Michael Waltrip gets the boot on 'Dancing with the Stars'

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Racecar driver Michael Waltrip became the latest celebrity dropped from Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles Monday night.

"It was a chance to do something that was more emotional than it was physical. To get to experience the wonderful cast, the folks that we danced with, and to get to know Emma's heart and who she is as a person, I just grew so much emotionally and I am a better person because of my tenure here. I'm happy that I got to be here and I'm sad I have to go," Waltrip said of his time on the show after learning he and his professional dance partner Emma Slater had been cut from the competition.

Still in the running for the coveted mirrorball trophy -- along with their partners -- are Tommy Chong, Bethany Mota, Janel Parrish, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sadie Robertson and Lea Thompson.

The show kicked off its latest edition Sept. 15, with Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returning as co-hosts and former DWTS pro Julianne Hough joining the judges' panel with fellow experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.