CAMPING WORLD RV 400 - DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

Michael Waltrip Racing had another strong performance at NHMS. "What makes me most proud is Greg Biffle walked up to me and told me my teams were finally gaining on it. I had a couple of other drivers say the same thing. That's what it is all about. We are finally gaining respect. I think back to Loudon and Richmond a year ago and we only had one car in the show. It didn't run well. Now all of a sudden, all three of my cars are mixing it up. The attitudes of my cars are looking a lot better. Bobby Kennedy and all the guys on the NAPA team ... Ron Otto, Chris Hall, and Art Harris ... all my guys are working so hard on my NAPA Toyota. They are getting there. It feels great and I am absolutely giddy about it because I know where we are heading."

Looking back, what was the difference at Dover when running on pavement versus concrete? "Back in 1994 it was like racing on a gravel road. There were pot holes, and dirt chunking out of the track. We needed the track to be repaired so Dover put concrete down. At the time, they didn't know how to put concrete down so it wasn't the best of conditions. It felt like there were ramps and jumps. The concrete surface was crazy. But then a good thing happened. Dover wanted to run an Indy car race so they fixed the track by laser grinding it. It made the track nice and smooth. It was raceable. Transition now to what we have at Bristol, concrete is just as good as asphalt. Back in the day, if you would have mentioned concrete for a track surface, I would have said, "You can't do that. It's crazy." Now, it's down to a science. Concrete tracks are perfect."

Are you looking forward to another stab at this place since you didn't have the run you were wanting at Dover back in June? "Our cars are so much better than they were back in June and certainly last year. But the last time we were here, our trio of cars did not have the results we were expecting. Looking at the quality of cars we have now, I am very optimistic about our chances. I feel like all three MWR Toyotas can run up front. I can't wait.
"I am also really proud of Michael McDowell and the job he has done since returning to his car. We put Skinner in that car as much for Michael's sake as ours. Sometimes it's a good thing to take a step back. McDowell's jumped back in and he and his team have put in a great effort to get back into the top 35."

What kind of challenges does a place like Dover present to teams? "Going to a place like Dover is like walking on a razor blade. You have to try and determine how your car is going to unload. Will it be loose? Will it be tight? What is your car going to do when it hits the track? When we go to Dover, all of that is magnified. It produces intense speeds. For a one-mile track, we are running up towards 175 miles per hour on the straightaway before we get to the corner. That means everything is more intense because of the speed. If you miss the set-up a little bit, you miss it a lot at Dover because you can't just wrestle the car around like at Loudon. Loudon, you can slide sideways and skate. You can wrestle the car to make up for the lack of handling. Unfortunately, that's not the case at Dover. You have to be spot on to be good."

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will qualify for his 717th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race when the 28th event of the 2008 season, the Camping World RV 400, is held at Dover International Speedway on Sunday.
• Waltrip will start in his 46th Cup race at the 1-mile track. His best start is 1st (June 2, 1991) and best finish is 5th (Sept. 16, 1990 and Sept. 15, 1991). He has two top-five and eight top-10 finishes at Dover. Waltrip has completed 17,291 of 20,304 laps (85.2%) at the track and has led a total of 30 laps in competition. His average start is 22nd. His average finish is 21st.
• Earlier this season, the Monster Mile lived up to its reputation. The balance needed for Waltrip's NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry to be competitive proved to be tough to find. Waltrip finished 28th after starting 40th in the Best Buy 400.
• Waltrip ran his first Nationwide Series race at Dover and won on Sept. 17, 1988. In total, he has raced in 19 Nationwide events at the Monster Mile. He has collected one pole, two victories (Sept. 17, 1988 and June 2, 1990), two top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He's led 253 laps in Nationwide competition at the track.
• Entering this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 30th in driver and 32nd in owner points standings. He is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday's race. A total of 46 cars are on the entry list.