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April 17, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS 500 Toyota, hopes this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway will breathe new life into the NAPA Racing program. The two-time Daytona 500 champion is optimistic about his chances of qualifying after a promising test at Richmond International Raceway on April 3 and 4. The NAPA Camry was 7th in the evening session on April 3 and 9th quickest in final practice at the Richmond track, which is very similar in configuration to Phoenix International Raceway.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
Do you feel Phoenix will be a good gauge of how competitive the COT will be? Do you anticipate side-by-side racing?
“I think Bristol and Martinsville have been good gauges of that already. They certainly have been great races. Both had side-by-side checkered-flag finishes, and I think that was pretty cool to see, so I feel NASCAR has hit it with the COT. I think it is going to be good to go forward. Phoenix is certainly the first track that might relate to other tracks. Bristol and Martinsville are their own animals. They are very unique racetracks. When you talk about Phoenix, you can look at Richmond and Loudon and understand that the COT cars will perform basically the same at all those racetracks. It is the first real high-speed track with aerodynamics being in play, with the long straightaways and the flat turns. I’m really looking forward to the COT race at Phoenix. I think it is going to be a real interesting test for the program.
The Cup teams tested at Richmond on April 3 and 4. How did the test help you prepare for the PIR event?
“Everything we did at Richmond can work at Phoenix. We found that out a few years ago when I drove for DEI. I almost won Phoenix with the exact same setup as Richmond. We understand that those two tracks are enough alike that the setups will indeed be real close to one another, so Richmond was an important test for us.”
Phoenix has two very distinct ends to the track. Do you favor one end over the other when setting up your NAPA Toyota Camry?
“No, I don’t really mess with worrying about one end being different from another. Somebody will get both ends right, and that’s sort of my goal. You have to try and work real hard to get the car handling at both ends of the track because that’s the way the winner will have it. It will be a situation where the car will be balanced well and when you have a good balanced race car, that’s how you win races. If you get the balance right, it will work in both ends, and that’s what everybody will focus on more than Turn 1 or Turn 2. We just want a car that has got good balance – the aerodynamics are split 50-50 from the back to the front, and it doesn’t change a lot from the course of a run. That’s how you win races.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 677th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the eighth event of the 2007 season, the Subway Fresh Fit 500, is held at Phoenix International Raceway.
He will attempt to start in his 21st race at the 1-mile track. His best PIR start is 11th (Nov. 6, 1988 and Nov. 1, 1992) and best finish is 2nd (April 23, 2005).
During his career at Phoenix, Waltrip has earned two top-5 and four top-10 finishes. His average start is 28th and average finish is 24th.
Waltrip has completed 5564 of 6243 laps (89.1%) at the track and has led a total of 25 laps in competition.
Entering this week’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 54th in the driver standings and 50th in owner standings.
The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will need to qualify for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 50 cars are entered in the Phoenix event. Of the entrants, 16 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 by teammate Dale Jarrett, if needed.
Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He was victorious in 2001 and 2003.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Waltrip Phoenix International Raceway Statistics
| YEAR | START | FINISH | YEAR | START | FINISH |
|
| 11/06/1988 |
11 |
28 |
11/07/1999 |
41 |
33 |
 |
| 11/05/1989 |
23 |
9 |
11/05/2000 |
42 |
32 |
|
| 11/04/1990 |
29 |
43 |
10/28/2001 |
26 |
23 |
|
| 11/03/1991 |
30 |
24 |
11/10/2002 |
38 |
20 |
|
| 11/01/1992 |
11 |
11 |
11/02/2003 |
17 |
5 |
|
| 10/31/1993 |
23 |
9 |
11/07/2004 |
19 |
17 |
|
| 10/30/1994 |
25 |
36 |
4/23/2005 |
28 |
2 |
|
| 10/29/1995 |
37 |
34 |
11/13/2005 |
42 |
33 |
|
| 10/27/1996 |
31 |
16 |
4/22/2006 |
42 |
42 |
|
| 11/02/1997 |
30 |
26 |
11/12/2006 |
19 |
42 |
|
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway begins Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 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. |
