TIRE TAKES AWAY WALTRIP'S BID FOR TOP-15 FINISH

All Three MWR Toyotas Guaranteed Starting Spots at Loudon

RICHMOND, Va. - NAPA Racing's Michael Waltrip was en route to a top-15 finish at Richmond International Raceway when a problem developed with his left rear tire. It resulted in Waltrip going from 16th on the final restart to a 28th-place finish. Despite the disappointing result, it was a good day overall for Michael Waltrip Racing. David Reutimann finished ninth for the second-straight week after leading the most laps in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 -- 104 laps. Rookie Michael McDowell scored 20th -- good enough to catapult him back into the top 35 in the owner points standings. Waltrip's effort moved him from 34th to 32nd in the standings.

"I am really proud of the job all three of my MWR teams did today," Waltrip said after lining up 34th based on the NASCAR rulebook since the sanctioning body canceled qualifying and all activities at the track on Friday evening as well as Saturday due to Tropical Storm Hanna. "David led a bunch of laps and scored his second-straight top-10. McDowell climbed back into his car and gets a solid finish and a spot in next Sunday's race. My NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota was really good, too. I couldn't figure out what happened during that last green-flag run. The car was crazy loose. Then, after the race, (crew chief) Bobby Kennedy discovered that the left rear tire was going down. I'm upset, but at least it makes sense as to why our car handled so poorly in the end."

When Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 got underway, Waltrip gained three positions before the competition yellow was thrown on lap 35. The driver said he was loose on the gas, but good everywhere else. Crew chief Bobby Kennedy called for an air pressure and track bar adjustment. Four fresh tires were bolted on along with adding fuel. The pit crew completed the service in 13.28 seconds. The fast stop enabled Waltrip to restart the race in 27th place.

Shortly after the 100-lap mark, the NAPA AUTO PARTS team experienced a close call when Brian Vickers got together with Waltrip in Turn 2. The contact caused the No. 55 machine to spin and go from 21st to 30th. Luckily, the car was not damaged.

At the halfway mark, the NAPA Toyota was running in the top 25. Waltrip battled a loose condition at the start of a run, but as the laps ticked away, his Toyota got much better. When the caution came out on lap 212 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch got together, Kennedy used the opportunity to make an air pressure change along with taking on four fresh tires and fuel. Waltrip returned to the race in 29th position. Pit strategy for track position soon followed since the NAPA Toyota was very competitive on old tires. Two caution flags later on lap 247, Waltrip was racing in fourth place with MWR teammates Reutimann in the lead and McDowell in fifth.

Waltrip remained comfortably racing in the top 15 against teams with fresher tires with less than 100 laps to go. The final pit stop for the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota happened on lap 360. No adjustments were needed, just four fresh Goodyears and a splash of gas. Waltrip returned to the track in 16th position. Shortly into the run, his car started to quickly lose positions. He battled an extremely loose-handling condition that was the result of the tire going down.

"It's frustrating that it happened," added Waltrip. "My NAPA guys worked their butts off and our pit stops were awesome. We would have gotten at least a top-15 if the tire would have been OK. After this weekend, there is no doubt in my mind that MWR can have another strong run next week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway."

Pole sitter Kyle Busch had a tough day. He spun out two times to finish 15th. Winning for the second-consecutive week was Jimmie Johnson. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann and Kurt Busch.

The 12 drivers who qualified for The Chase as a result of their finish at Richmond are Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship officially gets underway next Sunday at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Broadcast coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET on ABC and the Performance Racing Network.