Feb. 24, 2007

FONTANA, Calif. – Qualifying for Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway was a heartbreaker for driver Michael Waltrip and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team. Despite recording the 34th-fastest time (39.500 seconds/ 182.278 mph), Waltrip fell short of making the starting field by a mere .033 seconds.

The No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry outperformed drivers Ricky Rudd, Jamie McMurray, Ken Schrader, Kyle Petty, Elliott Sadler, David Ragan, David Gilliland, Tony Raines and Robby Gordon, but due to NASCAR’s top-35 rule, Waltrip was the first driver sent home out of the 51 teams trying to make the 43-car starting field. Ironically, it was a Michael Waltrip Racing car driven by David Reutimann that bumped Waltrip out of the race.

“I knew it was going to be real close to making it,” said Waltrip, who had turned a lap of 39.764 seconds/181.068 mph during practice earlier in the day. “I’m real proud of my team. We made some adjustments after the first practice, and it made the NAPA Camry better. It certainly gave us a chance.”

In Michael Waltrip Racing’s other two cars, David Reutimann turned in the 33rd-fastest lap (39.467 seconds/182.431 mph), while Dale Jarrett experienced a mechanical problem and was unable to record a time but is protected under the past champion’s provisional. Both cars will start in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at the 1.5-mile facility.

Winning the Bud Pole was Jeff Gordon with a time of 38.765 seconds/185.735 mph. Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers were Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Casey Mears.

Meanwhile, the fastest Toyota in Friday qualifying was Dave Blaney, who was 14th quickest. Other drivers who were unable to make the starting field were Ward Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, A.J. Allmendinger, Brandon Whitt, Mike Bliss, Kenny Wallace, and Kevin Lepage.

Live coverage of the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway begins Sunday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX. If you can’t catch the race on TV, it can be heard on your local MRN Radio affiliate and Sirius Satellite Radio starting at the same time. Remember to check your local listings as dates and times of the race may change.

Auto Club 500 Qualifying Results: http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/2/data/lineup.html

NASCAR.com Qualifying Report: http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/02/23/california.pole.ap/index.html

Practice 1 Results: http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/2/data/practice1_speeds.html

Next Up: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11
2006 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2006 Pole Winner: Greg Biffle
Television: FOX at 4 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio at 4 p.m. ET