How Michael Waltrip Achieved a Net Worth of $35 Million
Michael Waltrip is a brother of three times NASCAR rally winner Darrell Waltrip and a former car racing championship winner himself. Additionally, he is a racing author and commentator. He was involved in his career rather actively between the years of 1986 and 2014. He was also involved with the sports broadcasting panel for Fox in 1996, and he raced for Toyota winning so many accolades during his career.
Michael Waltrip Net Worth
Michael Waltrip prides in a net worth of about 35 million US dollars. He was born in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1963. At the tender age of 15, he asked his elder sibling Darrell Waltrip to assist him to start off a career in NASCAR. He also tried to ask his father, but both of them declined. He, therefore, decided to start off on his own through the help of his other brother Bobby Waltrip by racing go-karts. Michael was noticed by Earnhardt and moved in with Richard and Kyle Petty.
In 1981, he started his stock-car career and managed to win the mini-modified track championship held at Kentucky Motor Speedway. In 1983 he also won the tournament held at Goody’s Dash Series, and he was voted as the most popular driver on the race in 1983 and 1984. He cup debut came in 1985 at Coca-Cola 600. Moreover, he has won the Daytona 500 in 2001 and 2003 and the Gatorade Duel championship in 2002 and 2005.
He raced using the 66 car on the Michael Waltrip team in the Sprint Cup Series. His best finish was position 12 in the 1994 and 1995 edition. He prides in about four wins and 132 top ten finishing positions. Also, he has about 11 wins in the Nationwide Series and a win in the Camping Truck Series. Apart from racing, he appears as a pre-race analyst on Fox. He has two children and was previously married to Elizabeth Franks. He is also an author: his book was featured as a New York Best Seller in 2011. He appeared, in 2014, as a cast member in the television series, ‘Dancing with the Stars. ‘
How much did he make from his racing endeavors?
The Daytona 500 winner made about fifty million US dollars during his career as a car racer. Additionally, as a commentator on Fox Sports, Michael earns a pretty good figure. On the height of his career, it was reported that he made about five million US dollars every year. However, the most substantial portion of his earnings came from his NASCAR cup winnings through which he made around 47 million dollars.
Below is a list of event appearances and the reported earnings he made.
- Monster Energy Cup Series: 47 million US dollars
- Xfinity Series: Four million US dollars
- Gander Truck Series: About two hundred thousand US dollars
- K&N Pro Series: About Forty thousand US dollars
- Northwest Series: A thousand US dollars
- Menards Series: Ten Thousand US dollars
A typical NASCAR driver makes more than 1.5 million US dollars per year. Drivers can also make more money from endorsements, winnings, and merchandise. The top moneymaker at NASCAR is Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2015, Earnhardt Jr. earned about 15 million in winnings and salary alone and another nine million US dollars from endorsements, which totaled about twenty-four million US dollars.
Drivers who create more TV ratings get more sponsorship deals and money, and Waltrip was one of the most popular drivers. Michael Waltrip is often seen in beaches these days as he is spending most of his retirement time in a very luxurious manner with his co-partners. He also likes playing a bit of golf in his free time. He currently resides in Sherrills Ford where he owns a house.
The professional racer, who also co-owns Michael Waltrip Racing, spent more than thirty years in his racing field to become a multi-millionaire. While is net worth can be roughly estimated at about 35 million US dollars, most of his salary is still a well-kept secret. However, there is no doubt that all this fortune came from his successful professional career. Through his book, which later became a New York Times bestseller – In the Blink of an Eye – he might have added some extra fortune onto his net worth. Michael has, however, chosen not to disclose all the details regarding his gadgets, cars, house, and other property that he owns. Even so, with such a huge net worth, it is obvious that he has been living his successful life in a very luxurious way.
Personal Life
Arguably, Michael has dated some of the most beautiful women. The racer dated Buffy Frank for a considerable while before the two got married in 1993. After four years in the union, the two welcomed their firstborn daughter Margaret in 1997. The two, however, divorced in 2010, thus bringing to an end a long relationship. Buffy Waltrip had been previously married to Adam Hawthrone. In recent times, Michael has been reported to be in a relationship with dancer Emma Slater. The two were partners in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars show. According to Star Magazine, which was first to announce that Michael and Emma were dating, the 26-year difference between the two love birds has never been a problem.
On April 2007, Michael was rightfully charged with reckless driving and fleeing the scene of an accident after he crashed his car onto a telephone booth. Waltrip earned a lucrative sponsorship from Pennzoil – which helped him to win the Winston Open. Michael was lucky to win the first three NASCAR with his brother at the booth. His Talladega win was his only win at a NASCAR event. When he is not racing, Michael is a commentator alongside Darell – his older brother – for NASCAR. He also worked for both the Xfinity Series and the Truck series since 2015 and 2004 respectively as a commentator.
