NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip has ambitious plans for his brewery business

Cheers to this new Michael Waltrip venture. The NASCAR legend is all about spreading happiness through cold beer. He’s opened two breweries with plans for dozens more.

You might remember him for winning two Daytona 500 titles (in 2001 and 2003). Or maybe you know Michael as Darrell Waltrip’s younger brother. But now he’s a 60-year-old beer entrepreneur. Fox Business interviewed him last week to talk about his ventures into the world of restaurants and hospitality. He opened Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. in March, 2020, just as the world was shutting down because of the pandemic.

“We were in Arizona, and when COVID hit, we didn’t know whether to charge forward or get back on our heels,” Waltrip told Fox Business. “We just took a break and decided to relocate to the southeast and we opened a wonderful historic brewery in Bristol, Virginia, where we serve 20 different of our beers… Our brewmaster is constantly making something new and different. It’s been a huge success, and so we decided to expand down into Charlotte, North Carolina.”

If all goes according to plan, Michael Waltrip wants to open 100 such sites. Besides the beer, aka the “Draft Picks,” the TapRooms have a definitive sports feel. There’s the MW beer only found at his breweries. Or, you can get a cold mug of a popular domestic or international brand. Order a Field of Dreams burger, maybe supplement that with some Meaux nachos or Cheesehead sticks and have yourself an evening.

Michael Waltrip’s TapRoom Was Open for Coca-Cola 600

Michael Waltrip said they kept moving on with their beer plans, even with Covid being so bad for business. He spoke to Fox Business from his North Carolina brewery. Coincidentally, the TapRoom is near the Charlotte Motor Raceway. So fans who watched the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend could swing by, have a beer and listen to country music.

The best way to pass time until the NASCAR Xfinity race? @WaltripBrewing pic.twitter.com/au168s6qDl

— SPRINGRATES™ (@Springrates) May 28, 2023

Waltrip said Covid was a “concern, obviously, but we’ve been able to not only survive but also to persevere through it all,” he said. “And I think that’s going to make us tougher in the long run. And we have great food here in Charlotte.”

He said the Charlotte site is projected to do “$1.6 million to $2 million at this location over the next year. And we’ve only been open for a couple of months … We’re right on target to do just that. So things are going well. You got to be tough in these times and I think our team is just that.”

Basically, he knows how to sell beer. It’s about the experience and relaxing with friends and family. Beer shouldn’t be controversial, he says.

“A cold beer should make everybody happy. It should never alienate anyone,” Michael Waltrip said. “I’ll tell you something that is most important to me. The thing that I love the most about this project [is] you see someone you don’t know drinking one of your beers with a smile on their face. That’s what it’s all about to me. Just having a good time.”

“We just want to have a good beer and have a good time and not be political about anything we do.”