June 17 , 2007

BROOKLYN , M.I. –Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team scored their first top-10 finish of the season after crossing the finish line in 10th during the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The impressive performance saw Waltrip lead a lap and emerge as the top Toyota finisher after starting 18th in the 200-lap event.

“I am really proud of my NAPA team,” said Waltrip after climbing out of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. “My guys are rusty, but you would never know it with the way they performed today. The pit stops were awesome. The Toyota motor performed perfectly and got us some good gas mileage. We got a couple of spots because of that. We also were able to run in the top 10 all day. That’s a good feeling.

“It was a hot day, and I haven’t had a chance to race much but I feel as good at the end as I did in the beginning. When the checkered flag fell, I was just glad it was over and that we got a top-10 finish.”

After Saturday’s two practice sessions that saw the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry record the 40th and 33rd fastest times, Waltrip told his crew he believed his car was the best car he’s had since the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. When the green flag dropped shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday, the driver backed up his claim by climbing into the top-15 by the time he pitted under green for the first time on lap 38.

For the first 100 laps, Waltrip battled a push in the front end of his Toyota. The pit crew performed pit stops in the 12 and low 13-second range to help Waltrip gain positions on the racetrack. Michael Waltrip Racing Competition Director Bobby Kennedy called the shots on top of the pit box, with air pressure being the main area of interest in improving Waltrip’s car. During this sequence, the driver ran as high as eighth and was no lower than 15th.

The turning point for the team came on lap 115, when Waltrip was in the pits under green for an air-pressure adjustment. Driver Tony Raines spun entering the pits, forcing Waltrip to leave before his stop was completed in order to stay on the lead lap. What could have been unfortunate turned beneficial as Waltrip was able to come back into the pits on lap 117 to complete the stop and take on additional fuel. The extra splash of gas put the NAPA team in their fuel window, so only one more stop was needed to get to the end. Meanwhile, other teams needed two more stops to make it to the end if the race went green the rest of they way.

When the race restarted on lap 121, Waltrip was in 11th place, battling door-to-door with Kevin Harvick for a coveted top-10 spot. During the course of the run, the NAPA driver came over the radio to say the air-pressure change made during the team’s last service helped, but he needed a little more help since he was too tight at the start of the run. On lap 159, Kennedy called Waltrip in for his final service, but when he attempted to come in on lap 160, he was blocked by a competitor, forcing the NAPA Camry to stay out. The extra lap put Waltrip on top of the leader board for one lap.

“Believe it or not, that was an accident,” smiled the NAPA driver. “They said, “Pit” and then, “Don’t pit” and then I decided not to pit. That’s when they came over the radio to tell me we picked up five bonus points. That was cool.”

On Lap 161, Waltrip was on pit road for what would be his final pit stop of the afternoon. The pit crew hit their marks with another 13-second stop. They made an air-pressure adjustment, changed four tires and added fuel. The driver went back out in 10th place. Within 30 laps, he was in eighth place and within striking distance of a top-five result. However, with five laps to go, Waltrip lightly brushed the wall trying to pass Harvick. The contact caused him to lose two spots on the track. Despite the mishap, the driver was still able to finish on the lead lap and in 10th place.

“I just got a little too tight trying to pass Harvick and got into the wall,” explained Waltrip after the race. “I am still very pleased. I’m also really happy for my teammate David Reutimann. I saw him get lapped early, and then I never saw him again. I was wondering where he was at, so for us to get 10th and 15th with our Toyotas is encouraging.

“Unfortunately, Dale Jarrett missed the race by one hundredth of a second, and it seems as if it is always something. We can smile about today and yet, we are sad Dale did not get to race today. I just think we can build on a lot with what’s happened to us lately, and I look forward to watching Terry Labonte next week in Sonoma.”

Claiming his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory of the season was Carl Edwards. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon and Waltrip.

A total of five Toyota teams participated in Sunday’s event.  Besides Waltrip, teammate David Reutimann finished 15th and Dave Blaney claimed 18 th. AJ Allmendinger and Brian Vickers finished 31st and 41st, respectively.

Next week, NASCAR Champion Terry Labonte will come out of retirement to drive the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota at Infineon Raceway in the first road-course race of the year. Waltrip is hoping Labonte can build on NAPA Racing’s strong run at Michigan and help the team continue to improve. Last season at Infineon, Labonte finished third.

Citizens Bank 400 Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/15/data/results_unofficial.html

Unofficial Driver Standings (Waltrip moved up five positions):
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/data/standings_unofficial.html

Next Up:
Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24
2006 Winner: Jeff Burton
2006 Pole: Kurt Busch
Television: TNT at 3:30 pm
Radio: PRN