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Oct. 3, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team are gearing up for a return to one of their favorite tracks -- Talladega Superspeedway. While behind the wheel of his NAPA race car in 2003, Waltrip scored his third career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory with a win in the EA Sports 500.
In preparation for next season, drivers take to the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway in the Car of Tomorrow. Talladega will mark the first time the COT will be utilized in a restrictor-plate race. Waltrip expects the kind of action-packed racing that the track has always produced, and if all goes well, he will add another win to his Talladega stats.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
You’ve tested the COT at Talladega and Mark Green tested in your NAPA Camry at the Goodyear tire test at Daytona International Speedway. What kind of racing can we expect from the COT at Talladega?
“I really don’t expect it to be a whole lot different. After testing down there, the cars drive really well. In a plate race, you run 190 miles per hour around Talladega. You are going to have the same action no matter what you are driving because of the fact it is so easy to do. It is easy to run by yourself and therefore, when you get in a pack, you get this false sense of security and confidence that you can do whatever you want. If you clip somebody, you are going to cause a crash. It happens no matter what car you are driving. I think it will be interesting to see what happens if we have the so-called ‘Big One’ as in years past. If we do, we will have a chance to see just how well the COT holds up. Is it 100-percent safer than the old car? I think Talladega will be the true test to answering that question.”
After drafting practice during the Talladega test, could you tell a difference between the COT car and the old speedway car?
“I really didn’t see much of a difference in drafting with the COT versus the speedway car. I’ve had success in the other car, and I know how to draft in it. It seems to me that the biggest difference will be more passing. With the other car, you really had to time it perfectly to be able to make those types of moves. With this car, it seems like you can play the game of laying off a guy and getting that big run.”
Do you anticipate NASCAR making any changes to the COT car once we get to Talladega?
“I really don’t know. I believe that question will be answered on Friday after NASCAR sees what the cars will do in the big packs as well as sees the kind of speeds we generate. NASCAR may want to make an adjustment -- up or down. It’s up to them. It is perfectly fine with me. Toyota has all the plates possible in the range that could be run on the engine. They are testing them now so that if NASCAR does make a restrictor-plate change, Toyota will have the right game plan in place to adjust accordingly. It won’t be a big deal. All of the teams will be prepared.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 686th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 30th event of the 2007 season, the Talladega 500, is held at Talladega Speedway on Sunday.
He will attempt to start in his 43rd race at the 2.66-mile track. His best start is 2nd (April 25, 2004) and best finish is 1st (Sept. 28, 2003).
During his career at the superspeedway, Waltrip has earned 7 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes. His average start and finish is 19th.
Waltrip has completed 6922 of 7835 laps (88.3%) at the track and has led a total of 190 laps in competition.
Earlier this season, Waltrip recorded the 20th-fastest lap in qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway, but his time of 50.388 seconds (190.045 mph) was not quick enough to put the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry in the field for the Aaron’s 499 based on NASCAR’s top-35 qualifying rule. Waltrip missed the race by just .009 of a second.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 49th in the driver standings and 44th in owner standings. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will need to qualify for the Talladega 500 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 51 cars are entered in the Talladega event. Of the entrants, 18 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 Dover International Speedway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
 |
| 5/4/1986 |
37 |
35 |
7/28/1996 |
22 |
42 |
|
| 7/27/1986 |
34 |
14 |
5/10/1997 |
28 |
14 |
|
|
| 5/3/1987 |
24 |
25 |
10/12/1997 |
27 |
28 |
|
| 7/26/1987 |
21 |
17 |
4/26/1998 |
33 |
21 |
|
| 5/1/1988 |
23 |
33 |
10/11/1998 |
34 |
9 |
|
| 7/31/1988 |
27 |
20 |
4/25/1999 |
10 |
18 |
|
| 5/7/1989 |
25 |
21 |
10/17/1999 |
12 |
39 |
|
| 7/30/1989 |
17 |
36 |
4/16/2000 |
11 |
31 |
|
| 5/6/1990 |
10 |
5 |
10/15/2000 |
18 |
34 |
|
| 7/29/1990 |
32 |
21 |
4/22/2001 |
8 |
28 |
|
| 5/6/1991 |
20 |
5 |
10/21/2001 |
30 |
37 |
|
| 7/28/1991 |
13 |
7 |
4/21/2002 |
3 |
2 |
|
| 5/3/1992 |
25 |
38 |
10/6/2002 |
15 |
8 |
|
| 7/26/1992 |
9 |
7 |
4/6/2003 |
16 |
24 |
|
| 5/2/1993 |
13 |
10 |
9/28/2003 |
18 |
1 |
|
| 7/25/1993 |
13 |
20 |
4/25/2004 |
2 |
12 |
|
| 5/1/1994 |
8 |
3 |
10/3/2004 |
14 |
25 |
|
| 7/24/1994 |
9 |
11 |
5/1/2005 |
38 |
3 |
|
| 4/30/1995 |
10 |
12 |
10/2/2005 |
25 |
42 |
|
| 7/23/1995 |
7 |
9 |
5/1/2006 |
21 |
25 |
|
| 4/28/1996 |
31 |
5 |
10/8/2006 |
21 |
14 |
|
NAPA Camry in ARCA/REMax Event
NAPA will be on the hood of Josh Wise’s No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing entry in Talladega. This event will be televised live on SPEED TV beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday.
Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway begins Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. If you can’t catch the race on TV, it can be heard on your local MRN Radio affiliate. |
