. Waltrip's career had its many ups and downs, from going broke trying to start out to being so dominant that NASCAR had to make rules just to keep Waltrip from dominating every week, to nearly losing his life on a few different occasions. My favorite part of the book was when Waltrip was describing the technical 'innovations' his team was employing to make them the best in the field, things that weren't necesarily legal, but if they didn't get caught, they'd keep doing it. Told with DW's usual humorous inflection, the stories from race day about spraying buckshot all over the track or convincing track officials that a (nonexistent) engine backfire caused the restrictor plate to look 'off' had me laughing out loud during the reading. I also liked that at the end of each chapter, DW included an anecdote from someone else who was present at the time of the events described in that chapter, just to provide another perspective, whether in agreement or disagreement with DW's opinion.
Definitely worth the read if you only know DW as the guy who yells 'Boogity, Boogity, Boogity' at the beginning of the races shown on the FOX network, as there's much more to him than that.
May 23, 2015
First off, I am not a NASCAR fan. Or should I say...I don't really follow the sport. But when someone recommends the book, I'll give it a shot. I'm glad I did.
DW: A Lifetime Going Around In Circles really works for me in the sense that I can "hear" Darrell in the pages. His voice is in those words, and that's what makes a lot of this book work for me. His tone, attitude and overall demeanor really shine through and he touches on the subjects that I hoped he would when learning about an icon in his sport.
The era of his trek also makes this a very interesting read for me. I can remember a time in the late 70's and early 80's when sports were fresh and new to me. As a kid, I would be drawn to the TV watching anything and everything. But with all that, NASCAR still wasn't in my wheelhouse.
Over time, I have heard of the name Darrell Waltrip. And while I don't know all of his accomplishments, I do know that he was a very influential and respected member of the racing community. This book really does a great job of revealing who DW is.
This book has a bit of an Evel Knievel-type vibe. Fearless....bordering on crazy, Darrell did whatever he thought with rarely a concern for his safety. Winning was a big element of his early days on the track, and he (and his team) would always be looking for an edge. Some great stories to be had.
From his early days learning about the sport and paying his dues, to his family life, stardom, success and adversity, DW: A Lifetime Going Around In Circles is a great read for any race fan, but for those who enjoy a good sports bio (like me).
Easy to read, fun to flip through.
DW: A Lifetime Going Around In Circles really works for me in the sense that I can "hear" Darrell in the pages. His voice is in those words, and that's what makes a lot of this book work for me. His tone, attitude and overall demeanor really shine through and he touches on the subjects that I hoped he would when learning about an icon in his sport.
The era of his trek also makes this a very interesting read for me. I can remember a time in the late 70's and early 80's when sports were fresh and new to me. As a kid, I would be drawn to the TV watching anything and everything. But with all that, NASCAR still wasn't in my wheelhouse.
Over time, I have heard of the name Darrell Waltrip. And while I don't know all of his accomplishments, I do know that he was a very influential and respected member of the racing community. This book really does a great job of revealing who DW is.
This book has a bit of an Evel Knievel-type vibe. Fearless....bordering on crazy, Darrell did whatever he thought with rarely a concern for his safety. Winning was a big element of his early days on the track, and he (and his team) would always be looking for an edge. Some great stories to be had.
From his early days learning about the sport and paying his dues, to his family life, stardom, success and adversity, DW: A Lifetime Going Around In Circles is a great read for any race fan, but for those who enjoy a good sports bio (like me).
Easy to read, fun to flip through.
July 31, 2011
Outrageous, rude, brilliant PR, worked it. Wanted to make a good impression on new team, didnt want to appear just a driver and get all the glory. So, he showed up and asked what he could do to help out. The owner of the team said "Bounce Tars". There were older tires that racers had to bounce to seal them. However, this owner meant Balance tires. But because of the accent, DW could not understand and bounced the tires and they rolled all over the place and down a hill.
March 20, 2007
I'm a huge Nascar fan so this was a fun book for me to read. Darrell Waltrip now calls the races for Fox and it was great to be able to learn all about his racing career and how he got to where he is today. He's a great storyteller.
June 26, 2011
I really liked his biography. He was Owensboro, KY ties. And, I really like his commentary on the NASCAR races. It has some really funny stories in it.
March 1, 2014
This book is full of so many great stories about an amazing racer and a wonderful human being. This is a race fans must!
February 20, 2021
A wonderful look into the personal life and racing career of one of NASCAR's most popular drivers.
September 25, 2019
Excellent look at DW's life, the good, the bad and the boogity, boogity boogity.
June 2, 2011
Pretty Fun
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews