Centurion Boats at The Glen - Watkins Glen International

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

The NAPA AUTO PARTS team has had a tough two weeks.
"It's hard to see the NAPA Toyota finish 43rd two weeks in a row. There are definitely huge differences as to why we were in last place at Indy versus Pocono. At Indy, I was last, but I was able to fix my car and finish the race. At Pocono I was not able to finish the race due to the blown motor. It's been tough, but we will turn things around."

You have a funny story about your first time at The Glen. What happened?
"It was the first time we went there back in the late 1980s. I had the honor and the privilege of getting into a Cadillac Coupe Deville with Willy T. Ribbs. Ribbs was showing me the way around the track. You might envision me and Willy critiquing the corners and hearing him tell me where to let off the brake. That was not the case. Willy decided he was going to run wide open. We were in the Cadillac making turns at Watkins Glen and when we were done, he looked at me and asked if I knew what he was talking about. I was too busy trying to catch my breath. I didn't comprehend a thing he was saying.

"To be honest, that kind of needs to be your attitude when you take off for a lap on a road course like Watkins Glen. As a place like Infineon Raceway, you have to be technical. You have to be precise. But when we go to Watkins Glen, it is totally different. It is a superspeedway road course, in my opinion. You hammer down. You have to attack the esses. You have to have all kinds of gas when you get up to the inner loop. It's a wide-open road course. I think the drivers enjoy Watkins Glen more than Infineon Raceway because it sort of fits into our type of driving styles more. I also think that's why the Cup drivers are able to hold their own against the road-course ringers."

How tough is the inner loop by the final turn?
"Some guys miss it at times, so you can pretty much avoid it and still make it around. You just have to grab second gear and make one stab at the right-hand turn and correct it the whole way through. You will be able to come out on the other end. If that doesn't happen, you will have to come to a complete stop, and then NASCAR will let you continue on. That happens quite a lot. And then there are times when you try and make it through, you find yourself going off course a little bit in the grass because it is a very bumpy section of track. Depending on how fortunate you are, there are times where you can hit some of the grass and still keep your momentum going as well as keeping your track position."

What kind of race do you anticipate to see this weekend?
"I think you will see a similar race as you saw at Infineon Raceway. The driving style is different, but the end result will be the same. It will all about when you get to pit road. It will also be about your car and if you can make your last pit stop with approximately 30 or 20 laps to go. It's all about strategy. It seems like every race these days is more about strategy. Teams are now sciencing it out to the smallest degree. Last weekend's race at Pocono is the perfect example. It all came down to when you had to make that last pit stop. It will be about the same thing this weekend. Everyone will be trying to figure out when they can make their last pit stop, and how to get the most out of your track position. The driving styles will be diversely different in comparison to Infineon Raceway, but the race the fans will see will be the same. Strategy and fuel mileage will be the key to this weekend's race."

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will qualify for his 711th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race when the 22nd event of the 2008 season, the Centurion Boats at the Glen, is held at Watkins Glen International on Sunday.
• Waltrip will start in his 22nd Cup race at the 2.45-mile road course. His best start is second in the NAPA machine (Aug. 11, 2002). His best finish is fourth (Aug. 12, 1990). In total, he has one top-five and four top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen.
• Waltrip has completed 1,790 of 1852 laps (96.6%) at the track and has led a total of 17 laps in competition. His average start and finish is 20th.
• Last season, NASCAR driver Terry Labonte subbed for Waltrip on the road courses. At the Glen, Labonte started 38th and finished 30th.
• Entering this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 32nd in the driver points standings and 33rd in the owner standings. He is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday's race. A total of 46 cars are on the preliminary entry list.

EVENT FACTS

Centurion Boats at the Glen

2007 Winner: Tony Stewart
2007 Pole: Jeff Gordon

Television Tidbits

Practice:
Fri., Aug. 8 at Noon ET
ESPN 2

Sat., Aug. 9 at noon ET
SPEED

Sat., Aug. 9 at 1:20 p.m. ET
ESPN2

Sprint Cup Qualifying:
Fri., Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. ET
SPEED

This Week in NASCAR:
Mon., Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. ET
SPEED