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May 8, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team head to Darlington Raceway, one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series circuit, for Saturday’s Dodge Avenger 500. In the past, Waltrip has put up respectable numbers at the 1.366-mile oval, with 5 top-10 starts and 8 top-10 finishes to his credit. His most recent top-5 finish came behind the wheel of the NAPA machine in 2003. This weekend, Waltrip is focused and ready to improve upon his best Darlington finish – third – as NASCAR holds its fifth Car of Tomorrow event of the season.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
Darlington is known for the tremendous amount of tradition tied to it. What does the track mean to you?
“Darlington is a huge part of NASCAR’s history. If you win at Darlington, you have really accomplished something as a driver. As far as I am concerned, a Darlington win ranks up there with the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. It’s special, and I would love to have the chance to turn our season around by having a shot at competing in it.”
What are your expectations for this weekend?
“My main expectation is to qualify. That’s the first challenge, and I would love to get that behind us. People always ask me about Darlington because it is so tough, and I am the worst one to ask because I feel as if I could have made every race so far this season. When I left for Richmond last week, I not only thought I was going to make the race, I thought I was going to be competitive and race well. I feel the same way about Darlington. However, bringing the COT to Darlington is a whole new deal, and it will be a challenge. We have never really run the COT at a track that produces the high speeds that Darlington is known for. We are going to put our heads down, dig hard and hope it goes fast enough to make it in.”
Despite the challenges, are you seeing progress within Michael Waltrip Racing?
“Last weekend, we were last in practice. The NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry needed a lot of work to get better. My crew chief Buddy Sisco and all the guys that worked on it tore it apart so when I qualified, I was only two-hundredths of a second out. We came from last to challenge for a starting spot. We just seem to be a little off when we show up. We need to get better. I am sure we will. I love this opportunity and am very thankful for it. It is a lot harder than we originally visioned. A lot of our problems started in Daytona. I really haven’t had a crew chief for most of the season. That’s big. The team understands we are digging out, but we have great partners like NAPA who are giving us the time to work through it, so I am very thankful.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 677th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 11th event of the 2007 season, the Dodge Avenger 500, is held at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night.
Waltrip will attempt to start in his 42nd race at the 1.366-mile track. His best start is 6th (March 18, 2001) in the NAPA machine and best finish is 3rd (April 7, 1991).
During his career at Darlington, Waltrip has earned 3 top-5 and 8 top-10 finishes. His average start is 23rd and average finish is 22nd.
Waltrip has completed 12,098 of 13,721 laps (88.2%) at the track and has led a total of 214 laps in competition.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 55th in the driver standings and 50th in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Dodge Avenger 500 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 49 cars are entered in the Darlington event. Of the entrants, 14 are go-or-go-home teams. Waltrip will be competing for eight qualifying spots.
Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He was victorious in 2001 and 2003.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Richmond International Raceway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
9/1/1985 |
35 |
24 |
3/24/1996 |
29 |
29 |
|
4/13/1986 |
19 |
13 |
9/1/1996 |
22 |
33 |
|
| 8/31/1986 |
27 |
16 |
3/23/1997 |
27 |
7 |
|
| 3/29/1987 |
30 |
19 |
8/31/1997 |
14 |
9 |
|
| 9/6/1987 |
19 |
19 |
3/22/1998 |
7 |
16 |
|
3/27/1988 |
27 |
21 |
9/6/1998 |
20 |
17 |
|
| 9/4/1988 |
14 |
25 |
3/22/1999 |
13 |
21 |
|
| 4/2/1989 |
23 |
9 |
9/5/1999 |
13 |
21 |
|
| 9/3/1989 |
15 |
13 |
3/19/2000 |
35 |
32 |
|
| 4/1/1990 |
9 |
9 |
9/3/2000 |
35 |
32 |
|
| 9/2/1990 |
30 |
26 |
3/18/2001 |
6 |
25 |
|
| 4/7/1991 |
10 |
3 |
9/2/2001 |
25 |
36 |
|
| 9/1/1991 |
29 |
27 |
3/17/2002 |
17 |
15 |
|
| 3/29/1992 |
24 |
14 |
9/1/2002 |
14 |
24 |
|
| 9/6/1992 |
22 |
35 |
9/16/2003 |
9 |
5 |
|
| 3/28/1993 |
21 |
33 |
8/31/2003 |
37 |
37 |
|
| 9/5/1993 |
25 |
13 |
3/21/2004 |
39 |
35 |
|
| 3/27/1994 |
30 |
15 |
11/14/2004 |
17 |
33 |
|
| 9/4/1994 |
26 |
31 |
5/7/2005 |
19 |
34 |
|
| 3/26/1995 |
28 |
7 |
5/13/2006 |
37 |
35 |
|
|
9/3/1995 |
25 |
5 |
|
|
|
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Dodge Avenger 500 Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway begins Saturday night, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. EDT 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.
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