June 8 , 2007

LONG POND , P.A. – It came down to the final go-or-go-home car to determine the NAPA Racing team’s fate for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. Unfortunately for driver Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney sealed his fate and sent the NAPA crew home after the No. 55 recorded the 32nd-fastest lap (54.318 seconds/165.691miles per hour) in Bud Pole qualifying.

Waltrip’s time was faster than drivers Carl Edwards, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin, Kenny Wallace, Chad McCumbee, Bill Elliott, David Ragan, Robby Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeremy Mayfield, Kevin Lepage, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Green, and Mike Bliss. However, the top-35 rule left the NAPA team one spot short of making the race with the final slot given to Scott Riggs. Rigg’s time was just .008 seconds quicker than Waltrip’s.

“The NAPA team did a tremendous job preparing this car for qualifying,” said Waltrip. “They really improved the car after practice. I tried to run a second lap because I thought we could get a little bit more out of the car, but the engine temperature got too hot. I had to shut it down.

“We had a shot at it, and were just a tick too tight. As many times before, we are sent home by just hundredths of a second.”

Ryan Newman claimed the Bud Pole for the 500-mile event with a fast lap of 52.922 seconds (170.062 mph). Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers were Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers and Jeff Burton.

A total of four Toyota teams qualified for the Pocono 500. The fastest was Vickers in ninth place. Blaney, Waltrip’s teammate David Reutimann, and A.J. Allmendinger qualified 14th, 23rd, and 28th, respectively. Michael Waltrip Racing driver Dale Jarrett was classified 45th, and did not make the field.

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 starting at the same time.

Pocono 500 Qualifying Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/14/data/lineup.html

Practice 1:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/14/data/practice1_speeds.html

Next Up:
3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 18, 2007
2006 Winner: Kasey Kahne
2006 Pole Winner: Kasey Kahne
Television: TNT at 12:30 p.m. EDT
Radio: MRN