NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP
How do you rate MWR’s performance at Phoenix?
“I am really proud of David Reutimann. He drove back up to the top 35 in points. Still, there is no room for error, but it’s great to know we head to a track like Talladega where we all feel very confident with what we have, especially considering how we qualified at Daytona and at Talladega last fall. Our results this season are not what we are looking for yet, but it is a start.”
Why do you like Talladega so much?
“What I love about Talladega, especially now, is that you can go all over the place. You are going to see four and sometimes five-wide racing. It is not out of the question. I think Talladega is the closest thing to a video game I have ever driven. That’s basically what you are doing. You are setting there and barely moving the wheel. That’s what you do in a video game and that’s what you do at Talladega.
“The new car is so much fun to drive at Talladega that you just hope you pick the right line. Everybody will pretty much have a good handling car. Everybody will have a fast car. It’s all about positioning yourself for those last four or five laps.
“What’s also great about Talladega is all of the drivers have a shot on Sunday. You have a banked track with the smooth surface and anyone can win.”
Do you worry about the so-called ‘Big One’?
“What I know is there has never been a race where just 20 cars finished a Talladega race. So there is a 50-50 chance that a driver can miss the ‘Big One’. I don’t worry about it. “
How intense is it to race at Talladega?
“It used to be all about the car. Now, the cars are so equal that it is about who can set on the fire and sweat ice cubes. It’s that intense for 500 miles.”
Did Dale Earnhardt Sr. teach you anything about racing on the big tracks?
“Dale just said to me that I knew what I was doing. He watched me do it so he wanted us to race the race. The only race that I got to drive for Dale Earnhardt, I won – the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale said to me that we could win the race together and that shows you how smart Dale Earnhardt was about this sport.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
- NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will be competing in his 698th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the ninth event of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Aaron’s 499, gets underway at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala.
- He will attempt to start in his 44th race at the 2.66-mile track. His best start is 1st (Oct. 7, 2007) and best finish is 1st (Sept. 28, 2003).
- During his career at the superspeedway, Waltrip has earned seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. His average start and finish is 19th.
- Waltrip has completed 7097 of 8023 laps (88.5%) at the track and has led a total of 196 laps in competition.
- Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 32nd in driver and owner points standings. He is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s race. A total of 46 cars are on the entry list.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Atlanta Motor Speedway Statistics
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Talladega Superspeedway Statistics
DATE START FINISH DATE START FINISH
5/4/1986 |
37 |
35 |
10/12/1997 |
27 |
28 |
7/27/1986 |
34 |
14 |
4/26/1998 |
33 |
21 |
5/3/1987 |
24 |
25 |
10/11/1998 |
34 |
9 |
7/26/1987 |
21 |
17 |
4/25/1999 |
10 |
18 |
5/1/1988 |
23 |
33 |
10/17/1999 |
12 |
39 |
7/31/1988 |
27 |
20 |
4/16/2000 |
11 |
31 |
5/7/1989 |
25 |
21 |
10/15/2000 |
18 |
34 |
7/30/1989 |
17 |
36 |
4/22/2001 |
8 |
28 |
5/6/1990 |
10 |
5 |
10/21/2001 |
30 |
37 |
7/29/1990 |
32 |
21 |
4/21/2002 |
3 |
2 |
5/6/1991 |
20 |
5 |
10/6/2002 |
15 |
8 |
7/28/1991 |
13 |
7 |
4/6/2003 |
16 |
24 |
5/3/1992 |
25 |
38 |
9/28/2003 |
18 |
1 |
7/26/1992 |
9 |
7 |
4/25/2004 |
2 |
12 |
5/2/1993 |
13 |
10 |
10/3/2004 |
14 |
25 |
7/25/1993 |
13 |
20 |
5/1/2005 |
38 |
3 |
5/1/1994 |
8 |
3 |
10/2/2005 |
25 |
42 |
7/24/1994 |
9 |
11 |
5/1/2006 |
21 |
25 |
4/30/1995 |
10 |
12 |
10/8/2006 |
21 |
14 |
7/23/1995 |
7 |
9 |
10/7/2007 |
1 |
25 |
4/28/1996 |
31 |
5 |
|
|
|
7/28/1996 |
22 |
42 |
|
|
|
5/10/1997 |
28 |
14 |
|
|
|
2008 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
Front Tire Changer: Gus Hinton
Front Tire Carrier: Chris Hall
Jackman: Scott King
Rear Tire Carrier: Dwayne Moore
**Rear Tire Changer: Andy Thurman
Gas Man: Art Harris
Catch Can: Shawn Soules
** New member
EVENT FACTS
Race: 9 of 36
Aaron’s 499
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Length: 2.66-Mile Tri-Oval
Distance: 188 laps/500 miles
Date: Sunday, April 27
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Radio: MRN
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Pole: Jeff Gordon
TELEVISION TIDBITS
Sprint Cup Qualifying
Sat., April 26 at 11 a.m. ET
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Sprint Cup Practices
Fri., April 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET
SPEED
Fri., April 25 at 4 p.m. ET
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This Week in NASCAR
Mon., April 28 at 8 p.m. ET
SPEED |
