Michael Waltrip’s ex-wife Buffy Franks married him in 1993 after they met a few years earlier. Buffy gave birth to their daughter, Margaret, in 1997, about four years after they married. In an interview from ESPN, he said the death of his mentor was a contributing factor to the divorce. He mentioned the book he wrote about it too. It’s tough to lose a mentor, and his was Dale Earnhardt. An article from DivorceDebbie mentioned they fell in love after he crashed his car, and she helped him recover. The article mentioned the rumors of divorce spread over a few years after they separated and Buffy spent time with another man.
Michael said in another ESPN article that he was “probably the most depressing guy you’ll ever see make the Daytona 500.” At least he’s honest! He also appeared on Dancing With The Stars with a woman named Emma Slater. There have been plenty of rumors of their courting extending beyond the dance floor. But it’s never been confirmed if they were together, since they began to dance shortly after the divorce. In fact, the official word from them was they were just friends. A short post from Rumor Fix stated it was likely all a rumor that they were together. In fact, Emma is now engaged to another man. That man is Sasha Farber, another professional dancer on DWTS.
Now, it appears Buffy spends time with their daughter Margaret and lives her life happily. I am curious if Michael and Emma were simply best friends. They apparently spent more time together off the dance floor than any other couple on the show. The difference in age between them did not effect them in any way. Did Michael ever take her out in one of the NASCAR racing cars? That’s got to be a huge perk if you hang out with a pro racer. Attendance at the races is also key. Michael Waltrip’s ex-wife will not get free tickets any more.
