WALTRIP’S TOP-15 RUN ENDS WHEN TIRE IS CUT DOWN DURING CLOSING LAPS OF SHARPIE 500 AT BRISTOL

BRISTOL, TENN. – Michael Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team had a good run taken away on Saturday night when a tire was cut down with less than 10 laps to go in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The problem resulted in a crash and a 31st-place finish.

“I am just so disappointed with what happened,” said Waltrip who started the Sharpie 500 in 36th position. “I saw smoke and told the guys about it. Pitting again under that caution to make sure everything was OK was an option, but we stayed out. It cost us a good finish.”

Mark Martin led the field to the green flag and it was not long until Waltrip was moving his way up through the field. By lap 60, he was already in the top 25. Meanwhile, the second caution of the race was thrown when Denny Hamlin had a tire issue. Crew chief Bootie Barker came over the radio to see what Waltrip needed. His answer was pretty simple – nothing. So on lap 66, the pit crew changed four tires and added fuel.

The race went back to green on lap 69 with Greg Biffle as the new leader and Waltrip was in 25th. The NAPA Toyota remained one of the fastest cars on the track as he broke into the top 20 by lap 132. Then three laps later, the caution was back out for debris. Waltrip told the team that he didn’t need any adjustments so the pit crew busted off a 14-second stop for four fresh tires and fuel. Waltrip picked up three positions on the track due to the fast stop. On the restart, he was scored in 15th and Mark Martin was back in the top spot.

The next green-flag run saw Waltrip compete in the top 20 despite the fact that the driver felt the set of tires he had on were not as good as the first two sets. Barker also told his driver that his teammate, Marcos Ambrose, was reporting the same issue. More than likely, the track was changing and the Michael Waltrip Racing cars were running on the tight side.

Another caution was thrown on lap 163. The NAPA team opted to stay out while most of the cars on the lead lap pitted. Waltrip restarted in 13th position and he held his own as his lap times were as fast as the leader.

Then at the halfway mark, Waltrip was on the verge of breaking into the top 10. On lap 357, the pit crew serviced the NAPA Toyota in 13 seconds. Waltrip returned to the track in 12th position and radar showed rain closing in on Thunder Valley. It made its appearance on lap 420 and NASCAR put out the caution flag. Barker kept Waltrip out while the leaders pitted. The NAPA Toyota was posted in the top spot on lap 425 and remained there for eight laps.
Lap 440 saw a multi-car crash take place right behind the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. Sam Hornish made contact with Casey Mears. The cars of Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, and Brian Vickers were also involved. The yellow allowed the NAPA crew to make another air pressure change, bolt on four fresh tires and add fuel. Waltrip returned to the track in 18th and Kyle Busch was the new leader.

The air pressure adjustments made during the last pit stop made Waltrip’s Toyota tighter. So on lap 459, the NAPA crew went back to work to lower the air pressure to free up the car. The stop took just 12.70 seconds. Busch remained the leader and Waltrip was in 17th position. The race resumed and the double-file restart saw close door-to-door racing. Contact was made between several cars including Martin Truex Jr. and Waltrip. Truex Jr. ended up on the short end of the stick to bring out the caution on 478. Waltrip’s left front was smoking so the team pitted on lap 481 to bolt on four fresh tires and pull out the sheet metal. Unfortunately, when the race restarted on lap 486, Waltrip still had a problem on the left side of the car. The left rear tire was rubbing the sheet metal. He held on as long as he could until the tire was finally cut down sending him hard into the turn three wall on lap 491 to end a solid run.

The final five laps of the Sharpie 500 saw Kyle Busch and Mark Martin go head-to-head but it was Busch who had the advantage. He went on to win his fourth race of the season. The victory helped him close in on a Chase birth as he is now just 34 points out of the coveted 12-place position to make a run at the Sprint Cup title.

Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Martin, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Matt Kenseth.

As for Waltrip’s teammates, David Reutimann finished 17th. Ambrose’s third place showing equates to his fourth top-five and eighth top-10 finish of the season.

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams have their final weekend off. Waltrip is busy doing television. This Week in NASCAR will air tonight at 8 p.m. on SPEED. Then on Friday, he joins Phil Parsons and Rick Allen in the broadcast booth for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at the Chicagoland Speedway. Broadcast coverage of the race begins at 8:30 p.m. on SPEED.

Rookie Truex Takes Points Lead With Victory

THOMPSON, Conn. (July 11, 2009) – Ryan Truex captured the checkered flag in a NASCAR Camping World Series East race for the second time in the last three outings as he took the Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 Saturday night at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) battled Steve Park (No. 35 Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet) through the last half of the race as the pair swapped the lead three times, but it was the 17-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing development driver who got past the veteran on Lap 96 and rode to the victory.

It was the second win in the last three outings for Truex, who earned his first series victory at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 6. The Mayetta, N.J., native also joined his older brother, Martin Truex Jr., as NASCAR Camping World Series East winners at Thompson.

Park’s runner-up finish was the best of his 2009 season so far. He led a race-high 76 laps after earning the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Matt DiBenedetto (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Toyota) finished third to record his fourth top-five in five starts this year. Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction) and Alan Tardiff (No. 38 Bestway Disposal Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers included Matt Kobyluck, Jesus Hernandez, Ryan Duff, Jonathan Smith and Brett Moffitt.

With the win, Truex has registered three-straight top-three finishes, which vaulted him past Jody Lavender and MacDonald into the points lead with four races remaining on the 2009 schedule. Lavender, the points leader entering the day, finished 11th.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will next compete at Adirondack International Speedway on Saturday, August 1 in The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems.

David Reutimann Fast Facts - Chicago

What it means for MWR to sign Martin Truex Jr.:

"Having Martin (Truex Jr.) join the MWR organization in 2010 is going to be an excellent addition - he's a great driver and demonstrated winner. Having a driver of his caliber come to our organization shows that people in the garage are taking notice and we’re becoming a team that drivers would consider as part of their future."

Whether racing under the lights is any different for a driver:

"Not really. I'm a racer, so it really doesn't matter to me whether it's day or night - I'm one of those guys that would race at any time because it's what I love to do."

Describe the racing at Chicago:

"Chicago's a fast, fun track. I got one of my first starts there in 2003 and won a Nationwide Pole there last year driving the No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine. It’s a mile and a half D-shaped tri-oval that is surprisingly different from most others that we compete on. It has 18 degrees of banking in the corners, so it's important to get your car handling good in the corners to improve your speed down the straightaways."

Goals for this weekend at Chicagoland:
"We need to bounce back from the unfortunate luck that we had a Daytona last Saturday night. The Aaron's team is still in a great position to get in the top 12 and a solid finish this weekend at Chicagoland will go a long way in making up ground on those guys in front of us."

2009 NSCS Points Standings: David Reutimann is currently in 14th, 74 points behind 12th place.

Chassis Information: The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine for Chicagoland Speedway is chassis No. 638. This is another brand new Aaron's Dream Machine making its debut at Chicago.

Race Information: Watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in action on Saturday, July 11 in the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Race coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

LifeLock.com 400 - Chicagoland Speedway

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

How do you feel about the press announcement that took place yesterday at Michael Waltrip Racing?
“I'm proud and happy. I'm turning my car over to a guy that I think can go win the championship in it, and I've always said ‑‑ I've been racing these cars for a long time, as we all well know -- if I thought I wasn't the best man for the job, I wouldn't have had a ride for this long. If I wasn't the guy to go race it on Sunday, somebody else would take my place. And I believe at this time in my career that Martin (Truex, Jr.) is the right guy to take over my car and go win races in it. I'm sitting here happy about the fact that Martin is taking over my car. I didn't have to quit. I didn't need to quit. I just wanted to do this. For me it's always been about the sponsors, and NAPA has been the greatest sponsor I could ever have, and I thought this was an opportunity to put them in victory lane on a regular basis. I couldn't be happier or prouder. I'm really thankful.”

A lot of drivers struggle with this and it’s not an easy decision to scale back. Were you always certain that this was the right thing to do and now?
“Totally and I started out in February by saying at preseason and before the 500, that I had to go out and perform at the same level or better than David and Marcos. That's putting a lot of pressure on a driver, and I don't mind ‑‑ I didn't mind doing that, because it was multipurpose. I knew that's what I was going to have to do in order to be able to justify racing in 2010 and beyond. But I also wanted to make sure people like Martin and drivers of his caliber knew there was going to be a good seat available in 2010 if things didn't go like I wanted them to. So making those statements in Florida was a precursor to what we're doing now. I'm proud of what I've accomplished and I was genuinely more happy when David won that race in Charlotte than I've been in a long time in my career so that was confirmation that I made the right decision, that I can get joy out of helping mold and shape MWR and helping to make all of these wonderful men and women that work here understand that their owner is in there with them, in the trenches, fighting, working, trying to help them do whatever we need to help them have success. I'm totally at ease with where I'm at. I think my legacy as a driver has been shaped up by now.”

Talk about Chicagoland Speedway.
“It’s a fun stop and I enjoy going to Chicago in the middle of the summer. What a great city and the fans are totally enthusiastic. They have great short-track racing up there and some of the best racing you will ever see. It’s a great way to celebrate all that by coming to Chicagoland Speedway and watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. To me, this race is special – it’s ranks up with New Hampshire and Daytona.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will be competing in his 743rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race when the 19th event of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, the LifeLock.com 400, gets underway at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL


• He will start in his ninth race at Chicagoland. His best start is fifth (July 14, 2002) and best finish is fifth (July 13, 2003) while driving the NAPA machine.


• Waltrip has completed 1948 of 2139 laps (91.9%) at the track and has led a total of two laps in competition. His average start is 27th and average finish is 26th.


• The NAPA AUTO PARTS team is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400. The team is 31st in the owner points standings.
  

EVENT FACTS
Race: 19 of 36
LifeLock.com 400
Chicagoland Speedway

Length: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Distance: 400 laps/267 miles
Date: Saturday, July 11

TV Coverage: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Radio: MRN

Martin Truex, Jr. To Drive No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in 2010

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced today that NAPA AUTO PARTS has signed a multi-year contract to continue its primary sponsorship with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization, and has named two-time Nationwide Series champion and 2007 Chase participant Martin Truex, Jr. as its driver.

Starting in 2010, the car number on the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota will be the No. 56, a number that has been in the Truex racing family for three generations. MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip, the only full-time driver NAPA has had since joining the Sprint Cup division in 2001, will drive a limited schedule, to include the 2010 Daytona 500 driving the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota - an event in which Waltrip and NAPA have shared two memorable victories. Waltrip will retain the number 55. The owner points earned during the 2009 Sprint Cup campaign will be transferred to Truex’s full-time effort.

“NAPA AUTO PARTS and Michael Waltrip have grown synonymous and it means the world to me that we were able to extend our long-running relationship,” said Waltrip who drove NAPA into victory lane six times. “They have been an integral part of my driving career, and now, they will continue with me as I transition into my role as full-time owner.

“I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish as the driver for NAPA over the past nine seasons, and we still have more opportunities to win together. But I’m also proud of how Michael Waltrip Racing has matured over the past two and a half years and the momentum we have gained since starting from scratch. NAPA extending its support of MWR enables us to continue our assault on a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.”

“NAPA has been a great supporter of MWR's and I'm looking forward to being a part of their family,” remarked Truex. “I've been going to the local NAPA store in New Jersey where I grew up since the age of 16 to buy auto parts for my first Jeep. I'm honored to carry their logo and look forward to helping them with their success in NASCAR.”

“Today is a significant day for NAPA Racing as we are proud to be a part of this new chapter at Michael Waltrip Racing,” said Bob Susor, NAPA President. “We have tremendous respect for Michael, his success and the world class race team he has built. Now begins a new chapter for NAPA Racing as we welcome Martin Truex, Jr. as the driver of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. As Martin mentioned, he has been a NAPA customer since the age of 16 and we look forward to building on that relationship. He is one of the most exciting and competitive young drivers in the sport and we anticipate many successes both on and off the track.”

The 29-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver from Mayetta, N.J., joins MWR with an impressive résumé as he has won back-to-back NASCAR Nationwide Series championships in 2004 and 2005. And in just four full seasons competing in NASCAR’s premier division, he has produced two poles, one victory, 12 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes. He has not finished lower than 19th in the Sprint Cup championship points standings.

"I am looking forward to this new chapter in my career with Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota,” added Truex. “This team has grown tremendously in the past two years, and has proven they have the ability to be competitive week in and week out. I am excited to see what we can do together with NAPA as our sponsor."

The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry will make its debut next season during Daytona Speedweeks. Truex will team up with his new owner, Michael Waltrip, as they both will be running for NAPA AUTO PARTS in the 52nd Annual Daytona 500.

Waltrip Finishes 24th in Rain-Shortened Event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

LOUDON, N.H. – The No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS team rallied from being two laps down to finish 24th on the lead lap after being wrecked early in Sunday’s rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301.The top-25 result keeps driver Michael Waltrip firmly in 29th place in the owner points standings. The team is now – just 79 markers out of 25th and less than 175 out of the top 20.

“Our car was pretty good at the start of the race,” said Waltrip. “I was really happy as I was moving up through the field. I just got wrecked. The team did a great job when they finally got the time to work on the car under caution (lap 172). They got the car fixed back up and when it was fixed, it was fast again. We made up a lot of ground. We had a good strategy and good pit stops all day. At the end, we just found ourselves in a bind because we really couldn’t do anything cool like Reutimann did. We couldn’t stay out with him because we were going to run out of gas. We just had to take our medicine and settle for a top-25 finish.”

Sunday started with Tony Stewart leading the 43-car field to the green flag since qualifying was rained out on Friday. NASCAR set the starting field by the rulebook. Meanwhile, Waltrip started in 29th and used the first caution of the day on lap 17 to get an air pressure adjustment and four fresh tires as he needed more forward bite. Waltrip returned to the track in 40th position and Kyle Busch was the new leader.

For the next 40 laps, four caution flags were thrown on laps 21, 27, 45 and 60. Unfortunately for the NAPA team, they were involved in the incident on lap 60. Scott Speed lost control of his car and tried to correct it. It caused him to slam into the left side of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota as Waltrip was running in 28th place. The NAPA team went to work to secure the damaged sheet metal to return to the track in 36th position.

“I encouraged my guys,” added Waltrip. “It wasn’t a big deal because the car was good. I felt we could race our way back.”

The NAPA team needed another caution to continue work on the car, but instead, the race saw a long green-flag run that included pit stops. The lack of extra time on pit road to properly repair the car caused the team to lose two laps over the course of 85 circuits. At that point, crew chief Bootie Barker started watching the weather monitor and began putting a strategy in place to help his team return onto the lead lap.

A light rain started to fall just as a caution was thrown for debris on lap 151. Instead of pitting, Barker kept his driver out as most of the field pitted. The idea was for another caution flag to be thrown before the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota had to pit. The strategy worked as Paul Menard lost a tire on lap 169. Waltrip earned one lap back and in contention for the Lucky Dog as he was racing Menard and David Stremme for the free pass.

The restart on lap 174 did not go well for quite a few competitors as Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires. Martin Truex Jr. had to take evasive action and was drilled from behind by Kyle Busch. It caused a melee that involved Truex Jr., David Ragan, Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Waltrip’s teammate, David Reutimann. Waltrip also had a little damage to the front of his car as he had to react quickly. It brought out the red flag in order to clear the track. Waltrip was now the only car one lap down.

The race restarted on lap 180 with Jeff Gordon in the lead. Three laps later, the caution was back out when Joey Logano lost a tire. The yellow placed Waltrip back on the lead lap and he was pumped. His car felt pretty good despite all the cosmetic damage.

When the race returned to green, he was in 27th position and his lap times were fast. It allowed him to pick up seven positions on the track when green flag pit stops started to happen on lap 234. Barker started talking strategy with his driver as the service would be their last. They opted to stay out as long as they could with rain looming in the area. But on lap 261, they had to forfeit their second-place position for one can of fuel and two tires. The NAPA Toyota returned to the track in 24th position, but the rain came just five laps later and would eventually cause NASCAR to call the race complete.

Winning the race on a good call by veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli was 19-year-old-rookie Joey Logano. His victory put him in the record books as he is now the youngest driver in the history of NASCAR to win a Sprint Cup Series event.

Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Reutimann, Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.

Reutimann’s fourth-place finish and fourth top-five of the season helps him close in on the top-12 drivers in the Race for the Chase. He currently sits just 12 points out of 12th place.

JTG-Daugherty Racing’s Marcos Ambrose finished just ahead of Waltrip in 23rd spot.

Michael Waltrip and the NAPA team return to their favorite track -- Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. The two-time Daytona 500 champion will have a little help as he goes for his fourth victory at the superspeedway. Big brother Darrell will be a NAPA crew member. Broadcast coverage gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. It also can be heard on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Ryan Truex On Pole for Heluva Good" Summer 125 from NHMS

Joins father & brother as pole winners at Loudon
By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR

LOUDON, N.H. – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex continued his hot streak Thursday afternoon when he won the Coors Light Pole Award in advance of Friday’s Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) earned his first career pole two races ago at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and reached Victory Lane for the first time in the series’ last event at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. On Thursday he kept the momentum going when he posted the fastest lap in qualifying at 30.433 seconds (125.113 mph).

Truex also joined his father and brother in winning NASCAR Camping World Series East pole awards at New Hampshire. Martin Sr. won the pole for the Sept. 1994 event, while current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Jr. won the pole three times (twice in 2000 and in 2003). Both Martin Sr. and Jr. also won NASCAR Camping World Series East races at NHMS.

Ryan Truex, who was the next-to-last car to go out, knocked Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet) off the provisional pole. MacDonald won both of the New Hampshire races in 2008 and posted a fast lap of 30.601 seconds (124.467 mph) during qualifying.

Kevin Swindell was third fastest in qualifying at 30.616 seconds (124.406 mph). Brett Moffitt (30.690/124.106) and Matt DiBenedetto (30.693/124.093) rounded out the top five qualifiers.

Among the top five qualifiers, only MacDonald had previously turned laps at the 1.058-mile track.

Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Alan Tardiff, Jody Lavender and Jeff Anton completed the top 10 from Thursday’s qualifying.

The Heluva Good! Summer 125 is slated to go green on Friday, June 26, at 5:10 p.m.