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Sept. 12, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team are in the midst of a busy week of testing as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams participate in a two-day Car of Tomorrow (COT) test at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend.
The COT car has seen a lot of action recently, as it raced last week in Richmond and will hit the track for this weekend’s New Hampshire event. Waltrip continues to see steady improvement with the NAPA team’s COT program, and despite missing last weekend’s event at Richmond International Raceway by .037 of a second, he views the 1-mile NHIS track as a new opportunity to better his team. NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
Thoughts on returning to New Hampshire International Speedway: “I think my NAPA team learned a whole bunch at Richmond that will help us at New Hampshire. We are bringing the same car I had at Richmond. I like our chances with that car. New Hampshire is probably one of my favorite tracks on the circuit, so I am very optimistic about how well we will do. Our COT program has improved since the last time we were there, so we have a good shot at it. “I just really like the way the Bahres have reconfigured the track. You can run on the very bottom where it is flatter. You can also run on the top where it is banked. You have options and that should help us during qualifying and the race.” How disappointing was Richmond? “Last weekend was really disappointing. We have really been on a roll lately. We have been making all the races, and it’s amazing how three hundredths of a second can turn a good day into a really bad day. We shouldn’t have missed the race. We had a so-so practice, but we had a car that was fast enough to get in. I just messed up. We’ve dealt with it, and are really encouraged by the fact that both David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett not only made the race, but ran well. David finished 13th. He was one of the fastest cars out there in the second half of the race. Dale was running well, too. His race weekend was a huge improvement from his Richmond experience back in May. He was as good as David but just got caught up in a wreck. We are gaining on it. Every week I can see improvement. That’s all I can really ask for.” Michael Waltrip Fast Facts NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 684th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 27th event of the 2007 season, the Sylvania 300, is held at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sunday. Waltrip will attempt to start in his 25th Cup race at the 1-mile track. His best start is 4th and best finish is 6th (July 25, 2004) in the NAPA machine. In total, he has four top-10 finishes at NHIS. Waltrip has completed 6,798 of 7,088 laps (95.9%) at the track and has led a total of 78 laps in competition. His average start is 21st and average finish is 24th. Waltrip has raced in three Busch Series events at Loudon. He has collected one top-five and two top-10 finishes. He has led 13 laps in Busch Series competition at the track. Back in June, Waltrip team battled a loose-handling Toyota Camry during qualifying for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300. Waltrip’s lap was good for 43rd quickest (30.194 seconds/126.144 miles per hour), but due to NASCAR’s top-35 qualifying rule, Sterling Marlin and Ricky Rudd bumped Waltrip from a starting spot. Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 49th in the driver standings and 46th in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Sylvania 300 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 49 cars are entered at NHIS. 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 New Hampshire International Speedway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
 |
| 7/11/1993 |
12 |
23 |
7/22/2001 |
18 |
28 |
|
| 7/10/1994 |
12 |
37 |
11/23/2001 |
29 |
40 |
| 7/9/1995 |
9 |
14 |
7/21/2002 |
16 |
20 |
|
| 7/14/1996 |
31 |
10 |
9/15/2002 |
14 |
8 |
| 7/13/1997 |
33 |
29 |
7/20/2003 |
5 |
28 |
|
| 9/14/1997 |
22 |
36 |
9/14/2003 |
5 |
26 |
| 7/12/1998 |
38 |
24 |
7/25/2004 |
4 |
6 |
|
| 8/30/1998 |
29 |
27 |
9/19/2004 |
16 |
9 |
| 7/11/1999 |
8 |
19 |
7/17/2005 |
28 |
17 |
|
| 9/19/1999 |
20 |
38 |
9/18/2005 |
36 |
15 |
|
| 7/9/2000 |
39 |
35 |
7/6/2006 |
39 |
36 |
|
| 9/17/2000 |
13 |
20 |
9/17/2006 |
35 |
23 |
|
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Sylvania 300 Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway begins Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. It can also be heard on your local MRN Radio affiliate at the same time.
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