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NASCAR hosted a test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway a few weeks back. How did it go?
“We actually learned a few things at Charlotte. We learned more about left front springs, coil binding and bump stops on that particular side of the car. We even applied what we learned at Charlotte to our set-up for Kansas and it worked. I think a lot of teams used the Lowe’s Motor Speedway test as a Chase test. What worked at Charlotte applied at Kansas and could work at Atlanta and Texas. It was a very opportune time to have that test.
“We also found out that the track really hasn’t changed much since May. We ran part of the Lowe’s test at night and found there really wasn’t a difference. Teams will be ready to go when it comes to Saturday night.”
What do you like about Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“I made my Sprint Cup debut at Charlotte back in 1985 driving for Dick Bahre. It’s a special place for so many reasons. It’s a great place for fans to come. For me, my favorite part is just driving at that track. It’s a 1.5-mile track that’s been pretty much the same since the first day I ever went on it. The groove has been low. The groove has been high. Like any track, it has had some issues over the years, but it’s a fun track to drive. You can run high. You can run low. You can run anywhere. I like to run high, up against the wall. That particular line even worked for David Reutimann back in May. He finished 10th so hopefully, we’ll both run up there on Saturday night and have good results.”
Kenny Wallace drove the No. 00 Toyota Camry at Talladega. What is MWR’s plan for this weekend?
“Our singular focus with the No. 00 team is to reposition the team in the top 35 in owner points and be there in end. The decision for us to continue to make changes is about our organization. Kenny Wallace did a tremendous job for us at Talladega and recorded the team's best finish of the season. This weekend we are going with AJ Allmendinger. I know AJ will do a great job for us too in our Toyota Camry. We're still closely evaluating the remaining Cup races. We're moving in the direction of having multiple drivers based on their experiences at particular tracks."
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
- NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will qualify for his 720th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race when the 31st event of the 2008 season, the Bank of America 500, is held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on Saturday night.
- Waltrip made his NASCAR Cup debut at Charlotte during the 1985 Coca-Cola World 600. He started 24th and finished 29th behind the wheel of the No. 23 machine owned by Dick Bahre. His brother Darrell was the race winner.
- Waltrip will start in his 47th Cup race at the 1.5-mile track. His best start is second (October 9, 1994) and best finish is second while driving the NAPA machine on May 30, 2004. In total, he has four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Waltrip has completed 15,036 of 16,696 laps (90.1%) at the track and has led a total of 71 laps in competition.
- Earlier this season, Waltrip finished the Coca-Cola 600 just outside the top 25 by crossing the finish line in 27th. Waltrip’s teammate David Reutimann scored MWR’s its first top-10 finish of the season by finishing in 10th place.
- During his 33-race Nationwide career at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Waltrip has earned two victories (March 29, 1993 and Oct. 9, 1999), two pole positions, 12 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 189 laps in competition.
- Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 29th in driver and 31st owner points standings. He is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday’s race. A total of 47 cars are on the entry list.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Lowe’s Motor Speedway Statistics
| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
DATE |
START |
FINISH |
| 5/26/1985 |
24 |
28 |
10/6/1996 |
11 |
9 |
| 10/6/1985 |
36 |
31 |
5/25/1997 |
22 |
17 |
| 5/25/1986 |
34 |
26 |
10/21/1997 |
30 |
24 |
| 10/5/1986 |
19 |
19 |
5/24/1998 |
37 |
18 |
| 5/24/1987 |
38 |
11 |
10/4/1998 |
27 |
13 |
| 10/11/1987 |
32 |
35 |
5/30/1999 |
26 |
37 |
| 5/29/1988 |
22 |
23 |
10/11/1999 |
23 |
14 |
| 10/9/1988 |
12 |
23 |
5/28/2000 |
12 |
18 |
| 5/28/1989 |
7 |
27 |
10/8/2000 |
14 |
22 |
| 10/8/1989 |
14 |
17 |
5/27/2001 |
28 |
28 |
| 5/27/1990 |
20 |
4 |
10/7/2001 |
21 |
18 |
| 10/7/1990 |
36 |
3 |
5/26/2002 |
11 |
8 |
| 5/26/1991 |
2 |
15 |
10/13/2002 |
15 |
11 |
| 10/6/1991 |
11 |
7 |
5/25/2003 |
9 |
6 |
| 5/24/1992 |
15 |
25 |
10/11/2003 |
30 |
14 |
| 10/11/1992 |
29 |
23 |
5/30/2004 |
12 |
2 |
| 5/30/1993 |
6 |
13 |
10/16/2004 |
6 |
28 |
| 10/10/1993 |
20 |
27 |
5/29/2005 |
23 |
36 |
| 5/29/1994 |
30 |
10 |
10/15/2005 |
32 |
29 |
| 10/9/1994 |
2 |
10 |
5/28/2006 |
43 |
41 |
| 5/28/1995 |
5 |
3 |
10/14/2006 |
23 |
38 |
| 10/8/1995 |
4 |
17 |
10/12/2007 |
19 |
10 |
| 5/26/1996 |
8 |
8 |
5/25/2008 |
29 |
27 |
EVENT FACTS
Bank of America 500
Event: 31 of 36
Track:Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Length: 1.5-Mile Tri-Oval
Distance: 400 laps/600 miles
Date: Saturday, Oct. 11
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV:ABC
Radio: PRN
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Pole: Ryan Newman
Television Tidbits
Practice
Thurs., Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. ET
NASCAR.com
Fri., Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. ET
NASCAR.com
Fri., Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET
ESPN2
Sprint Cup Qualifying
Thurs., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. ET
ESPN2
This Week in NASCAR
Mon., Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET
SPEED
Waltrip on NASCAR Countdown: Michael Waltrip will be the featured guest on NASCAR Countdown’s Driver-to-Driver segment with Rusty Wallace. It is scheduled to air on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
Attention Fans: Michael Waltrip will be hosting and signing autographs at his Fan Appreciation Day at Raceworld USA on Friday, Oct. 10 from
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
2008 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
| Front Tire Changer: |
Shannon Myers |
| Front Tire Carrier: |
Chris Hall |
| Jackman: |
Scott King |
| Rear Tire Changer: |
Andy Thurman |
| Rear Tire Carrier: |
Dwayne Moore |
| Gas Man: |
Art Harris |
| Catch Can: |
Shawn Soules |
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