What is the key to running well at Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“The key is being able to anticipate how the track is going to change throughout the course of the night. In the past, it was pretty black and white. All you had to do was loosen up your car. Now, about the time you get to mile-marker 500, you have to start tightening your car back up. The moisture in the air makes the track change. It makes it very difficult for a driver and crew chief to stay on top of it.

“I like to tell this story about the Coca-Cola 600 that sums it up pretty well. In 2004, I was running second and finished second to Jimmie Johnson. I told my crew chief at the time, Slugger Labbe, that the NAPA car was perfect and not to touch it when we pitted. I looked in the mirror and the guys were making a jack bolt adjustment. I called over the radio, ‘I said don’t touch it!’ Slugger radioed back and told me that we had to. He was right. That’s what a good crew chief and team will do. They will anticipate where that track is going. No matter how ahead you are in the Coca-Cola 600, you better keep working on your car to contend at the end. You’ll see all the teams doing it over the course of Sunday night’s race. Teams will be chasing the track all night long and the team that keeps up with it the best will win.”

In 1985, you started your NASCAR Sprint Cup career at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. How did you get started 25 seasons ago?
“I had this plan to race my way up through the ranks. I was trying to figure out how to get a NASCAR Nationwide Series ride when Richard Petty looked at me and said, ‘If you want to race Cup, if that’s what you really want to do, then you need to be doing it. You don’t need to be messing with that plan you have.’ Richard was adamant that I focused on running Cup. I changed my direction and began to figure out a way to get into the Cup Series. I called Humpy Wheeler for advice and he told me to go see Dick Bahre up in Statesville and I did. I told Dick I didn’t have any money, but I had a couple sets of tires that he could count on. All I wanted was a shot. Dick agreed and put me in the car. 

“My first race at Charlotte, I qualified 19th. When it came to the race, I broke a transmission with 40 or 50 laps to go. But before that, I was competitive. It proved to me that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing was exactly what I wanted to do. More importantly, I proved to myself that I could do it. I could run with the Cup guys. I think what happened to me is proof that having a map, a blue print or a plan of what you want to do is important, but you also have to be open minded and be willing to improvise and vary from it. In my case, I learned that someone else had a better plan than me. Opportunities allow you to chase your dream and I chased mine. On May 26, 1985, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, I stopped chasing my dream and started living it.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will be competing in his 737th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the
  12th event of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, the Coca-Cola 600, gets underway at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
• Waltrip made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Charlotte during the 1985 Coca-Cola World 600. He started
  24th and finished 29th behind the wheel of the No. 23 machine owned by Dick Bahre. His brother Darrell was
  the race winner. 2009 marks Waltrip’s 25th season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing.
• Waltrip will start in his 48th Cup race at the 1.5-mile track. His best start is second (October 9, 1994) and best finish is second while driving the NAPA machine on May 30, 2004. In total, he has four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Waltrip has completed 15,368 of 17,030 laps (90.2%) at the track and has led a total of 72 laps in competition.
• During his 33-race Busch career at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Waltrip has earned two victories (March 29, 1993 and Oct. 9, 1999), two pole positions, 12 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 189 laps in competition.
• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 28th in the driver and owner points standings. The NAPA Toyota Camry is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s race.

NAPA AUTO PARTS Driver Michael Waltrip Sprint Cup Statistics – Lowe’s Motor Speedway

DATE	START	FINISH	DATE	START	FINISH
5/26/1985	24	28	5/25/1997	22	17
10/6/1985	36	31	10/21/1997	30	24
5/25/1986	34	26	5/24/1998	37	18
10/5/1986	19	19	10/4/1998	27	13
5/24/1987	38	11	5/30/1999	26	37
10/11/1987	32	35	10/11/1999	23	14
5/29/1988	22	23	5/28/2000	12	18
10/9/1988	12	23	10/8/2000	14	22
5/28/1989	7	27	5/27/2001	28	28
10/8/1989	14	17	10/7/2001	21	18
5/27/1990	20	4	5/26/2002	11	8
10/7/1990	36	3	10/13/2002	15	11
5/26/1991	2	15	5/25/2003	9	6
10/6/1991	11	7	10/11/2003	30	14
5/24/1992	15	25	5/30/2004	12	2
10/11/1992	29	23	10/16/2004	6	28
5/30/1993	6	13	5/29/2005	23	36
10/10/1993	20	27	10/15/2005	32	29
5/29/1994	30	10	5/28/2006	43	41
10/9/1994	2	10	10/14/2006	23	38
5/28/1995	5	3	10/12/2007	19	10
10/8/1995	4	17	5/25/2008	29	27
5/26/1996	8	8	10/11/2008	31	24
10/6/1996	11	9

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