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April 24, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – While some NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competitors dread going to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, NAPA Racing driver Michael Waltrip relishes the opportunity. With four career restrictor-plate victories, Waltrip hopes to once again steer his NAPA AUTO PARTS machine into victory lane at the 2.66-mile track before NASCAR phases out the speedway car in favor of the Car of Tomorrow when the series returns in October.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
What makes you one of the top contenders at restrictor-plate races?
“It is something I have always enjoyed, and quite honestly, I have been real fortunate to have good cars. When I was at DEI, they were on the fringe of being as good as anyone in the garage in regards to their plate stuff. With my and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s knowledge of the draft and working together, we were able to have a lot of success in a very short period of time. It was a lot of fun. In saying that, over the course of time, I learned a great deal about speedway racing. When you have a fast car and people work with you, you are able to experiment more and learn. I learned quite a bit during that period of my career, and it benefits me today. I always look forward to going to those races, and I think they are as fun as anything in the whole world. I like the opportunity I will have to put another win up on the board.”
You’ve won at both Talladega and Daytona. What are the differences between the two tracks?
“Daytona is almost like an intermediate-style track. It’s wide open and you run a plate, but the handling is a big deal there. When you go to Talladega, handling is not a deal at all. You just hang on and shoot for holes. There is room to run four or five wide at Talladega, and there’s not at Daytona. It requires two different lines of thinking. At Talladega, you want the car to go as fast as it will go. You don’t think about handling. At Daytona, the mindset is to get it handling so you have a chance to win. It’s two totally different types of racing on tracks that have cars that are a whole lot alike.”
Do you like the idea of the second Talladega race being a Car of Tomorrow event?
“Yes, I do. I want them all to be a COT event sooner rather than later. The next step is to do a plate race with a COT. I think we have a lot to learn about what it is going to take to have the COTs be competitive everywhere, and there is no time like the present to jump in and find out.”
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will attempt to qualify for his 677th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the ninth event of the 2007 season, the Aaron’s 499, is held at Talladega Superspeedway.
He will attempt to start in his 43rd race at the 2.66-mile track. His best start is 2nd (April 25, 2004) and best finish is 1st (Sept. 28, 2003).
During his career at the superspeedway, Waltrip has earned 7 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes. His average start and finish is 19th.
Waltrip has completed 6922 of 7835 laps (88.3%) at the track and has led a total of 190 laps in competition.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Waltrip is 54th in the driver standings and 49th in owner standings. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will need to qualify for the Aaron’s 499 on time since the No. 55 car is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 52 cars are entered in the Talladega event. Of the entrants, 17 are go-or-go-home teams. Waltrip will be competing for eight qualifying spots, one of which may be used as a past champion’s provisional by teammate Dale Jarrett, if needed.
Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He was victorious in 2001 and 2003.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Talladega Superspeedway Statistics
| DATE | START | FINISH |
DATE | START | FINISH |
 |
| 5/4/1986 |
37 |
35 |
7/28/1996 |
22 |
42 |
|
| 7/27/1986 |
34 |
14 |
5/10/1997 |
28 |
14 |
|
| 5/3/1987 |
24 |
25 |
10/12/1997 |
27 |
28 |
|
| 7/26/1987 |
21 |
17 |
4/26/1998 |
33 |
21 |
|
| 5/1/1988 |
23 |
33 |
10/11/1998 |
34 |
9 |
|
| 7/31/1988 |
27 |
20 |
4/25/1999 |
10 |
18 |
|
| 5/7/1989 |
25 |
21 |
10/17/1999 |
12 |
39 |
|
| 7/30/1989 |
17 |
36 |
4/16/2000 |
11 |
31 |
|
| 5/6/1990 |
10 |
5 |
10/15/2000 |
18 |
34 |
|
| 7/29/1990 |
32 |
21 |
4/22/2001 |
8 |
28 |
|
| 5/6/1991 |
20 |
5 |
10/21/2001 |
30 |
37 |
|
| 7/28/1991 |
13 |
7 |
4/21/2002 |
3 |
2 |
|
| 5/3/1992 |
25 |
38 |
10/6/2002 |
15 |
8 |
|
| 7/26/1992 |
9 |
7 |
4/6/2003 |
16 |
24 |
|
| 5/2/1993 |
13 |
10 |
9/28/2003 |
18 |
1 |
|
| 7/25/1993 |
13 |
20 |
4/25/2004 |
2 |
12 |
|
| 5/1/1994 |
8 |
3 |
10/3/2004 |
14 |
25 |
|
| 7/24/1994 |
9 |
11 |
5/1/2005 |
38 |
3 |
|
| 4/30/1995 |
10 |
12 |
10/2/2005 |
25 |
42 |
|
| 7/23/1995 |
7 |
9 |
5/1/2006 |
21 |
25 |
|
| 4/28/1996 |
31 |
5 |
10/8/2006 |
21 |
14 |
|
Mikey’s NAPA Ride Waltrip will be behind the wheel of chassis MWR-513. It raced in the season opener, Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. The Toyota Camry started 15th and finished 30th. Aaron’s 499 Broadcast Coverage Live coverage of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway begins Sunday, April 29 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX. If you can’t catch the race on TV, it can be heard on your local MRN Radio affiliate and Sirius Satellite Radio starting at the same time. Remember to check your local listings as dates and times of the race may change. |