Michael Waltrip NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Las Vegas 400 Fast Facts

March 6, 2007

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Despite a challenging start to the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, Michael Waltrip and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team are continuing to work hard to turn their year around. Missing the event at Fontana by a mere .033 seconds was a disappointment to Waltrip, but the NAPA team continued to rally by using the off week to not only test the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol Motor Speedway (Feb. 28-March 1) but also shakedown their Las Vegas Toyota Camry at Kentucky Speedway on March 2. The crew is hoping their perseverance will pay off starting this weekend at the Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where earlier this year, the team had a promising test session.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:

The team had a good test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. What are your impressions of the new track surface and banking?

“I like the track a lot. The thing I like the most is that during the test, I was able to run up high at the very start. Every track that has been built lately like Chicago and Kansas, for example, got a bad rap for not having good racing and being alike in configuration. Vegas is somewhat similar to those tracks except for the banking. The banking at Vegas allows us to run in two or different lines. The ability to run in the different grooves will make for good racing. It’s also fast but that’s okay. I’m not sure what the fuss is all about in regards to the speeds this place is generating. We’re race car drivers. The cars just go fast at Vegas. It’s not the track’s fault it’s fast. The cars can be slowed down but I wouldn’t recommend building a track that doesn’t produce good races to watch.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 677th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race when the third race of the 2007 season is held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

He will attempt to start in his 10th Las Vegas 400. His best start at the newly-reconfigured 1.5-mile track is 15th (March 7, 1999) and best finish is 3rd (March 2, 2003).

During his career at the 1.5-mile oval, Waltrip has earned 1 top-5 and 1 top-10 finishes. His average start is 15th and average finish is 22nd.

Waltrip has completed 2173 of 2287 laps (94.5%) at the track and has led a total of 18 laps in competition.

Entering this week’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event, Waltrip is 46th in the driver standings and 56th in owner standings. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will need to qualify for the Las Vegas 400 on time since the No. 55 was outside the top 35 in the 2006 owner point standings. A total of 54 cars are entered in this race. Of the entrants, 19 are go-or-go-home teams. Waltrip will be competing for eight qualifying spots, one of which may be used as a past champion’s provisional, if needed, by teammate Dale Jarrett.

Although Waltrip has never finished higher than 12th (1994 and 1995) in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings, he has won a NASCAR Series championship. Prior to joining the Cup Series full time, Waltrip won the 1983 NASCAR Dash Series championship.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Las Vegas Motor Speedway Statistics

YEARSTARTFINISHYEARSTARTFINISH
1998 36 142002 5 22
1999 2 222003 9 3
2000 7 332004 14 37
2001 4 132005 36 21
    2006 25 35

Waltrip’s NAPA Ride

Waltrip will be behind the wheel of Chassis MWR-527. It tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back on Jan. 29-30. During the afternoon session on Jan. 30, MWR-527 turned the 9th-fastest lap of the session.

Mikey’s Cap Swap

Back by popular demand this month is Mikey’s Cap Swap promotion. Race fans are invited to visit their local participating NAPA store to trade in their old cap for a new NAPA Racing cap. It’s free with any purchase. Plus, while there be sure to register for a chance to win a trip around Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry driven by Mikey, himself! The winner will also get a VIP, behind-the-scenes tour of Waltrip Raceworld.

Las Vegas 400 Broadcast Coverage

Live coverage of the Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins Sunday, March 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET on FOX. If you can’t catch the race on TV, it can be heard on your local PRN 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.