Dickies 500 – Texas Motor Speedway

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

Is there a difference between Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway?
“They are actually quite different and that’s mainly because of the pavement. The pavement at Texas has a lot of grip. You are going to run a really fast speed in qualifying, but you are also able to maintain that speed throughout a race run.

“When it comes to lifting off the gas, you do it at both places. At Atlanta, once you get into a green-flag run, you probably lift more times than you are on the gas. You coast forever. The same thing happens at Texas. In qualifying trim you are going to really hold the gas down and run a fast lap. But once you get some time on those tires, the grip starts to go away. You will ride up the hill and then be off the gas a lot. You may also be on the brake a little bit.”

After an impressive start to the Atlanta race, driving from 29th to ninth, do you like your chances heading into Texas?
“I said after the race at Charlotte that I couldn’t wait to get to Atlanta because I could run high and low in my NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. The same thing holds true at Texas Motor Speedway. In order to win one of these races, it almost seems like you have to be able to hook the bottom, and run the low side. It’s the line where the winner usually comes from. But throughout the middle stages of the race, and as you work on your car, it sure is nice that you can go out next to that wall and burn up some time by making some good time up next to the wall. Options are always good so I am real confident about my NAPA team’s chances this weekend in Texas. In Atlanta, we had a top-five car before some bad circumstances got us down. Before the halfway mark, we developed a problem with our radios. We had no radio communication. In the middle of that problem, I was trying to ask for an adjustment to the car. The adjustment I got didn’t work out. Then I made a mistake. I just got up high and into the wall. We blew a tire and tore the car up. A lot of stuff went down and it was unfortunate. Now, after leaving Atlanta, I know we can run well at Texas. We will just sharpen things up even more and make something good happen this weekend in Texas.”

Weather looks good for Friday, so how do you feel about actually getting to qualify?
“The qualifying situation at Atlanta did not have anything to do with the results of the race. Jimmie Johnson started first. Then he was running 30th and ended up finishing second. My NAPA team started 29th. We got up to ninth and then finished 37th. The actual race determines the outcome so I am not too worried about what happens on Friday.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will be competing in his 723rd NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the 34th event of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Dickies 500, gets underway at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.
• He will start in his 14th race at the 1.5-mile track. His best TMS start is fourth (April 8, 2002) and best finish is sixth in his NAPA machine (April 17, 2005).
• During his career at Texas, Waltrip has earned three top-10 and six top-25 finishes. His average start is 27th and average finish is 24th.
• Waltrip has completed 3,924 of 4,352 laps (90.2%) at Texas and has led a total of 14 laps in competition.
• Earlier this season, the NAPA Racing team finished 31st in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Waltrip and his crew overcame challenges including a spin on lap 28 due to a loose handling Toyota Camry.
• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 29th in the driver and owner points standings. He is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s race.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip Texas Motor Speedway Statistics

EVENT FACTS
Race: 34 of 36
DICKIES 500

Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Length: 1.5-Mile Oval
Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
Date: Sunday, November 2
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
TV:ABC
Radio: PRN
2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2007 Pole: Martin Truex Jr.

TELEVISION TIDBITS
Sprint Cup Qualifying
Fri., Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. ET
ESPN2

Sprint Cup Practices
Fri., Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. ET
SPEED

Sat., Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET
NASCAR.com

Sat., Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. ET
ESPN2 (Tape Delay)

This Week in NASCAR
Mon., Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET
SPEED
 

2008 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW