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June 8, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Coming off a 28th-place finish at Dover, Waltrip and his NAPA Racing team are ready to take on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval. Despite having three distinct corners, Waltrip views it as just another fun track to drive, and his career statistics reflect it. Embarking on his 43rd career start at Pocono, the driver has one pole and six top-10 finishes at the track. Three of those top results came while driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS machine.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
Thoughts on Pocono Raceway:
“I don’t treat Pocono any different from the other tracks. All the tracks appear to be symmetrical. They all have their own idiosyncrasies at each end. Pocono is the same way. You have to get your car set up to go around the three corners and don’t worry about the fact they are all different. I think people make a bigger deal out of it than it really is. If the car is balanced properly, it will handle around any type of corner. Although the corners are different, they are a whole lot alike, as well. They are not highly banked, and it is just a fun track. It is a track I really enjoy. I enjoy it even more now that we do not have to shift. Now we can just race."
Five Toyotas qualified at both Charlotte and Dover. Are you seeing progress being made?
“The Toyota teams seem to go in the same direction in regards to performance at each track. Charlotte was a big shot in the arm for Toyota. With the new engine and the performance we saw out of our teams, we are very optimistic. We felt all seven Toyotas could have made the race at Dover. We didn’t believe (Dave) Blaney would miss and (David) Reutimann got into the wall during qualifying, so that hurt. We certainly felt it was reasonable to think all of the Toyotas could get in at Dover, so that’s a big step from where we were just a few months ago.”
After qualifying for Dover, is the monkey off your back?
“He isn’t off yet. He is still hanging on by his fingernails. We are not writing the end of our book, we are writing the beginning. I am not going to say that starting today everything is going to be rosy. It is certainly a step in the right direction. What I need to do is be competitive on race day. I didn’t go to Dover to just make it. I went to make it and race well. That’s the same plan for Pocono, as well.”
Statement on the passing of Bill France Jr.
“When Bill France Sr. passed the torch to Bill Jr., some people were skeptical. But, wow, did Bill Jr. prove he was the right man for the job. Mr. France’s leadership launched NASCAR into a national mainstay as he consistently demonstrated the iron-willed leadership qualities of his father.
“Through all the amazing accomplishments in Bill Jr.’s incredible career as our leader, I know his greatest legacy will be the influence he left with his children Brian and Lesa as they lead us into the future.
“Mr. France may be gone, but his leadership will be felt every day there is a sport called NASCAR. And all of us competitors are thankful for that.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 678th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 14th event of the 2007 season, the Pocono 500, is held at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
Waltrip will attempt to start in his 43rd Cup race at the 2.5-mile track. His best start is 1st in the NAPA machine (June 12, 2005) and best finish is 2nd (June 19, 1988). In total, he has three top-5 and six top-10 finishes at Pocono.
Waltrip has completed 7,330 of 8,308 laps (88.2%) at the track and has led a total of 63 laps in competition. His average start is 21st and average finish is 20th.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 52nd in the driver standings and 49th in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Pocono 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 Pocono event. Of the entrants, 14 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 Bill Elliott, if needed.
Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He was victorious in 2001 and 2003.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Pocono Raceway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6/8/1986 |
28 |
39 |
7/21/1996 |
24 |
13 |
|
7/20/1986 |
27 |
11 |
6/8/1997 |
32 |
13 |
|
| 6/14/1987 |
22 |
16 |
7/20/1997 |
25 |
22 |
|
| 7/19/1987 |
19 |
37 |
6/21/1998 |
29 |
14 |
|
| 6/19/1988 |
30 |
2 |
7/26/1998 |
10 |
10 |
|
7/24/1988 |
24 |
17 |
6/20/1999 |
13 |
37 |
|
| 6/18/1989 |
12 |
14 |
7/25/1999 |
16 |
12 |
|
| 7/23/1989 |
28 |
28 |
6/19/2000 |
12 |
43 |
|
| 6/17/1990 |
19 |
19 |
6/17/2001 |
17 |
30 |
|
| 6/16/1991 |
5 |
18 |
7/29/2001 |
23 |
19 |
|
| 7/21/1991 |
20 |
38 |
6/9/2002 |
17 |
8 |
|
| 6/14/1992 |
15 |
15 |
7/28/2002 |
3 |
18 |
|
| 7/19/1992 |
28 |
26 |
6/8/2003 |
13 |
18 |
|
| 6/13/1993 |
27 |
21 |
7/27/2003 |
17 |
4 |
|
| 7/18/1993 |
16 |
14 |
6/13/2004 |
22 |
33 |
|
| 6/12/1994 |
10 |
11 |
8/1/2004 |
11 |
36 |
|
| 7/17/1994 |
41 |
14 |
6/12/2005 |
1 |
5 |
|
| 6/11/1995 |
23 |
9 |
7/24/2005 |
24 |
26 |
|
| 7/16/1995 |
21 |
21 |
6/11/2006 |
36 |
28 |
|
| 6/16/1996 |
14 |
14 |
7/23 |
39 |
40 |
|
|
|
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NASCAR NEXTEL Pocono 500 Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway begins Sunday, June 10 at 12:30 p.m. EDT on TNT. It can also be heard on your local MRN Radio affiliate and Sirius Satellite Radio starting at the same time.
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