During a pivotal moment in NASCAR’s mid-1980s shift in team dynamics, Darrell Waltrip’s departure from Junior Johnson & Associates to join Rick Hendrick’s emerging NASCAR team sparked tension and lasting effects across the motorsport landscape. The Rick Hendrick NASCAR team rivalry grew especially intense after Waltrip, Johnson’s championship-winning driver, made a decision that altered both his career and major team power structures.
Changing Alliances in NASCAR’s Golden Era
By the early 1980s, Junior Johnson & Associates had reigned as one of NASCAR’s dominant teams, with Darrell Waltrip at the forefront since 1981. Waltrip quickly adapted to the powerhouse, capturing three NASCAR championships in 1981, 1982, and 1985. This partnership extended beyond the racetrack, with Waltrip and Johnson forging a familial bond, often sharing holidays and close personal moments with their families. Flossie Clark, Johnson’s wife, was also a central figure in this extended support system.
Yet, as the team welcomed other elite drivers such as Neil Bonnett, long-standing dynamics began to evolve. Waltrip, reflecting on this time with Hall of Famer Kyle Petty during a Dinner Drive interview, underscored just how deep his relationship ran with Johnson:
“Junior Johnson became like a dad to me. He and Floss (Flossie Clark), they’re like a mom and dad to Stevie (his wife) and I. Junior was looking for somebody to leave his legacy to. And I was that guy. And we were tight,”
Waltrip told Petty. (14:45 onwards) —Darrell Waltrip, Hall of Famer
The Offer That Changed Everything
In 1986, Waltrip received an unexpected proposal from Rick Hendrick, whose Hendrick Motorsports team had quickly risen to contender status despite its short history. The rivalry between Junior Johnson and Rick Hendrick was already simmering—each fighting not just for wins, but for the sport’s premier drivers.
Waltrip’s candid conversation with Johnson about the Hendrick offer would become a turning point. Recalling the incident on Dinner Drive, Waltrip shared:
“I’ll never forget, I went into his office one day. Rick Hendrick had called me…. he didn’t like Rick Hendrick at all. That was the enemy. So, I went in and I said, ‘Junior, Rick Hendrick called me yesterday… and offered me a pretty nice deal to come drive his car next year.’ I shouldn’t have ever said that. He never even looks up. He says, ‘Boy, you need to go take that deal.’ Just like that,”
Waltrip added. (15:10 onwards) —Darrell Waltrip, Hall of Famer
Surprised by Johnson’s abrupt reaction, both Waltrip and Kyle Petty recognized the depth of emotion beneath the exchange. For Johnson—who had given Waltrip not only success but a personal place in his inner circle—the growing Rick Hendrick NASCAR team rivalry was more than competitive: it was personal. The rift capped a long era where Johnson’s team was the dominant force and signaled a changing of the guard as Hendrick’s operation gained momentum.
Struggles and Frustrations With the Hendrick ‘Dream Team’
Waltrip accepted Hendrick’s offer, ending his celebrated run with Johnson after the 1986 season. Entering 1987, he joined renowned drivers Geoff Bodine and Benny Parsons at Hendrick Motorsports. Many observers pegged this lineup as a “dream team” with high expectations for collective success. However, the chemistry required for championship dominance didn’t materialize.
That year, Waltrip secured just a single win at Martinsville out of 29 starts, while part-time driver Tim Richmond claimed two victories for the team. The initial excitement faded as collaboration challenges emerged, which Waltrip later reflected on during the podcast:
“That’s what they called it. The dream team… Great friends until we’d to work together and we couldn’t work together… It was unbelievable. And of course in ’87, the first year I drove that car, I won one race. After that, I said, ‘We got to do something. It’s not working.’ I got my own cars. I got my own team. I got my own motor program,”
Darrell Waltrip said on the podcast (16:04 onwards) —Darrell Waltrip, Hall of Famer
Despite marginal improvements with two victories in 1988 and a resurgence in 1989 that brought Waltrip six wins and a fourth-place finish in the final standings, the partnership with Hendrick never reached the heights of his glory years with Junior Johnson & Associates. By 1990, Waltrip went winless, prompting him to establish his own team, DarWal Inc., where he would race part-time before retiring in 2000.
Enduring Rivalries and a Shifting NASCAR Landscape
While Waltrip’s career path illustrated the risks of even the most promising team changes, Rick Hendrick’s organization flourished in the aftermath. Hendrick Motorsports went on to capture its first Cup Series championship in 1995 and has accumulated a total of 14 titles since, making it the most decorated team in NASCAR’s history. Junior Johnson & Associates, once the epicenter of power, ultimately witnessed a new era dominated by Hendrick’s operation and other emerging competitors.
The saga underscores how high-profile rivalries—not just among drivers like Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, and Tim Richmond, but among the organizations themselves—can redefine careers and alter the balance of the sport. Ultimately, the Rick Hendrick NASCAR team rivalry highlighted deeper human stakes behind the statistics, from personal bonds ruptured overnight to legendary teams redefining what dominance means in stock car racing.
