Michael Waltrip Married Life Hit The Brakes After Divorce With Wife; A Little Amour With Dance Partn

Publish date: 2024-05-20
By LRU Writer | On: March 30, 2021

Quick Information

Too fast, too furious! An American professional stock car racing driver Michael Waltrip has a big race shop and a couple of Daytona 500 trophies. He has won 4 NASCAR cups and another 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series titles over his 33 years career to number it. Unfortunately, this man of triumph had a failed marriage. 

So, what was the reason behind the veteran driver’s divorce? Is Michael in a new relationship after the divorce?

His troubled married life!

Caption: Elizabeth Franks and Michael Curtis Waltrip with their daughter Margaret in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, February 15, 2007.

Photo credit:motorsport.com

Elizabeth Franks and Michael Curtis Waltrip met back in 1992 when Elizabeth Franks, also known as Buffy’s family moved to North Carolina from Michigan. Michael Waltrip was then recovering from a car accident when both of them fell in love. Both of them married on November 27, 1993, and share a daughter, Margaret Carol Waltrip who was born on September 29, 1997.

Rumors began to unfurl in 2008 that the couple was heading for a divorce. Buffy rarely appeared at Waltrip’s NASCAR events, and many of them speculated that she was having an extramarital affair after she was seen publicly with another man. In 2010, Waltrip and his wife Elizabeth publicly announced their divorce.

Reason For The Divorce?

His dedication towards the game and helping everyone led him to neglect his marriage. But, when he lost his friend as well as his teammate Dale Earnhardt in a terrible racing accident, he was profoundly affected. He always mourned when asked questions about that fateful day. On the other hand, Waltrip didn't seek proper help in how to deal with the stress, and that in return affected his marriage which led to the divorce.

In an interview with ESPN on February 7, 2011, Michael revealed his life has not been the same after those series of events:

"I don't have a wife anymore. And I don't live with my daughters. And so obviously, a lot has gone down in the last nine years for me."

Michael Wrote It Down: The Book became a Best-Selling

That is the very reason why he decided to write a book about all those matters, which turned out to be one of the best-sellers of New York Times, entitled "In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything."

Moreover, Michael Waltrip responded to a fan question on Twitter on December 24, 2016, with an emphatic “yes” when asked if he was going to be in the 2017 Daytona 500.

Currently, Michael is ready to hit the road for 2021's new series SRX. It's the short-track focus racing where Micheal is listed up as a full-time driver. He was last seen on the tracks in 2017. 

Dating a professional dancer?

In Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, rumors spread that professional dancer Emma Slater and NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip were dating each other. According to the November 3rd  edition of Star Magazine:

“Dancing With The Stars partners Emma Slater and Michael Waltrip have fallen for each other since being paired up for the show in September. And while the Nascar driver, 51 and blonde beauty, 25 raised eyebrows when their relationship became official, friends say the 26 year age has never been an issue.”

Both Michael Waltrip and his alleged girlfriend are yet to officially confirm their relationship to the public. Moreover, previously Michael Waltrip was rumored to be gay, but it eventually subsided as no further evidence came out regarding the allegation.

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