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Darrell Waltrip’s Illness Is A Reminder Of Just How Dangerous NASCAR Can Be

Waltrip’s health update provides yet another reminder that ‘safer’ doesn’t mean ‘safe.’

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Seven years ago, Darrell Waltrip’s retirement as a longtime NASCAR broadcaster for Fox Sports raised questions about whether the sport should seek to embrace, or move beyond, its traditional southern roots. Now, Waltrip’s recent decision to step away from public life raises separate questions about the health consequences of NASCAR and motor racing in general.

Like football and other contact activities, Waltrip’s announcement represents the latest reminder that brain-related trauma imposes a real-life intrusion on sports designed to provide fans with an emotional escape. The news may spark renewed debate about the complex nexus between biology, technology, and athletes’ desire to seek fame, fortune, and adrenaline.

A statement released by Waltrip and his family last week announced that “has been diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) complicated by possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) — likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.” (A formal diagnosis of CTE can only come during an autopsy after death.) While the family said that Waltrip’s disease “is currently limited to some minor noticeable symptoms,” he “will be stepping further away from the public limelight.”

Waltrip, 79, won three separate championships in NASCAR’s premier Cup series, along with 84 Cup races, placing him fifth in........

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