HUNTERSVILLE , N.C. – When Michael Waltrip won the Kentucky Motor Speedway mini-modified championship at age 18, the Owensboro, Ky. native was trying to claw his way from beneath older brother – and NASCAR champion – Darrell Waltrip’s shadow. Nearly 25 years later, the driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge stands poised to change motorsports forever, and the final pieces of the 2007 puzzle are finally in place.
Michael Waltrip Racing announced Tuesday the addition of David Reutimann as its third NEXTEL Cup Series driver for 2007. Reutimann will trade in the keys to his NASCAR Truck Series ride, the No. 17 Toyota Tundra, and upgrade to the No. 00 Burger King/Domino’s Pizza Toyota Camry. The announcement comes nearly five months after 1999 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett made public his plans to drive for Waltrip in ‘07. With three top-notch drivers behind the wheel and four major primary sponsors adorning the Toyota Camrys, Michael Waltrip will usher the manufacturer into NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series racing at the 2007 Daytona 500.
This weekend, however, Waltrip takes off his owner’s hat and slips on driver’s gloves for his 44 th start at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the Bank of America 500. The No. 55 NAPA Dodge will stalk the 1.5-mile oval for the final time before Waltrip returns behind the wheel of a Toyota, and he hopes the performance will be as memorable as his win at the track in the 1996 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip on the Bank of America 500..
What are your thoughts and expectations for
returning to
Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“I don’t know of a driver in the series who doesn’t enjoy racing at Lowe’s. Charlotte has become the epicenter of NASCAR racing. Most of the shops and drivers are located close by. During race weekends at Charlotte, it’s almost as if we have normal nine-to-five jobs except we sit behind the wheel rather than a desk. It’s refreshing at the tail end of the season to be able to sleep in your own bed after so many weekends. I won the All-Star race here in ’96 and came really close in the 600. There’s a few Busch wins here on my resume, too. My first Cup series start was also here, so I kind of think of Lowe’s as the track that started everything for me. As a driver, anytime you go to a track where you’ve had a great deal of success and have as much invested emotionally as I have, you are optimistic about your chances.”
| Bank of America 500 Broadcast Coverage… |
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Live coverage of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will begin Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. EDT on NBC. If you can’t catch the race on TV, it can be heard on your local PRN Radio affiliate and XM Satellite Radio (Channel 144) starting at the same time. Remember to check your local listings as dates and times of the race may change. |
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| Michael Waltrip Fast Facts |
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- NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will make his 44 th start at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS). Waltrip’s best finish in a points race at the track is second (2004) and his worst is 41 st (2006).
- Waltrip has amassed one win, four top-five and 11 top-10 performances at LMS in 43 starts. His average starting position is 19.953 and his average finish is 18.558.
- Waltrip made his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the 1985 Coca-Cola 600. He started 24 th and finished in 28 th-place. Darrell Waltrip won the event.
- Waltrip is a three-time winner of the NEXTEL Open (1991-92, '96) and later the same day in '96 won the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, becoming the first driver to win both races.
- Although coming very close, Waltrip has never won a points race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. However, his older brother Darrell Waltrip is tied for first among all-time drivers with six victories.
- Waltrip’s best start of the 2006 season came at Daytona for the Pepsi 400; he qualified in 19 th position. Waltrip’s best finish of the 2006 season came last week at Talladega Superspeedway in the UAW-Ford 500, where he finished 14 th.
- Waltrip returned to the top 35 in the NEXTEL Cup driver point standings after a 14 th-place finish at Talladega. He is currently 35 th, 1,719 points behind Chase leader Jeff Burton and 143 points behind 34 th-place driver David Stremme.
- Although Waltrip has never finished higher than 12 th (1994 and 1995) in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, he has won a NASCAR Series championship. Prior to joining the Cup Series full time, Waltrip won the 1983 NASCAR Dash Series championship.
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| NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip at the
Bank of America 500... |
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| Year |
|
Start |
Finish |
Year |
|
Start |
Finish |
| 1985 |
|
36 |
31 |
1996 |
|
11 |
9 |
| 1986 |
|
19 |
19 |
1997 |
|
30 |
24 |
| 1987 |
|
32 |
35 |
1998 |
|
27 |
13 |
| 1988 |
|
12 |
23 |
1999 |
|
23 |
14 |
| 1989 |
|
14 |
17 |
2000 |
|
14 |
22 |
| 1990 |
|
36 |
3 |
2001 |
|
21 |
18 |
| 1991 |
|
11 |
7 |
2002 |
|
30 |
14 |
| 1992 |
|
29 |
23 |
2003 |
|
30 |
14 |
| 1993 |
|
20 |
27 |
2004 |
|
6 |
28 |
| 1994 |
|
2 |
10 |
2005 |
|
32 |
29 |
| 1995 |
|
4 |
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
