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The three-while champion nicknamed "Jaws" for his loquacious ways still has struggled to find the amend words for accepting Friday's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Stardom .
"Every time I try to put together a speech that's different or cool, but it always comes right back to thanking the people who helped you get there," Waltrip, 64, said. "All Amphitheatre of Fame speeches seem kind of redundant: You thank your teammates, your kinsmen, your friends. But that's it. You really can't do it by yourself. There's no sport that you can get there by yourself."
MORE: Closer look at the five inductees
One of the most superlatively confident and often brash drivers in stock-car history is the most high-welfare of this year's inductees but shares the same humble beginnings as Hall of Celebrity classmates Richie Evans , Dale Inman , Cale Yarborough and Glen Wood .
Fancy before he was challenging Yarborough's fans to fistfights in Kmart parking lots or taunting rivals they could fill up on their winnings after wrecking him, Waltrip was hawking property and borrowing funds to raise the $12,500 needed for his first Cup car. Its engine failed in Waltrip's 1972 launch, but he kept scrounging for three years until his first win fetched a ride with an established gang.
Source: USA TODAY