 FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2008) – Michael Waltrip battled back from a loose oil line and a crash to finish 28th in his NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry in today’s Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway. The oil-line problem was repaired during the pace laps, and the spin occurred on lap 150 of 250. Adjustments made over the course of the race greatly improved Waltrip’s car to earn the solid finish.
“We learned a lot today,” said Waltrip after the rain-delayed event concluded. “If we can keep stringing these respectable finishes together, we will be on target to make our top 35 in points goal when we leave Bristol. That’s when NASCAR’s qualifying is set by the 2008 owner standings. That is so important to us. We need to be locked in to the top 35 to take the pressure off of us on Friday so we can focus on race day.
“We overcame a lot during this race. The loose oil line and the spin could have really set us back, but we worked hard, and got this car very competitive in the end. We just need to get out of the gates a little bit better, and I think we are gaining on it.”
The first 87 laps run on Sunday saw Waltrip on pit road during the pace laps to repair a loose oil line. The team was able to fix it without missing a beat. Two quick caution flags were thrown on laps 14 and 21. The first was a single-car accident involving Denny Hamlin. The second forced the red flag to come out after Casey Mears’ car was turned on its side by Sam Hornish Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Reed Sorenson were also collected, and were forced to go to the garage for repairs. Water seeping up through the track was to blame for both incidents. NASCAR did extensive work to repair the track, and the race went back to green after a 60-minute delay.
 The NAPA Toyota Camry was extremely loose on entry for Waltrip during this segment of the race. Crew chief Paul Andrews called for a series of adjustments under caution on laps 16, 23, 41, 57, 71 and 83. Track bar, air pressure and wedge were changed. Waltrip ran as high as 25th place before rain forced NASCAR to bring the cars down pit road to postpone the remainder of the race until Monday morning.
Today, the race restarted shortly after 1 p.m. ET. Andrews took the opportunity to bring Waltrip down pit road for significant adjustments on lap 88 to help the NAPA Camry. The loose condition remained, and when Waltrip entered Turn 2 on lap 150, he lost control of his car. The NAPA Toyota was damaged in the rear, but nothing too significant to hamper Waltrip’s ride. The crew went to work on laps 151 and 152. Track bar and wedge changes were completed. When Waltrip returned to the track, he was in 37th place.
“I don’t know what happened when the NAPA Camry spun out,” commented Waltrip in regards to the crash. “It was a crazy deal. It wasn’t handling well, but I didn’t expect that to happen. It was pretty unpredictable out there.”
Andrews continued to make significant adjustments to the NAPA Camry, and after the team’s pit stop on lap 209 under green-flag conditions, the car finally responded. Waltrip came over the radio to say the car was not perfect, but was very drivable. On lap 221, Waltrip took over the 28th spot with only Paul Menard ahead of him of the teams that were two laps down. The cars of J.J. Yeley, Dario Franchitti, Dave Blaney, Dale Jarrett, and Regan Smith were also two laps down.
Waltrip forged ahead, but was unable to take over the 27th spot since Paul Menard was further ahead on the track. Waltrip’s times were quicker, but there was too much real estate between them to make up the deficit with less than 25 laps to go.
Carl Edwards won the Auto Club 500. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Ryan Newman.
Waltrip’s teammates David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett finished 23rd and 33rd, respectively.
Next up for the Sprint Cup teams is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The third event of the season will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and PRN radio.
Auto Club 500 Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/2/data/results_unofficial.html
Auto Club 500 Lap-By-Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/races/lapbylap/02/24/california/index.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Standings (Waltrip – 29th)
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/data/standings_unofficial.html |
