“The one feeling that settled in and stayed there for a long while, and I still deal with, is guilt. I was there. I was a part of it. Why does it have to be like this? Was I responsible? Was I the reason Dale was in that position? I'd ask myself that question and look around at people and wonder if they were thinking that, too.”

American former stock car racing driver

Michael Curtis “Mikey” Waltrip is an American former stock car racing driver, commentator, team owner, amateur ballroom dancing competitor, and author. Born in 1963, he is best known for winning the Daytona 500 twice, in 2001 and 2003, and for his long career in NASCAR. Waltrip’s four NASCAR Cup Series victories all came on superspeedways while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He later became a familiar television voice, working as a pre-race analyst for the NASCAR Cup Series and as a color commentator for Fox Sports coverage of the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. He is also the younger brother of Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR champion and commentator.