NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and motorsports analyst Darrell Waltrip has announced his intention to step back from public appearances after being diagnosed with cognitive issues impacting his personality.
“We wanted to share a health update with all of Darrell’s friends and fans who have supported him throughout his racing career,” a Wednesday, September 23, statement from his family began. “Recently, Darrell has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) complicated by possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) — likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.”
It continued, “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. We are all grateful for your continued prayer, love and support!”
The statement concluded with Waltrip’s catchphrase of, “Boogity! Boogity! Boogity!”
Waltrip, 79, spent nearly 30 years as a NASCAR driver, winning the NASCAR Cup Series three times. After retiring in 2000, he joined the Fox broadcast booth where he provided commentary on races until 2019, when he retired to spend more time with his family.
Waltrip and his wife, Stevie, have been married since 1969 and they share daughters Jessica and Sarah.
While he and his family suspect his FTD diagnosis is a result of CTE, the disease cannot be fully diagnosed until a person dies. It is more commonly associated with former football players, but anyone who endures repeated head trauma is at risk.
One of the most recent notable occurrences of CTE potentially playing a role in an athlete’s death came in November 2025 when Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide following a pursuit with state troopers who had tried to pull him over for a traffic violation.
It was later determined that Kneeland had stage 1 CTE at the time of his death.
“Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in the brain of Mr. Kneeland, because we have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we’ve studied who have died before the age of 30,” Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, said in a July press release.
Concussion & CTE Foundation CEO Chris Nowinski added at the time that even with sports adding additional concussion protocols and safety measures, the risk of CTE remains as high as ever in contact sports.
“We have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations,” he said. “Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions. If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”
