 Feb. 11, 2008
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –He called his car ‘evil’, but despite handling problems, NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip rallied back to finish 11th in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. The 70-lap event saw the NAPA team on top of the leader board twice, but a run at the win was not meant to be.
“We just did not have the car we needed tonight,” said Waltrip. “Since the time we unloaded, this car did not handle well over the bumps. It was a challenge out there at times. We had some bright spots out there, and I am glad we had the opportunity to run this race. It was a good warm up for us. We learned a few things that will help us prepare and be ready for Thursday’s Gatorade Duel.”
The Budweiser Shootout was comprised of a 20-lap segment, followed by a 10-minute break for a pit stop. It concluded with a 50-lap shootout. When the green flag waved, Waltrip wasted no time by taking the lead. He spent most of this segment going door-to-door with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The first signal that the NAPA Camry was not handling to Waltrip’s liking was on lap 13, when he fell to 14th place. The race was slowed on lap 16, which led to the break when Bill Elliott lost a tire. The NAPA driver came over the radio to tell his new crew chief Paul Andrews that significant adjustments were required. Andrews called for shock, air-pressure and wedge adjustments.
The NAPA team returned to the track in 17th position and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the leader. Adjustments made during the break seemed to help Waltrip. He radioed in saying the NAPA Camry was reacting favorably, especially when traveling over the bumps. Four laps into the segment, the caution was out after Jamie McMurray cut a tire. Andrews called his driver in for an air-pressure change. Waltrip’s stop was completed on lap 26.
Waltrip managed to climb back into the top 10 by lap 34. Then on lap 48, David Gilliland crashed, collecting Greg Biffle. The yellow flag allowed another opportunity for Andrews to work on the NAPA Camry. Track bar, air- pressure and wedge were completed and four tires were changed. Waltrip returned to the track in 16th and fellow Toyota driver Dave Blaney was in the top spot.
The NAPA Camry did not respond the way Waltrip needed. It was later discovered during the team’s last pit stop that the track bar was adjusted incorrectly. The driver was forced to drop back to 18th and ride it out until another caution on lap 64 occurred. The pit crew went back to work for more air-pressure, wedge and track-bar changes. The adjustments allowed Waltrip to gain five track positions before the checkered flag waved on lap 70.
Scoring his first victory with his new Hendrick Motorsports team was crowd favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. It is the second time he has won the pre-season event.
Rounding out the top-10 were Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Dave Blaney, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne. Waltrip’s teammate Dale Jarrett finished 13th.
Budweiser Shootout:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/100/data/results_unofficial.html
Daytona 500 Practice 1:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/1/data/practice1_speeds.html
Daytona 500 Practice 2:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/1/data/practice2_speeds.html |
