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INDIANAPOLIS - Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team survived what is being tabbed by some members of the media as the "tire debacle at Indy". Instead of participating in an action-packed Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, drivers were forced to see the action slow six times for competition-caution flags due to extreme tire wear on the right sides. It also equated to 52 laps out of 160 that were run under caution. Unfortunately for Waltrip, his day was slowed on lap four when former Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. drove down towards the path of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. The move made Waltrip's car loose, causing the No. 55 to spin out in Turn 2. The driver kept the NAPA Toyota off the wall, but not out of the path of the No. 15 driven by Paul Menard. Menard's machine slammed into Waltrip to bring out the first caution of the event. The NAPA Camry was forced to the garage for repairs and was able to return to the event 68 laps later to finish in a disappointing 43rd place.
"This was one of the worst races ever. It was so disappointing for a multitude of reasons," said Waltrip, who began the 160-lap event in 34th position. "I got beside another guy and got loose. Then somebody just ran me over. My situation wasn't a track issue, just racing. The 77 (Sam Hornish Jr.) got wide, and I dove under him, and then he came down. I have to control my car so it wasn't his fault. I got sideways and had my car saved. I felt pretty good about it. Then the 15 (Paul Menard) just ran me over."
Waltrip and his NAPA team worked in impressive fashion to repair the car to where it was not only safe to put back out on the track, but able to run competitive speeds in hopes of gaining track position. Unfortunately, the gain in track position did not come to fruition.
"I am so proud of the effort my guys gave today," continued Waltrip, who took part in repairing his NAPA Toyota. "They did one heck of a job to get me back out on the track. We needed the points. We understand the significance of the points, but we also understand the safety aspect of fixing our NAPA car properly. My guys got it done perfectly, and I'm real proud of them."
Waltrip headed back on track on lap 72 to log some laps before the competition yellow was thrown on lap 82. The driver told his team that his car was now really tight through the corners, whereas in the beginning of the race, it was very loose. The pit crew applied more bearbond to the damaged car and bolted on four fresh tires.
The NAPA team remained on track for the duration of the race. NASCAR and Goodyear monitored the tire wear to determine that 11 green-flag laps could be safely run before a competition-yellow flag was needed. Competition cautions were thrown on laps 65, 82, 98, 122, 138, and 150. Each time, all of the teams were on pit road for fresh tires.
The final competition yellow culminated in a race off of pit road. Jimmie Johnson beat out Denny Hamlin, who was the leader, to pace the field for a six-lap shootout to the finish. The clean air proved to be an advantage for Johnson as he was able to hold off a hard-charging Carl Edwards for his second win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in three years.
Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Edwards, Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton and AJ Allmendinger.
Michael Waltrip Racing teammates David Reutimann and Michael McDowell had a tough day as well to finish 30th and 34th.
Next week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 500. Broadcast coverage of the 21st event of the season gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN and MRN radio.
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Unofficial Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/20/data/results_unofficial.html
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Lap-By-Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/races/lapbylap/07/27/indianapolis/index.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Standings (Waltrip - 32nd):
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/data/standings_unofficial.html
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