DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – MICHAEL WALTRIP:

You have said in the past that Michigan is one of your top five favorite tracks. Why?
“It is definitely on my list. MIS is one of those tracks that a lot of drivers consider one of their favorites. It’s simple why they feel that way. Just watch the action on Sunday. There will be guys running up high, down low, all over the place. It also allows drivers to run wide open, side by side. I just love that and I think most race car drivers want to have the opportunity to go down into the corner and pick a line where somebody is not running and try to make your car go faster. I pulled off a top-10 finish not too long ago because I was able to run right up against the fence. Some guys didn’t go that high. It worked for me. It’s a track where you can run any line and have success.”

Can you draft at Michigan?
“Drafting does come into play. Any time you have two cars beside each other, the guy in the back can get a tremendous run. I think it is more exaggerated with the new car. They really draft well. NASCAR also implemented a gear rule a couple of years ago. By doing that, they have taken away a whole lot of the pain that the engines were going through. The gear rule has made more cars finish the races and it has made the competition more even because you can only operate in such a small box.”

BOOTIE BARKER:

What does it take to run well at Michigan?
“Qualifying is pretty important because track position is very critical there as far as aerodynamics. The further up you are to the front the more clean air you are in. The more clean air, the faster you will run. You also have to keep that good track position throughout the race. Then near the end of the race, you must have an efficient engine. Good fuel mileage is critical because this race normally comes down to fuel mileage more times than not.”

Will you consider a two-tire stop to help pick up track position?
“It will more than likely be four tires during each stop. That’s because the track has aged. You need as much grip as possible so four tires will probably be the way to go for us.

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will be competing in his 746th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race
  when the 23rd event of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, the CARFAX 400, gets underway at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, Michigan on Sunday.

• Waltrip has competed in 48 events at MIS. His best start is first (June 23, 1991) and best finish is fourth
  (June 16, 2002) in the NAPA machine. In total, he has two top-five and nine top-10 finishes at Michigan.

• Waltrip has completed 8,953 of 9,491 laps (94.3%) at the track and has led a total of 16 laps in competition.
  His average start is 23rd and average finish is 21st.

Waltrip has raced in 11 Nationwide Series events at MIS. He has collected one win, two top-five and six top-10 finishes. He has led 68 laps in Nationwide Series competition at the track.

• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 31st in the owner standings. The NAPA team
  is 202 points out of the top-25 in the championship standings. Waltrip is guaranteed a starting spot in
  Sunday’s race.

 

NAPA AUTO PARTS Driver Michael Waltrip Sprint Cup Statistics –Michigan International Speedway

DATE	START	FINISH	DATE	START	FINISH
8/11/1985	31	18	8/17/1997	31	22
6/15/1986	36	22	6/14/1998	24	21
8/17/1986	29	32	8/16/1998	30	22
6/28/1987	15	39	6/13/1999	16	15
8/16/1987	28	20	8/22/1999	20	13
6/26/1988	34	28	6/11/2000	15	22
8/21/1988	28	7	8/20/2000	18	21
6/25/1989	28	16	6/10/2001	35	29
8/20/1989	22	31	8/19/2001	7	36
6/24/1990	16	21	6/16/2002	2	4
8/19/1990	34	30	8/18/2002	3	15
6/23/1991	1	34	6/15/2003	9	5
8/18/1991	21	9	8/17/2003	13	7
6/21/1992	41	27	6/20/2004	19	10
8/16/1992	26	22	8/22/2004	17	17
6/20/1993	10	37	6/19/2005	30	7
8/15/1993	28	16	8/21/2005	24	27
6/19/1994	11	8	6/18/2006	28	25
8/21/1994	10	14	8/20/2006	22	23
6/18/1995	24	12	6/17/2007	18	10
8/20/1995	25	11	8/21/2007	11	40
6/23/1996	20	32	6/15/2008	38	23
8/18/1996	10	25	8/17/2008	42	19
6/15/1997	38	16	6/14/2009	36	30

2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW

Ryan Langley	Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall	Front Tire Carrier
Tony Cardamone	Jack Man
Mike Ellershaw	Rear Tire Changer
Eric Wakeland	Rear Tire Carrier
Art Harris	Gasman
Shawn Soules	Catch Can
Ron Otto	Eighth Man
Terry Spaulding	Hose and Sign
Craig Harper	Gas Runner
Mark Maloney	Second Gas Can