NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry Remains 33rd in Owner Points Standings
 DARLINGTON, S.C. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team scored their third top-25 finish of the season by capturing 24th place in Saturday night’s Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. The driver teetered between tight and loose-handling conditions throughout the 367-lap event. Scoring Toyota its fourth victory of the season was Kyle Busch.
“The NAPA Camry just popped around too much,” said Waltrip who started the Dodge Challenger 500 in 37th place. “It was really tight when I was very competitive. It never did free up to where I was O.K. We were either too loose or too tight.”
Greg Biffle led the 43-car field to the green flag. The track known to be “Too Tough To Tame” sported a newly-paved surface and its reputation did not disappoint. Two quick caution periods occurred on laps two and 12. The first was thrown when Elliott Sadler got into Tony Stewart in Turn 1. The second was due to rookie driver Sam Hornish Jr. who slammed into the Turn 3 wall. Crew chief Bobby Kennedy chose to keep his driver out on the track during both caution periods. Despite Waltrip’s car skating the right front tire in Turns 1 and 2, within 15 laps, he manuevered the NAPA Camry into 23rd position.
The team’s first two services took place under green-flag conditions on laps 54 and 113. The first stop saw the crew adjust the air pressure and wedge due to being loose in and tight off. Meanwhile, the second required air pressure and track bar adjustments since the NAPA Camry was tight off the corners.
Lap 130 saw Waltrip running in 25th place. This time the driver was battling a loose condition. Another opportunity to work on the car came under caution for debris. Kennedy called for a track bar change allowing Waltrip to return to the track in 26th position, one lap down, but in contention for the “Lucky Dog”. Drivers on his lap were Paul Menard, David Gilliland, Patrick Carpentier, Sterling Marlin and Juan Pablo Montoya. The race resumed on lap 145 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the leader.
The next green-flag sequence saw Waltrip recording laps equalling the front runners and on the verge of breaking into the top 20. Kennedy liked what he saw and chose to make no adjustments when the team’s fourth service of the night happened under green on lap 202. Waltrip returned to the track and just 10 laps later, he called in to say the car was too loose.
The fifth caution of the race took place on lap 235 for debris. Waltrip brought his NAPA Camry in for an air pressure change. The team’s fast stop enabled Waltrip to return to the track in 23rd position. Then just 10 laps later, the caution was back out when Brian Vickers spun on the frontstretch. Kennedy opted to bring his driver in for fuel only. Unfortunately, NASCAR cited the No. 55 for excessive speed when exiting the pits. Waltrip, running in 24th place, was relegated to the tail end of the longest line.
The final 100 laps saw Waltrip continue to battle both tight and loose conditions. His NAPA Camry also took on a Darlington stripe two times, but was able to hang on for the solid finish.
“The guys really worked hard tonight,” continued Waltrip. “The pit crew did a solid job so we’ll keep digging and hope the points will add up in our favor.”
Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and Jeff Burton.
Michael Waltrip Racing teammates David Reutimann finished 19th and Michael McDowell took top rookie honors by scoring 28th place.
Next up is the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 17th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Broadcast coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. on SPEED and MRN radio network for the Sprint Showdown. The All-Star Race kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on SPEED and MRN radio.
Dodge Challenger 500 Unofficial Race Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/11/data/results_unofficial.html
Dodge Challenger Lap-By-Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/races/lapbylap/05/10/darlington/index.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Standings (Waltrip – 32nd):
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/data/standings_unofficial.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Owner Standings (Waltrip – 33rd): |
