What kind of pressure are guys like Kasey Kahne going through right now who are in The Chase, but not locked in?
“David Reutimann is currently 15th in the points. He is just outside and he doesn’t have any pressure. He just needs to race and hope for the best. He did a great job in Atlanta to finish fourth in the Aaron’s Dream Machine. It was awesome. It’s going to be tough for him to make it, but if something happens, he may be able to squeak in. If you are anywhere from seventh to 13th, you know that everything will have to be just right on Saturday night to make it in. Nothing can be taken for granted. Watching guys like Matt Kenseth struggle early in the Atlanta race and then pull it together in the end was impressive. Clint Bowyer didn’t have a good race and it ruined his bid to make The Chase. These guys are going to be walking on a razor’s edge on Saturday night. One mistake and they will be on the outside looking in.”

Talk about the track.
“Richmond International Raceway is a great track. People love the track. It’s been sold out forever. For the drivers, it is fun to drive and there are quite a few drivers that got their first victory at Richmond. It’s a track that has always had a lot of options. Sometimes when a track is repaved, there is one groove and it is the bottom. But when they first repaved Richmond, it didn’t change. We could still go right outside the wall. You’ll see guys literally run up high and scrape the wall in Turn 4 and you’ll also see guys run down low and digging on the bottom. That’s why people like me love the place and it is because of those options that you have as a driver.

“One thing that you will also notice about the track is it gets really crowded. It is three-quarters-of-a-mile in length and there are 43 cars that are competitive. Those cars are going to be arguing over space. You could easily be in contention to win the race starting from 35th or 36th, but it means you will have to make it through all that traffic and survive. It’s very doable, but it isn’t easy.”

Do you think drivers who have multiple wins in a season should be guaranteed a spot in The Chase?
“No. I think drivers have to race every week. You have to be a team that contends on a consistent basis to qualify. Our points system is a good thing so to qualify, I believe consistency is the most important criteria versus the number of wins you have.” 

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will start in his 749th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when he competes in the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va.

• Waltrip will start in his 45th race at the .75-mile track. His best start is second (Sept. 9, 1990) and best finish is ninth in the NAPA machine on May 14, 2005.

• During his Cup career at RIR, Waltrip has earned two top-10 and 22 top-25 finishes. His average start is 24th
  and finish is 25th.
• Waltrip has completed 15,720 of 17,603 laps (89.3%) at the track and has led a total of 81 laps in competition.
  • Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the NAPA team is 32nd in the owner points standings. The NAPA is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday night’s race.

   

  NAPA AUTO PARTS Driver Michael Waltrip Sprint Cup Statistics - Richmond

  DATE	START	FINISH	DATE	START	FINISH
  2/23/1986	21	25	3/2/1997	14	27
  9/7/1986	19	14	9/6/1997	29	35
  3/8/1987	14	12	6/6/1998	33	40
  9/13/1987	7	19	9/12/1998	31	26
  2/21/1988	26	31	5/15/1999	38	22
  9/11/1988	6	12	9/11/1999	36	38
  3/26/1989	22	13	5/6/2000	38	19
  9/10/1989	9	23	9/9/2000	40	43
  2/25/1990	23	27	5/5/2001	12	35
  9/9/1990	2	14	9/8/2001	41	20
  2/24/1991	15	17	5/5/2002	27	24
  9/7/1991	31	30	9/7/2002	26	36
  3/8/1992	7	34	5/3/2003	37	12
  9/12/1992	23	33	9/6/2003	33	32
  3/7/1993	26	23	5/15/2004	18	10
  9/11/1993	15	19	9/11/2004	19	13
  3/6/1994	5	31	5/14/2005	23	9
  9/10/1994	20	26	9/10/2005	28	31
  3/5/1995	35	23	5/6/2006	30	31
  9/9/1995	19	28	5/3/2008	27	37
  3/3/1996	35	36	9/7/2008	34	28
  9/7/1996	22	14	5/2/2009	30	24

  
  2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW

  Ryan Langley	Front Tire Changer
  Eric Wakeland	Front Tire Carrier
  Tony Cardamone	Jack Man
  Mike Ellershaw	Rear Tire Changer
  Don Marvel	Rear Tire Carrier
  Art Harris	Gasman
  Shawn Soules	Catch Can
  Ron Otto	Eighth Man
  Craig Harper	Gas Runner
  Mark Maloney	Second Gas Can