| Manufacturer / Kit: | Revell #MOD038 |
| Vehicle: | 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo (chrome version) |
| Sponsor / Design: | Parts America |
| Driver: | #17 Darrell Waltrip |
| Scale: | 1/24 |
| Condition: | New, box factory sealed, may show signs of storage wear |
Darrell Waltrip
Who doesn’t know the famous words as soon as the green flag drops to start a NASCAR race: “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity – let’s go racing, boys!”
When Darrell first competed in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1972, he had a more than curious piece of equipment. His car, a rather old Mercury Cyclone, was originally a Ford and belonged to Holman-Moody. Five years earlier, Mario Andretti had used the car to win the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500.
After a few years, the race car was converted into a Mercury Cyclone for the German driver Rolf Stommelen, who used it in 1971 for his only NASCAR race, in the Grand National Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
Darrell Waltrip then bought the used car, which had had several previous owners, to run his first races as an independent owner-driver.
Even at the start of his Cup career, Darrell Waltrip was different from most other drivers. While they tended to be media-shy, Darrell never missed a chance to appear on radio and television shows. Many of his fellow drivers and fans didn’t like that, but for Waltrip it meant additional income and great popularity. For example, he even filled in as a substitute host on a television show for presenter Ralph Emry.
His performance as a race driver at Hendrick Motorsports in the 1980s was outstanding. D.W. won numerous races and was instrumental in the development of the Chevy Lumina.
In the 1990s, however, his success declined noticeably, and Waltrip, by then once again an independent team owner with primary sponsor Western Auto / Parts America, was involved in several accidents, some of them serious.
At the end of the 1990s, Waltrip Racing was nearly insolvent, and D.W. sold the team to Tim Beverly. Through several mergers and acquisitions, the team eventually became part of Dale Earnhardt Inc. During his years at DEI, Waltrip still had a few successes before he retired from active racing after the 2000 season.
The television network Fox hired Darrell Waltrip as a commentator and analyst, where he sits at the microphone with his usual loose tongue and plenty of humor, but always with a critical eye.
Driver safety in particular was always close to D.W.’s heart, and so he vigorously campaigned for the introduction of the Head And Neck Support (HANS) device. Under his pressure, it became mandatory for all drivers in 2004, after four NASCAR drivers had died of basilar skull fractures following accidents within a single year.
The Model Kit
This 1997 Revell Monogram model kit is a Chevy Monte Carlo from the Winston Cup Series of that era. The body is chrome-plated.
Notice
This model kit is not a toy for children!
It contains small parts that can easily be swallowed. Never leave children under 14 unattended with a model kit like this!
Please note that the included decals may be brittle due to their age.
I do not provide any warranty for the fit, condition, or usability of the decals!
