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March 23, 2007
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team narrowly missed qualifying for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, mere hundredths of a second away from a spot on the starting grid. Driving NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow (COT), the two-time Daytona 500 winner needed a fast lap of 15.60-seconds to make the race and fell short by just .078 of a second. The NAPA driver’s time of 15.681 seconds (122.365 mph) was 44th fastest – quicker than the laps recorded by 2007 Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and rookie standout David Ragan. Unfortunately, those drivers jumped ahead of Waltrip in the final order because they ranked in the top-35 in owner point standings last year. Behind the wheel of Michael Waltrip Racing’s other two cars, Dale Jarrett was the quickest MWR driver with a time of 15.559 seconds (123.324 mph), good for 30th. David Reutimann’s lap of 15.653 seconds (122.584 mph) was 40th fastest. He did not qualify for Sunday’s race. Jeff Gordon won the Bud Pole Award with a lap of 15.295 seconds (125.453 mph) to earn the first pole position in a Car of Tomorrow. Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers were Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Dave Blaney, Scott Riggs, Jeff Green and Regan Smith. The fastest Toyota in qualifying was Blaney (15.379 seconds/124.768 mph). Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol’s half-mile bullring will feature five Toyota Camrys. Live coverage of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway begins Sunday, March 25 at 1:30 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. Food City 500 Qualifying Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/5/data/lineup.html
Practice 1 Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/5/data/practice1_speeds.html
Next Up:
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1 2006
Winner: Tony Stewart
2006 Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Television: FOX at 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio at 1:30 p.m. ET |
