MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Mooresville police say alcohol was a factor in an accident Wednesday night involving NASCAR driver and team owner Michael Waltrip. Officers investigating the accident suspected Waltrip was drinking, but when he was given a field sobriety test, he registered a .06. In North Carolina the legal limit is .08 Police say Waltrip was leaving the parking lot of a shopping center and when he pulled out, he attempted to do a U-turn around a cement median. Waltrip pulled out just an as on-coming motorcyclist was approaching. The motorcyclist, identified by police as Ronald Hausman of Mooresville, slammed into the driver’s side door or Waltrip’s Lexus. The police report on the accident says Waltrip “was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.” He was given a field sobriety test and passed a “walk and turn” test and a “one leg stand” test. “He did not meet the criteria for the DWI, however it was indicated as a contributing factor…on the accident report,” said Captain Phil Blocker of the Mooresville Police. Waltrip was given a citation for failing to yield the right of way. In 2007, Waltrip drove his vehicle off the road less than a mile from his home on Dog Leg Road in Sherrills Ford. A driver behind him spotted the wreck and called 9-1-1. When police arrived, a witness said Waltrip had crawled out of the wreck and headed towards his house. Police went to the door but there was no answer. It was not until the following day that police were able to question Waltrip and too much time had passed to administer a sobriety test. He was charged with reckless driving and failing to report an accident. The charges were later dropped. Waltrip lives in a gated estate in Sherrills Ford. His home is secluded from the road. There was no answer when reporter Rad Berky buzzed at the front gate after this latest accident. Attempts to reach the rider of the motorcycle were also unsuccess
