Wally Dallenbach is an avid outdoorsman. Credit: Autostock

Wally's other world seen on Outdoor Channel

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Race fans know Wally Dallenbach as a former driver and current commentator for NBC and TNT's coverage of NASCAR. Outdoorsmen, however, know that Wally's world is a vast, vast place.

Aside from his NASCAR duties, Dallenbach also hosts a show on the Outdoor Channel called Track and Trail Adventures that sends him throughout the world searching for everything from bison to sheep.

PIKES PIQUE Wally Dallenbach has become so interested in the production side of TV that he purchased the broadcast rights for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, a 12-mile race to the top of the Colorado mountain.  "After we did the Pikes Peak deal and how much great footage we got, I really think that I'd like to do two or three of those type events a year," said Dallenbach, who also made the climb.  "We did it first-class all the way. We had two helicopters. We did a lot of it in HD. We wanted to go out and do a great production to generate some excitement for the hill climb.  "It's the most fun thing that I do. It's a unique event."  The broadcast airs on The Outdoor Channel at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 23.

That journey actually started with a guest spot on another program.

"When I was driving, actually I think it was the 25 car for [Rick] Hendrick, I was invited on a show with Dave Watson called Bushnell Outdoors. I went and did that show and we really hit it off and he said, 'If you ever wanna do a show, you would be great having your own show.' He said, 'I'd be thrilled to be a part of it if you wanna do it.'

"I said, 'I'd love to someday but with driving every week, there's no time to do a hunting show.' When I got doing the TV stuff and I had a little bit of time, Dave and I put it together and the rest is history."

Like most outdoorsmen, Dallenbach has a story from his travels that gets told over and over again.

"My first trip to Africa, we're hunting and my guide picks me up and we've got about a four-hour ride to camp," he said. "Thanks to racing and racecars, my hearing is not too good and they have an accent so it was difficult understanding everything they said.

"We're driving along," Dallenbach said, "and the guide says, 'Have you shot your rifle since you got here?' I went, 'Yeah,' and he said, 'Well, let's just take a couple of shots.'

"We're on the side of this road and there's all these farms and stuff all over. It's just all, ya know, these little villages," Dallenbach added. "He comes out and there's this farm with goats, so he said, 'Shoot that goat.' I like this guy already, so I get my rifle out and I lay it over the foot of the vehicle and I shoot this goat."

And that's when things got strange.

"I'll never forget his reaction because he never pulled his eyes off the binoculars. I put my gun up and he's lookin' and lookin'. In the meantime, the owner of the goats comes running out terrified. Here's these two guys shooting what their livelihood is.

"My guide said, 'Why did you do that?' I said, 'Was there a particular colored goat that you wanted me to shoot?' and he said, 'I said to shoot the post.'"

Whoops.

However, the owner of the goats felt better after talking to Dallenbach.

"I gave the guy $100 U.S. and when my guide explained to the guide that owned the goats how much that was in Zimbabwe, he was so happy he wanted me to shoot all his goats."

As far as the television show goes, Dallenbach said it's a match made in heaven.

"I've enjoyed doing it," he said. "We only run half the year, from June through December. I get to go all over the world to do these hunts. It's what I do anyway and it keeps me very, very busy."