Nov. 13, 2007

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Following a recent visit to Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Costa Mesa, Calif., NAPA Racing driver Michael Waltrip is encouraged and excited about the progress TRD is making as the NAPA team prepares for the 2008 NASCAR SPRINT Cup season. This weekend’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the end of an era as the intermediate car is run one last time before a shift to the Car of Tomorrow. The NAPA Racing team, with Toyota horsepower on board, aims to complete a challenging season by matching Waltrip’s career-best performance of second place at the 1.5-mile Florida oval.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:

How was your visit to Toyota Racing Development in Costa Mesa, California?

“It was a great trip. I went there to thank the men and women who were responsible for building the engine that put me on the pole at Talladega earlier this year. They did a great job in providing the power I needed to go out and win that pole. It was so fun to pat them on the back and shake their hands. They played a big part in the success my NAPA team had. I toured TRD and had a chance to see some new machines and processes that have been put in place that will ultimately provide even better engines for our program. We’ve certainly had a challenging season, and it is great to see that the folks at TRD have it all figured out. Entering the last race of the season, they are putting out more power. The future of Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota’s participation in NASCAR Cup competition is very bright. It’s great to see everyone move forward and prepare for next season.”

Are you still lobbying for changes in the qualifying draw after Phoenix? You drew second, while most of the other “star” (“go-or-go-home”) cars drew late. It seemed to put you at a disadvantage since you were the first star car to go home after posting the 32nd-fastest lap in qualifying.

“I am not going to use our draw as an excuse. We simply did not go as fast as we needed to. With that in mind, however, the facts are the facts. After six cars had gone, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., I was the fastest one of the first six. Unfortunately, things like track conditions started to change. I have been politicking since the start of the year for NASCAR to put the “star” cars together in the qualifying draw. I still do not understand NASCAR’s hesitation in doing so. It would be very fair -- certainly a lot fairer than it is now. At Phoenix, I went out in the heat of the day. The cars I was racing against to get in the show got to go in the evening. I wish NASCAR would have listened because I think we would have been fine. I have been very fortunate for most of the season when it has come to the draw. We’ve had some decent luck, but it was not on our side last Friday. We didn’t get a fair shake. It was a challenge for us. We didn’t make it. David Reutimann blew up when he went out to qualify. Something happened in his engine. Dale Jarrett just didn’t have a car that worked right. It was a bad day. It was the first time that MWR did not have any cars in the race. It came at a time when we were seeing a lot of progress and a lot of gains within our teams. We are putting Phoenix behind us, and I expect good things to come our way at Homestead.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 690th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the season finale, the Miami 400, is held at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.

He will attempt to start in his eighth race at the 1.5-mile track. His best start is 8th and best finish is 2nd, while driving the No. 15 NAPA car on Nov. 11, 2001.

During his career at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Waltrip has earned one top-5 and one top-10 finish. His average start is 27th and average finish is 29th.

Waltrip has completed 1609 of 1873 laps (85.9%) at the track and has led a total of 2 laps in competition.

Entering this week’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 44th in the driver standings and 40th in owner standings. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will need to qualify for the Miami 400 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 49 cars are entered for this week’s race. Of the entrants, 14 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 Homestead-Miami Speedway Statistics

DATE	START	FINISH	DATE	START	FINISH
11/14/1999	40	36	11/16/2003	23	41
11/12/2000	41	34	11/212004	24	17
11/11/2001	8	2	11/20/2005	41	29
11/10/2002	11	41

McDowell Pilots NAPA Entry in Busch Series Finale

Michael McDowell will pilot the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry in Saturday’s Busch Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Michael Waltrip Racing. The 22-year-old from Phoenix is entering his third NASCAR Busch Series event for MWR in preparation for next season. In just two starts, McDowell has earned two top-20 finishes (20th-Texas, 14th-Phoenix). Earlier this year, he competed full-time in the ARCA RE/MAX series, where he earned four victories, nine poles, and 15 top-10 finishes. He also was honored as the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the championship point standings.

Miami 400 Broadcast Coverage