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TALLADEGA, Ala. – The No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry was in winning form during Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Driver Michael Waltrip took the lead with just 25 laps to go despite having significant damage to the roof of his NAPA Camry. Unfortunately, the chance to score his second victory at the restrictor-plate race ended when Waltrip was collected in an 11-car melee on lap 174. The driver and crew rallied to repair the car on pit road to finish the race in 19th position.
“The team did a great job all day,” said Waltrip, who started the 190-lap race in 25th position. “My plan was to go there at the end. I made a couple of runs up in the middle just to learn and see what I had. When it was time to go, we were ready. I felt really confident in my NAPA car. I felt really comfortable getting up there and getting a chance to win the race. Unfortunately, we got in the wreck with around 10 laps to go. It ruined our chances, but I was very comfortable and confident in my car all day long. Besides the small setback with the tire hitting my roof, my team did a great job all day. I am really proud of them.”
Travis Kvapil led the 43-car field to the green flag. As for Waltrip, he used the opening laps to get settled before making several runs to the front. In the first 50 laps, two caution-flag periods were thrown for debris. Both times, the No. 55 machine pitted -- first for fuel and four tires on lap 35 and then for fuel on lap 47. Waltrip’s highest position during this portion of the AMP Energy 500 was 10th (lap 51).
Meanwhile, the tone of the race started to change shortly thereafter when right-side tire problems started to appear. The first major blowout affected Waltrip’s teammate David Reutimann. Reutimann’s right rear tire blew sending him across traffic on lap 54. Chase contender Jeff Gordon sustained the most damage trying to dodge Reutimann’s wreck. The second incident happened on lap 68 to bring out the first of two red-flag conditions. Brian Vickers’ right front tire blew when he was upfront. It triggered an eight-car crash. The cars of David Gilliland, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Raines, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Mike Skinner and Sterling Marlin were all involved.
Crew chief Bobby Kennedy told his driver he was glad he dropped back before the tire problems started to avoid the accidents. Waltrip clarified his take on the situation by keying his radio to say, “I’m not afraid of anything, but I believe in being smart.”
The race restarted on lap 73 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the lead and Waltrip in 24th place. Eight laps later the car driven by Mike Wallace lost a tire. A huge chunk of the tire landed on the roof of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. Waltrip was forced to pit under caution three times to make repairs. The team got the car back out without losing a lap and joked that the NAPA Camry now had a sunroof.
“I was able to give my guys a little bit of insight from the driver’s seat about the damage because it was right there in front of me,” Waltrip elaborated. “They did a great job at repairing it. I don’t think it was a real problem. It might have been a little bit of a setback as far as track position, but I just didn’t think it was really a factor. My guys fixed it so well that it was not a part of the deal. The weird thing was I saw the tire blow off the 33 car. Stuff was going everywhere. I was looking at the track to figure out how to miss the debris. At the last second, I saw the rubber fly up in the air, but I was focused on the track. It landed on the roof of my car. It was wild.”
Chase contender and leader of the race, Denny Hamlin, could not dodge the tire issue. He lost a right front tire on lap 99. His accident sent him hard into the Turn 2 wall. He was put on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital for observation.
On lap 145, the team finally got the call. Waltrip, running in 23rd position, came over the radio and said, “I’m going.” In just 19 laps, the NAPA Camry was scored in the top spot. Then on lap 164, Kevin Harvick spun to bring out the caution. Kennedy opted to bring his driver in for right side tires and fuel. The NAPA Camry returned to the race in 13th place and Juan Pablo Montoya was the leader.
The race returned to green on lap 169. Unfortunately for Waltrip, he was unable to take back his top spot before Carl Edwards took out his teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth. The wreck triggered the so-called “Big One” as a total of 12 cars were collected. Waltrip dove low to miss most of the melee but was tagged hard on the side by Harvick. Waltrip’s car sustained significant damage, but the driver was able to bring his car down pit road. During the 12-minute red flag the team was able to devise a plan to get the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota back on track. The team’s repairs cost Waltrip three laps, but the driver was able to finish the race in 19th place.
Regan Smith crossed the finish line first, but Tony Stewart was awarded his first victory at Talladega. NASCAR disqualified Smith’s pass on Stewart because it was below the yellow line. Rounding out the top-10 finishers in the AMP Energy 500 were Paul Menard, David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs, Robby Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Elliott Sadler.
Waltrip’s teammate David Reutimann rallied back from his tire problem and a lap down to race in the top 10 before losing an engine on lap 110. He finished in 37th place. Kenny Wallace, in the No. 00, scored Michael Waltrip Racing its best finish in the event – 12th.
Entering the fifth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, the top-12 in the standings are Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.
Lowe’s Motor Speedway hosts the next NASCAR Sprint Cup event next Saturday night. Broadcast coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and the Performance Racing Network.
AMP Energy 500 Race Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/30/data/results_unofficial.html
AMP Energy 500 Lap-By-Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/races/lapbylap/10/04/lap.by.lap.talladega2/index.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Standings (Waltrip – 29th):
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/data/standings_unofficial.html
NASCAR Sprint Cup Owner Standings (Waltrip 31st):
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