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Oct. 9, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Fresh from a promising weekend at Talladega Superspeedway which saw NAPA driver Michael Waltrip earn his first pole of the season, the two-time Daytona 500 champion heads to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, one of his favorites on the NASCAR circuit. Waltrip’s statistics in the Cup and Busch ranks show that he knows how to win at the 1.5-mile speedway, and it’s no surprise that his expectations are high going into the weekend’s race.
On the team’s progress heading into Charlotte:
“First of all, Charlotte is one of my favorite tracks. I’ve won the All-Star race there and two Busch races. It is a track that feels good to go to at this point in the season. With the way our team is swinging in a positive direction, it feels even better heading into this week’s event. It makes me very proud to go there and be in a position to feel like we can really compete. We started 11th in Kansas and ran in the top15 until the first pit stop. We had some issues, and we made some laps up. We did a lot of good things. When I think about going to Charlotte now, especially coming off a pole and solid run at Talladega, it is the perfect time for me to go there.”
Do you consider Dr. Eric Warren to be a key contributor to all three teams making the last three races?
“I don’t rule out any of the contributing factors. If we would have gotten Eric six months ago, I don’t think we would have been in a position to take advantage of his expertise. Over the last three or four months, we have really come a long way with our cars and our teams. Adding him to the mix when we did was a big, big compliment to our program. The timing was just right.”
Toyota is really moving forward in the Cup series. They seem to have the 1.5-mile tracks down, and they had a good showing at Talladega Superspeedway. With the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing, do you see Toyota making even bigger gains on the track in the near future?
“I think so. I have always said they were going to be fine. It is their goal to have a quarter of the field be represented by Toyotas, and I think that is a realistic goal. They are a company that really gets the value of NASCAR. They not only love NASCAR, but they love the fans. They are a gracious manufacturer that has always appreciated NASCAR and the fans for allowing them to compete. The very first commercial they produced featured Darrell and me in a parade. It was all about thanking the fans for allowing Toyota into the sport. I appreciate Toyota for everything they have done for me and my organization. It has not been an easy year. It has been pretty rough, but I sure like where we are today.”
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 687th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 31st event of the 2007 season, the Bank of America 500, is held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Waltrip made his NASCAR Cup debut at Charlotte during the 1985 Coca-Cola World 600. He started 24th and finished 29th behind the wheel of the No. 23 machine owned by Dick Bahre. His brother Darrell was the race winner.
Waltrip will attempt to start in his 45th Cup race at the 1.5-mile track. His best start is 2nd (October 9, 1994) and best finish is 2nd while driving the NAPA machine on May 30, 2004. In total, he has 4 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes. Waltrip has completed 14,302 of 15,959 laps (89.6%) at the track and has led a total of 71 laps in competition.
Back in May, Waltrip recorded the 38th-fastest lap in qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600. While attempting a second lap to better his time, the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry broke loose exiting Turn 2 and crashed hard on the backstretch. Waltrip’s first lap was not fast enough to make field based on NASCAR’s top-35 qualifying rule. The deficit was just .162 of a second.
During his 33-race Busch career at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Waltrip has earned 2 victories (March 29, 1993 and Oct. 9, 1999), 2 pole positions, 12 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 189 laps in competition.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 48th in the driver standings and 43rd in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Bank of America on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 50 cars are entered in the Charlotte event. Of the entrants, 15 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 Lowe's Motor Speedway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
 |
| 5/26/1985 |
24 |
28 |
5/26/1996 |
8 |
8 |
|
| 10/6/1985 |
36 |
31 |
10/6/1996 |
11 |
9 |
|
|
| 5/25/1986 |
34 |
26 |
5/25/1997 |
22 |
17 |
|
| 10/5/1986 |
19 |
19 |
10/21/1997 |
30 |
24 |
|
| 5/24/1987 |
38 |
11 |
5/24/1998 |
37 |
18 |
|
| 10/11/1987 |
32 |
35 |
10/4/1998 |
27 |
13 |
|
| 5/29/1988 |
22 |
23 |
5/30/1999 |
26 |
37 |
|
| 10/9/1988 |
12 |
23 |
10/11/1999 |
23 |
14 |
| 5/28/1989 |
7 |
27 |
5/28/2000 |
12 |
18 |
|
| 10/8/1989 |
14 |
17 |
10/8/2000 |
14 |
22 |
|
| 5/27/1990 |
20 |
4 |
5/27/2001 |
28 |
28 |
|
| 10/7/1990 |
36 |
3 |
10/7/2001 |
21 |
18 |
|
| 5/26/1991 |
2 |
15 |
5/26/2002 |
11 |
8 |
|
| 10/6/1991 |
11 |
7 |
10/13/2002 |
15 |
11 |
|
| 5/24/1992 |
15 |
25 |
5/25/2003 |
9 |
6 |
|
| 10/11/1992 |
29 |
23 |
10/11/2003 |
30 |
14 |
| 5/30/1993 |
6 |
13 |
5/30/2004 |
12 |
2 |
|
| 10/10/1993 |
20 |
27 |
10/16/2004 |
6 |
28 |
|
| 5/29/1994 |
30 |
10 |
5/29/2005 |
23 |
36 |
|
| 10/9/1994 |
2 |
10 |
10/15/2005 |
32 |
29 |
|
| 5/28/1995 |
5 |
3 |
5/28/2006 |
43 |
41 |
|
| 10/8/1995 |
4 |
17 |
10/14/2006 |
23 |
38 |
|
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Michael Waltrip Racing will hold a press conference at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway media center on Friday, Oct. 12 at 12:45 p.m.
Gas man Art Harris is undergoing surgery this week to repair a torn rotator cuff. The injury was discovered last week during an MRI and is being attributed to the accident on pit road on Sept. 23 at Dover International Speedway. Jeff Gilbert will serve as gas man the NAPA Camry until Harris has fully recovered.
NAPA will be on the hood of Ken Butler III’s No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing entry at Toledo Speedway on Oct. 14. This event will be televised live on SPEED TV beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Live coverage of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway begins Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. It can also be heard on your local PRN Radio affiliate starting at the same time.
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