Michael Waltrip’s All-Star Race Upset Was One For the History Books

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Ask Michael Waltrip about the 1996 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and you’ll immediately be greeted by a big smile. After all, it was on that night 20 years ago that the now-FOX Sports NASCAR analyst pulled off the biggest upset in the history of the special event.

Piloting the Wood Brothers Racing Ford, Waltrip dove under Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte to snatch the lead from the two men who were battling for the No. 1 position. He then drove away from Rusty Wallace to claim a 1.052-second victory.

It was a win that in the minds of many people, including Waltrip, wasn’t supposed to occur. Waltrip’s only two victories since entering NASCAR’s premier series full time in 1986 had come in the Winston Open, a preliminary to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

And on this night, he squeaked into the big show, narrowly edging Johnny Benson for fifth, the final transfer position. That gave Waltrip the 20th and last starting position in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Waltrip finished 10th in the first segment and fourth in the second. He started the third segment behind Earnhardt, Labonte and Wallace, respectively. On lap 62, while racing side by side, Earnhardt and Labonte bumped and carried each other high in Turn 2. Waltrip shot to the inside, snatched the lead and Wallace followed him into second.

“That pass is probably one of my favorite single memories of racing because of the importance of it and who I passed,” Waltrip said. “Then I ran like seven or eight of the most intense laps of my career because I had Rusty Wallace chasing me down and I had to be perfect. I had to drive out the windshield and not worry about what was going on in my mirror.”

Once Waltrip took the lead, Eddie Wood and his brother, Len, held their breaths, hoping Wallace wouldn’t catch their driver and a yellow flag wouldn’t wave, forcing another restart. Neither occurred and Waltrip won easily.

Waltrip’s victory made him the first driver to transfer into the All-Star Race and then win it. It also gave Darrell and Michael Waltrip the distinction of becoming the first brothers and, to date, the only brothers to ever win the special event. Darrell won the inaugural race in 1985 driving for Junior Johnson.

The $211,000 Waltrip won that night was the Wood Brothers’ largest paycheck to that point in their career and, to date, it remains their only NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race victory.

“It’s really fun to say you’ve won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race,” Waltrip said. “Whether people are in NASCAR or not they understand what a big night an All-Star event is. I like to walk by my trophy and remember that special feeling of accomplishment. It was the first big race I’d won in Cup. That makes it even more special. To be able to be called a former All-Star winner 20 years later, it’s still a great sound.”

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