NASCAR Champion Darrell Waltrip Has Been Diagnosed With a Brain Disease, As Well As Possible CTE

Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the most notable voices in the series for five decades, is stepping away from public life after being diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease called frontotemporal degeneration.

A statement from his family issued on Wednesday and brought to broader attention by Fox Sports’s Bob Pockrass notes that he was recently diagnosed with the disease, abbreviated as FTD. It adds that the diagnosis is “complicated by possible chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” a neurological disease better known as CTE that is closely associated with repeated head injuries in sports like football. The statement continues to note that this is “likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.”

Waltrip sits in fifth place in all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins with 84, just one behind fourth-placed Bobby Allison. He followed a three-decade career racing with two more decades as a color commentator for Fox’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage, a role that saw him become one of the most prominent television voices in series history.

The note that these diseases could be related to racing injuries is particularly notable. Head injuries are a relatively common occurrence in auto racing and were little understood for much of his racing career, potentially leading drivers to risk further injuries before fully recovering just as prominent football players later diagnosed with CTE often did. Lingering effects of concussions led another major face of NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to retire after the 2017 season.

Waltrip’s family statement says that, “While this disease will inevitably progress, thankfully, it is currently limited to some minor noticeable symptoms. As a result, he will be stepping further away from the public limelight. Be assured, Darrell is happy and otherwise healthy—spending his time with his wife, Stevie, two daughters and his three young grandchildren.”

Fred Smith's love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.