Motorsports FanHouse

Truex Jr.'s Move Comes a Year Late

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:46:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing

The water invading the hull of the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing sinking ship finally got to be too much for the talented Martin Truex Jr.

"I've given them everything that I could," said Truex on Tuesday after announcing he'd take over a ride at Michael Waltrip Racing. "There got to be too many questions, too many things that were uncertain."

Which is why, as we guessed a year ago, his one-year contract extension with the Teresa Earnhardt-run operation would be all for naught thanks to a nasty set of decisions and circumstances that have left a once proud team in survival mode, and might have left Truex settling for a team he might not have otherwise gone to.

And so, Truex made his move Tuesday to a team that certainly has its nose pointed towards to the peaks of NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, rather than towards the dark valleys of bad finishes and desperation. The New Jersey driver will, in effect, take over the reigns for team co-owner Michael Waltrip in 2010.

Waltrip, in fact, will stay to true to his somewhat shocking words from the beginning of the 2009 campaign that this season's performance will sway whether or not he remains a full-time driver in 2010. He won't and will drive his No. 55 NAPA Toyota in a partial schedule, while Truex will drive full-time in the No. 56 NAPA car that has new multi-year sponsorship from the auto parts chain.

And while some might question Truex's jump to MWR, it's important to realize that the team is not even close to the ill-performing package it was in 2007.

David Reutimann has been the brightest light for the organization, picking up a win in the Coca-Cola 600 and battling for Chase competition. Marcos Ambrose, while not an official team car, has his cars built in the MWR shop thanks to his JTG Daughtery Racing team's alliance and has been impressive in his first full Sprint Cup season.

Had Truex not been smitten with his past at EGR (then, it was still DEI) and the promises that they were putting on the table -- he said Tuesday that the Ganassi merger, while extremely helpful, was a complete shock -- he may have landed up the the ladder quite a bit for 2009.

Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing all made driver changes for 2009, and you'd have to be out of your mind to not think Truex wouldn't have been a top candidate for any of those jobs.

Instead, he opted to return to EGR with longtime-sponsor Bass Pro Shops for a one-year deal that obviously hasn't worked out as planned -- despite tremendous gains in his now-teammate's car of Juan Pablo Montoya. The biggest difference between the two top dogs at EGR in 2009? Montoya has been able to finish races.

This move by Truex is certainly a good one, and he's now teamed up with an organization that has shown a dedication to not only race but to compete. He's got a great sponsor behind him and, most importantly, a knowledge of stability in the organization.

It's good to see for NASCAR because Truex is a talented driver and has a nice following from the northeast, but even with all the positives you see in him getting free of a struggling company, you have to wonder what the difference a year would have made.

Truex Jr.'s Move Comes a Year Late originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reutimann Continues MWR Rise at Dover

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:11:00 EST

Filed under: David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip Racing

A five-day span of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing couldn't have any better for David Reutimann and his suddenly surging Michael Waltrip Racing.

Friday afternoon, the driver of the No. 00 Toyota scored the pole for Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Raceway, just days after his Monday win in the rain-delayed and then shortened Coca-Cola 600.

And to hear Reutimann tell the story earlier this week, there was a time when this type of success for MWR was not only unexpected, but the whole operation of MWR appeared to on the brink of closure.

"I think a lot of people forget just how bad our first year and a half were," said Reutimann. "It was dismal. It was just brutal being the Top-35 and trying to qualify for every race. The car counts were much higher than they were today and sometimes we missed races."

To paint a picture as to how bad things got for the MWR team during its inaugural Sprint Cup season in 2007, the same race that Reutimann won last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway saw two of three MWR teams fail to start the event in 2007.

Slowly, though, the tide started to change for the team, with Waltrip's never-quit attitude leading the way.

"That Michael Waltrip-type attitude just kept at it," said Reutimann. "He just kept going. He knew he had too much invested just to let it go. He believed in the program even on the darkest days, and eventually we just started fighting out of that funk."

The results then started to show themselves.

"Next thing you knew, you were starting to run the Top-20 on a regular basis and that was a big deal at the time," said Reutimann. "Then you start sliding in there and getting a Top-15, then a Top-10. It was definitely baby steps, but it was certainly happening at the right time."

With those results and a promise for a continued march to success came some sponsors, including the full-time Aaron's on the hood of Reutimann's car in 2009. Prior to the season, the furniture rental company had signed up for just a half season before Waltrip went to convince company president Ken Butler to sign up for the remaining races, believing Reutimann could find victory lane.

And so, Reutimann made good on that word at LMS to earn a huge 250-pound trophy for the 50th-edition of the 600. Things are looking up, obviously, at Dover as well.

"This win means such a huge amount to so many people because so many of them in the shop have been there through the course of that whole thing from the beginning to now," said Reutimann. "I know its fulfilling to me, but its very fulfilling to them and they know those 18 to 20 hour days have been paying off when they walk by that trophy."

As if the past two weeks of Sprint Cup racing haven't been memorable enough for Reutimann, next Wednesday he'll be tackling what promises to be a fun event -- Tony Stewart's dirt track event for charity, the Prelude to the Dream.

It wasn't easy for Reutimann to score a ride in that event either.

"The thing is, I've found that if finally just bother Tony Stewart enough that he relents and finally lets me come race," said Reutimann. "It's just such a great event -- I mean, I don't even know if I can put it into words how much fun it is and how successful the whole program is. The amount of money they raise, the crowd that shows up and the number of drivers that show up."

"If I had my way, 30 of our races would be on the dirt track, and the rest would be whatever we could find."

Judging by the past two weeks, though, he might want to include Dover and Charlotte on that list.

Reutimann Continues MWR Rise at Dover originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 29 May 2009 18:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Reutimann Wins 1st Sprint Cup Race in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600

FanHouse Newswire — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: David Reutimann, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- It took 75 races and three rain delays for David Reutimann to earn his first Sprint Cup Series victory.

When a fluke finally put him in position for a win in Monday's rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600, the journeyman driver nervously paced around his car on pit road at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Two hours later, he was declared the winner of one of NASCAR's crown jewel events when the race was stopped once and for all.

"It wasn't the prettiest win, but somebody has to win," he said. "When you envision yourself winning your first Sprint Cup race, you envision it different. But it's so hard to win these deals, we'll take it any way we can."

Reutimann didn't lead a single lap under green-flag racing. He had a mid-pack car as teams jockeyed for position just past the halfway point of the gloomy race, which was washed out on Sunday and carried over to Monday for the first Memorial Day running in its 50-year history.

Because the radar showed a long night of intermittent showers, no one believed the longest race on the NASCAR schedule would go the full 600 miles. So began the game of racing to the front in hopes of being in the right place when the event was finally called.

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Members of Kasey Kahne's pit crew stand on pit road during the third rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina May 25, 2009. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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David Reutimann, right, and his father, Buzzie Reutimann, look at the sky during a rain delay in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Monday, May 25, 2009. Reutiman was leading when the race was stopped. (AP Photo/Jim R. Bounds)

David Reutimann sits by his car during a rain delay in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Monday, May 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Jim R. Bounds)

Michael Waltrip looks out from pit road during a rain delay in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Monday, May 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

Fans wait during the third rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina May 25, 2009. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING)

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David Reutimann watches the rain during the third rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina May 25, 2009. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING)

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Ryan Newman laughs during the third rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina May 25, 2009. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING HEADSHOT)

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CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2009 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Robby Gordon (L), driver of the #7 Jim Beam Toyota, talks with Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, on pit road during a rain delay for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2009 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Robby Gordon

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Carl Edwards sits by his car during the third rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina May 25, 2009. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING)

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When rain brought out the caution 22 laps past the halfway point, leader Kyle Busch led a parade of cars down pit road. But Reutimann, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon didn't follow, and the three moved to the top of the leaderboard.

They led the field for five laps under caution before NASCAR called the cars back to pit road for the third rain stoppage. Most drivers headed to their motorhomes to wait out the rain.

Not Reutimann.

He was joined at his car by his 68-year-old father, Buzzie, a racer with one career NASCAR start who still tears it up in dirt track events at East Bay Raceway near Tampa, Fla. The two didn't bother with an umbrella as they stood in a steady drizzle for just over 2 hours.

"The fact he's here - we always talk about the fact we were going to mess around and win one of these and he wasn't going to be here," Reutimann said. "Fortunately, whether the Truck Series or Nationwide Series or now in the Cup series, he's been here for all of them."

Reutimann's other NASCAR victories were a 2007 Nationwide race at Memphis and a 2005 Truck race at Nashville.

Newman, the pole-sitter, finished second and Gordon was third. Carl Edwards, who had changed into street clothes by the time the race was called, finished fourth, followed by Brian Vickers and Busch.

Reutimann, 39, didn't get his break in the Cup series until Michael Waltrip hired him in 2007 when he formed his own race team. But Michael Waltrip Racing was terrible, and Reutimann was not competitive as he struggled to even make races.

The team has made small strides in the past 2-plus seasons, and Reutimann has carried the banner. He's lingered around the top 12 in points all season and has given MWR credibility.

Now he's made MWR the first Toyota team other than Joe Gibbs Racing to win a Cup race.

Waltrip, who earned his second Daytona 500 title after a lengthy rain delay shortened the 2003 event, joined the father and son at the car midway through the final delay.

"Waltrip gave me an opportunity to go racing in the Cup series when nobody would have thought of giving me an opportunity," Reutimann said.

Rain ruined a race for Busch for the second time in three days. He led a race-high 173 laps and was out front when he pitted during the final caution. He wound up sixth.

Busch led 143 laps in Saturday night's Nationwide Series race, lost the lead during a round of pit stops, and never had a chance to reclaim it when the race was shortened by 45 miles because of rain.

Defending race-winner Kasey Kahne was also denied a chance when, as he was closing in on Busch's bumper, caution was called for rain. In second as they headed down pit road, he wound up seventh when the race never resumed.

It's the second time this season one of NASCAR's crown jewel events was ruined by rain. The season-opening Daytona 500 was shortened by 48 laps and Matt Kenseth was declared the winner after a short delay.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

David Reutimann Wins 1st Sprint Cup Race in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 25 May 2009 18:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Year Later, No. 00 on Top in Texas

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:50:00 EST

Filed under: David Reutimann, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

The old cliché 'what a difference a year makes' couldn't have rang more true for Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00 Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

A year ago, that No. 00 driven by Michael McDowell suffered one of the single-most violent crashes in NASCAR history as it first slammed the turn one wall before rolling multiple times down the track in qualifying. McDowell, miracuously, was uninjured.

Friday, though, David Reutimann continued his hot start to the season in the No. 00 by taking the pole for Sunday's Samsung 500.

Reutimann's pole-winning lap topped current Sprint Cup series point leader Jeff Gordon in second while Roush Fenway Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and David Ragan showed a dramatic upswing from a nasty two-week run at Bristol and Martinsville by qualifying third and fourth. Yates Racing's Paul Menard will start fifth.

But for Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing, the difference a year makes in TMS qualifying was huge.

"I guess that just puts an exclamation mark on how things have changed," Reutimann said, after his lap of 190.517 mph. "Before, we were just trying to stay in the top 20 or get a top-20 finish or top-15. The reality is that at this time last year we weren't ready to run in the top 10."

In six races in 2009, Reutimann has taken the No. 00 team from a borderline Top-35 team to an impressive 11th in points with a worst finish of 32nd at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a best of 4th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano rounded out the Top-10. Five drivers failed to make Sunday's race, the most notable of which was Red Bull Racing's Scott Speed.

One Year Later, No. 00 on Top in Texas originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reutimann, MWR Improving Greatly

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

Prior to the 2009 season, an outlandish guess would have been picking a car from Michael Waltrip Racing to be fifth in points after three races.

No, that's not a slight to the organization. It's just that previous success wouldn't exactly lend to such results.

MWR's David Reutimann, however, isn't afraid to buck that trend -- as was clear after he earned his best career finish last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

That finish -- a fourth-place result -- was just the continuation of a strong start to 2009 and a decent finish to 2008 that certainly has expectations raised for the rest of 2009. Already, Reutimann has finishes of 12th (Daytona) and 14th (Auto Club) to complement his career-best.

Most telling about Reutimann's surprise consistency is that the No. 00 is 5th in points -- just 51 markers from leader Jeff Gordon. (For that matter, Reutimann's teammate and car owner Michael Waltrip sits a surprising 12th in the standings -- a great start for a guy who is pondering retirement if results don't improve in 2009.)

Sunday's result, while a nice success for the driver from Zephyr Hills, Fla., was more relief than anything.

"You are just kind of relieved if anything," said Reutimann. "You run around here for a couple of years and trying to get close to winning one of these things and so we're a little closer than what we were. It feels good to be where we are."

Team owner Michael Waltrip has to be relieved as well after convincing sponsor Aaron's to go from a partial-season sponsor before 2009 began to the full-season outfit based on one thing -- getting Reutimann to victory lane.

"They (Aaron's) stepped up to half season of Cup and I was talking to (Ken) Butler, the CEO, and I said, 'Reutimann's going to win. You watch.' And I said, 'If he wins in somebody else's car, that's going to really get on my nerves, because you guys have put us here. We want him to win in your car," said Waltrip prior to Daytona Speedweeks.

From the looks of things early in 2009, Aaron's might have jumped on board at the right time as Reutimann and Co. appear aimed in a much better direction than 2007 and 2008.

Reutimann, MWR Improving Greatly originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Waltrip Ponders 2010 Retirement

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

Michael Waltrip was one of the drivers on hand for this weekend's Preseason Thunder preview event at Daytona International Speedway, and judging from the transcripts, he certainly had some of the more interesting quotes.

Those quotes included Waltrip -- the winner of the 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500s while driving the No. 15 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- admitting that jumping into team ownership has hurt his driving career and that if his personal results don't improve pretty drastically in 2009, he might be forced to hang up the driving gloves in 2010.

For a preseason preview event, Waltrip's words definitely were somewhat of a surprise.

Waltrip, who currently owns his own Sprint Cup team, has been a NASCAR driver since 1986. When Michael Waltrip Racing began competing in 2007 under the Toyota banner, the then-three car team struggled heavily with Waltrip, David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett during the manufacturer's first season in Sprint Cup season.

The team's 2009 lineup has just Waltrip, Reutimann with less than a full-season's worth of sponsorship and a partnership with JTG-Daughtery Racing to field a Toyota for Marcos Ambrose.

As for Waltrip's future plans, he analyzed his recent performance quite truthfully during the fan event.

"[...] obviously I think as a driver I've hurt myself a lot. When I drove for Tony, Jr. at DEI in '05 we had a chance to win this race, we went to Phoenix and ran second, we sat on the pole at Pocono. I was up front. I was a good driver then. In '06, '07 and '08 we've struggled, so as a driver it's hurt my career a little bit," said Waltrip.

Later, he discussed how 2009 -- thanks to the struggles of the past three years with DEI and his own team -- could be a year of reckoning for the former Daytona champ.

"My goal is to go win some races this year, run up front so that I don't have to say this is my last year. But if I don't do those things, if I can't compete at the level that Reutimann does or NAPA expects, then I probably won't get to do this again in 2010," said Waltrip. "This is a real important year for me because I still love it. I'm still emotional about it. That's a great feeling. I'm glad I have that."

While I'm sure many folks will say "Good riddance" to Waltrip if he does decide to retire from NASCAR in 2010, I'd certainly have a feeling that we missed out on a good amount of potential over the past few years from Waltrip. Sure, he's had some bonehead moments and has crashed quite a few race cars, but one has to remember that starting a new team from the ground up, maintaining it and participating in it is not an easy thing to do.

Waltrip was a modestly competitive driver at the one-dimensial DEI (restrictor plate tracks, anyone?) during his tenure, and to think he couldn't replicate that in a legitimately competitive car is far from wishful thinking.

Michael Waltrip Ponders 2010 Retirement originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'08 Rear-View Mirror: David Reutimann

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:23:00 EST

Filed under: Michael Waltrip Racing, David Reutimann, Sprint Cup

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: David Reutimann
Team: No. 44 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
'08 Final Standing: 22rd (-3287)
Best Race: California (Sept.) & Richmond (Sept.) (9th-place)
Worst Race: Samsung 500 at Texas (41st-place)

Season in a box: In 2008, David Reutimann illustrated further how the driver from Zephyrhills, Fla., has the talent to compete in NASCAR's top series despite his lack of competitive equipment.

Reutimann really started to hit his stride in 2008 when the series was looking at more races in its rear-view mirror than ones left. At the rain-delayed Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond, Reutimann made a pit gamble to gain track position, but the gamble payed off in the form of 104 led laps and the 9th-place finish. He followed that finish up with three-straight finishes in the Top-20.

Reutimann later picked up another Top-10 at Texas Motor Speedway after leading some laps and finished the season on a high-note by taking the pole at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Through the crystal windshield: 2009 will be yet another struggle for Reutimann thanks to his team's lack of full-time sponsorship. UPS leaves the team for Roush-Fenway Racing's David Ragan which will make space for Aaron's to take over as a partial-season sponsor. The car number will also change back to Reutimann's original No. 00.

The MWR program is getting more competitive on-track and it appears that it will be just a two-car operation in 2009 after Michael McDowell's team shut down in 2008 with team owner Michael Waltrip serving as Reutimann's teammate. Hopefully, having one team fully sponsored and another partially sponsored without a third team to worry about will help the program.

Reutimann could easily post a few Top-10s and maybe some Top-5s, but it will be a significant feat for the No. 00 to find victory lane.

Next up: Bobby Labonte

'08 Rear-View Mirror: David Reutimann originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skinner's Help Won't Be Enough for MWR

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

Current Craftsman Truck Series driver Mike Skinner is back in the Sprint Cup Series.

Michael McDowell, though, hopes it isn't for long.

CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) -Mike Skinner will take over Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, replacing rookie Michael McDowell for the next three races.

Waltrip said Tuesday he asked the veteran Skinner to help the team evaluate where it can improve its on-track performance, as Skinner did earlier this year when he drove five races for Red Bull Racing, replacing A.J. Allmendinger.

"Michael Waltrip Racing is fully committed to our sponsors, the success of our race teams and ensuring Michael McDowell, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and I have the necessary tools to succeed as drivers," Waltrip said. "We've asked Mike Skinner to evaluate areas where we can improve our on-track performance."

Skinner's efforts were a big hit with Red Bull Racing and A.J. Allmendinger especially because he essentially cemented to the race team that what A.J. was feeling and communicating to the team about the car were accurate.

To me though, the best way to improve on-track performance at Michael Waltrip Racing would have been not jumping to a three-car team for its debut in 2007. And it's second step should have been hiring a veteran for the No. 00 instead of stock car novice Michael McDowell for 2008.

From the way the rest of the team has run in 2008 with Waltrip, McDowell, Dale Jarrett for the first five races, and David Reutimann, I'm willing to bet that putting Skinner in the car isn't going to help the team as substantially as it did for Red Bull.

In Red Bull's case, Brian Vickers was already putting up some decent results -- something MWR has lacked.

Skinner might help a little bit, but don't expect McDowell to get back in the car and pick up some Top-10s by the end of 2008.

Skinner's Help Won't Be Enough for MWR originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Jarrett Finally Drives the Truck

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

While he didn't race it, Dale Jarrett finally hopped into the big, brown UPS truck Saturday prior to the Sprint All-Star Race XXIV during driver introductions.

Watch below as Jarrett takes the mammoth vehicle for a low-speed lap around the speedway:

I suppose you could say this is my way of honoring the former Sprint Cup champion who finished his career with an impressive 32 race wins in NASCAR's top series. Among those, were wins at Daytona, Charlotte, Darlington, and Indianapolis -- some of the sport's crown jewels.

Frankly, I know for a fact that I just simply couldn't write a a story about Jarrett that matches with some of the best stories that NASCAR writers can do, so I'll take my humble dose and let them tell the story of his incredible career.

Here's a few of my favorites from around the Web:

"Patience Has Its Rewards, Jarrett Finds"
- David Poole, Charlotte Observer

"Final Run: Jarrett Expects Emotion Outing"
- Rea White, NASCAR Scene

"Jarrett leaving behind Hall of Fame Career"
- NASCAR on FOX crew, FOX Sports

Here's to you, DJ.

Video: Jarrett Finally Drives the Truck originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McDowell's Wrecked Reached Limit of SAFER

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:49:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Crashes, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

Michael McDowell's vicious wreck last Friday during qualifying for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway apparently reached the limit of what the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier.

The information, via the Charlotte Observer, comes from Dr. Dean Sicking, the man behind the creation of the SAFER barrier.

Dr. Dean Sicking, whose team at the University of Nebraska developed the steel and foam energy reducing barrier, said on Sirius NASCAR Radio that data shared with him by NASCAR showed a 70 mph change of velocity at the moment of impact.

hat change of velocity number is important in studying high-impact crashes. If measures the difference between the speed a car is traveling the moment -- in milliseconds -- immediately before and the moment immediately after an impact.

In McDowell's case, that means his car lost 70 mph in the instant that it hit the wall.

So imagine this: you're driving down the local interstate at about 70mph and then much less than a second later, you have come to a complete stop.

Think that would be a little painful on the body? I'd imagine so. Somehow, though, with the innovations in race car safety with the SAFER, the HANS device, and the plethora of other safety components, McDowell walked away from his impact with little more than soreness.

The article goes on to state that Sicking has determined that the stopping impact that killed Dale Earnhardt in 2001 was around 42-44mph.

In any case, the new car in the Sprint Cup Series has passed its safety test with more than flying colors.

McDowell's Wrecked Reached Limit of SAFER originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Michael McDowell's Huge Texas Crash

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:35:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Videos, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Michael McDowell was involved in a huge crash Friday during qualifying for Sunday's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

McDowell, who will start his second career Sprint Cup race Sunday at Texas for Michael Waltrip Racing, lost control heading into turn one on lap two of his qualifying effort. Watch below at the 0:20 mark as McDowell careens into the wall at 180mph and then flips violently down the track.

McDowell walked away from easily the most violent crash of the Car of Tomorrow era in the Sprint Cup Series. The new car is designed to protect drivers even more in situations like this one.

Following the crash, McDowell was released from the infield care center and interviewed on SPEED Channel:

"Fortunately, I'm OK. That's one of the worst wrecks I've seen in awhile," said McDowell. "I feel great. Nothing's broke, I didn't pass out, I just wish I didn't over correct."

After viewing the replay, the rookie McDowell was quite thankful.

"Thanks to the guys back at the shop. They work hard to make these cars extra safe," said McDowell. "I will count my blessings after this one."

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Ryan Newman takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Former NASCAR champion Richard Petty, waves the green flag as Jimmie Johnson (48) and Michael Waltrip (55) lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Former NASCAR Champion Richard Petty, right, waves the green flag as Jimmie Johnson (48) and Michael Waltrip (55) lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Ryan Newman does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Michael Waltrip (Bottom), driver of the #55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, and Dale Jarrett, driver of the #44 UPS Toyota, race side by side during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Jeff Gordon (L), driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, lead the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman (L), driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, kisses his wife Krissy in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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The impact damaged the SAFER barrier -- a wall that absorbs an impact by allowing foam blocks to take the energy away from a car -- and halted the qualifying session for over an hour as crews worked to fix it.

SPEED television commentator Darrell Waltrip called it the "wildest wreck I've seen in years" while his brother, McDowell's team owner, made a good point about the safety of the sport.

"Just think about the money. There's a lot of people that have spent a lot of money to make that car safe and those walls safe so that kid could walk from it. You can't put a price on that," said Michael Waltrip.

Indeed, McDowell's wreck was one of the scariest-looking crashes in NASCAR in a long time, and for him to walk away from it so easily truly says something about the safety advances of the sport. %Gallery-15996%

Video: Michael McDowell's Huge Texas Crash originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McDowell Walks Away From Horrific Crash

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Crashes, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

If you can get a hold of a TV with SPEED Channel right now, turn it on.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying for Sunday's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway has been halted after a horrific crash involving No. 00 Michael McDowell.

McDowell was entering turn one when his Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota got loose. McDowell over corrected and shot the nose of the car careening into the turn one SAFER barrier at likely over 190mph. The impact caused McDowell's car to flip multiple times down the track with flames shooting from it.

When the car came to a rest, it was sitting on the apron of turn 1 and 2 right side up.

McDowell soon climbed from the car, waved to the crowd, and limped to the waiting ambulance. As Darrell Waltrip said on the broadcast, "That's as bad as it gets".

On replays, the SAFER barrier -- a wall designed to absorb impacts -- completely compressed against the concrete barrier as the No. 00 hit the wall.

As of 5:40pm/ET, qualifying was still halted after 13 qualifiers as workers repaired the SAFER barrier.

NASCAR FanHouse will have updates, including a video, as soon as its available.%Gallery-15996%

McDowell Walks Away From Horrific Crash originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fanhouse Fast Five: No. 4 Few Fast Toyotas

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

Five races into the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Fanhouse recaps the Top-5 lessons learned in 2008. Check back each day to get revved up for Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Toyota may have scored its first Sprint Cup win two weeks at Atlanta, but that doesn't mean that the manufacturer is ready to be a dominant force in the sport.

However, one of its teams already is proving that racing in the Car of Tomorrow world isn't necessarily based on the performance of a manufacturer as whole.

Instead of having a distinct advantage from make to make -- i.e. Ford vs. Chevy with spoilers, etc. in the 1990s -- the Sprint Cup world has become one in that it matters what kind of depth and talent your team has behind the wheel, not your downforce or engine numbers.

Joe Gibbs Racing made the jaw-dropping switch to Toyota in the best-case scenario for them. Leaving Chevrolet to run Toyota in the old car would have guaranteed at least a half season of struggling for the team, but the new car changed all of that. Simply, NASCAR nearly builds the race cars for the teams now with the direct set of rules that have about as much leeway as David Ragan Sprint Cup victories.

Yep, that's pretty much zero.

In other words, Gibbs' move was especially intelligent and smart because all they really had to do was find a way for the engines to go fast because the body style has so few differences across NASCAR's four manufacturers. It didn't hurt, either, to have the engineering and otherwise strong talent already accessible within the confines of JGR.

Switching that to a different brand took a little bit of work, but not as much as a Michael Waltrip Racing needed, and that has shown on track.

After five races, Gibbs has had cars in position to win each one. Waltrip? Nope.

What about the other Toyota teams?

Bill Davis Racing? Dave Blaney's best finish is 21st at Daytona.

Red Bull Racing? Brian Vickers has been better -- much better actually -- but his best finish was a 9th at Atlanta and contending for victories hasn't come for the team yet. Teammate A.J. Allmendinger still can't make races regularly.

Joe Gibbs Racing has positioned itself again as one of the top-tier teams in Sprint Cup even with the switch to Toyota, but that certainly doesn't mean the manufacturer as a whole has caught up. It simply signals what we've known for a long time -- that JGR is a quality operation with top-notch drivers.

Just because a championship is more than within sight for any of the drivers -- Stewart, Hamlin, or Busch -- JGR is only winning because of their resources.

It's not time to get worried about Toyota domination quite yet.

Fanhouse Fast Five: No. 4 Few Fast Toyotas originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Dale Jarrett's 1993 Daytona 500 Win

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:32:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Bristol Motor Speedway, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Videos, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

With Dale Jarrett racing in his final points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway, plenty of memories come flooding back about his storied NASCAR career.

The top of that list? The "Dale and Dale Show" from the 1993 Daytona 500. Watch below as his father, Ned Jarrett, calls his son (Green No. 18 car) to victory past Dale Earnhardt and others -- and try not to smile as he crosses the finish line.

That moment, with Ken Squier stepping out of his role in CBS booth in play-by-play to allow Ned to seemingly instruct his son to victory in the sport's biggest event, is definitely one of the tops in Daytona 500.

One championship, 32 wins, 288 Top-10s, 16 poles -- all impressive for a driver who had even more class than his statistics will ever show. And don't forget about his marquee wins of two Daytona 500s, two Brickyard 400s and a Coca-Cola 600.

When Jarrett hangs up the driving gloves of the No. 44 UPS Toyota after Sunday's Food City 500, NASCAR will lose yet another of the tremendous guiding influences this sport has had from the drivers seat.

Luckily, Jarrett will make one more start at the Sprint All-Star Race in May and will then take over a full-time role in the ESPN broadcast booth so he won't be entirely gone from the sport

What's your favorite Dale Jarrett moment? His first win at Michigan over Davey Allison? His win in the 1996 Daytona 500? His incident with Shane Hmiel?

Video: Dale Jarrett's 1993 Daytona 500 Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Waltrip Racing Cars Will Have Gold Wheels for Start of 50th Daytona 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, David Reutimann, Sprint Cup

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Last year, Michael Waltrip and his race team, Michael Waltrip Racing, faced one of most-publicized cheating scandals in NASCAR history. An illegal additive in Waltrip's No. 55 had set his team on its collective ear, and proved to be a barometer of the season MWR would have.

2008, though, is a much different story.

Waltrip put his No. 55 NAPA Toyota on the outside of the front row for Sunday's 50th-running of the Daytona 500 and his teammates, David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett, secured starting positions in the event.

The team has sported silver wheels for the past year and in all on-track activities during the 2008 Daytona Speedweeks. Sunday though, that will change.

Michael Waltrip and his three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will pay tribute to the golden anniversary of the Daytona 500 on Sunday by starting the 50th running of The Great American Race sporting specially-designed gold wheels.

Following the 200-lap event, the wheels will be autographed and sold to raise money for charities supported by the France family.

[...]

The Waltrip teams will run the gold wheels only for the start of the race, moving back to their traditional chrome wheels after the first round of pit stops.

I don't think I can remember too many cars in history that have sported gold wheels, but if anyone in the NASCAR garage would do this, it'd be Waltrip.

With only 12 of these wheels available for auction, I'd imagine the price will be pretty steep, and if one of the MWR cars wins on Sunday -- it wouldn't be as surprising as you'd think -- expect that price to raise ten-fold.

Michael Waltrip Racing Cars Will Have Gold Wheels for Start of 50th Daytona 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide Debut Sputters

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:43:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, David Gilliland, David Reutimann, Nationwide Series

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

In addition to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s well-publicized move to Hendrick Motorsports in the off-season, his personal team, JR Motorsports, merged operations with Hendrick for the Nationwide Series campaign.

That hasn't started off well at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will start 19th Saturday afternoon in the Camping World 300 (1:15/ET ESPN2), but qualifying for the race has been about the only bright spot.

Prior to qualifying, Earnhardt Jr.'s No 5 was impounded Thursday night by NASCAR after they noticed illegal rear spoiler modifications. The crew had changed something about the decklid and spoiler after inspection on Thursday morning, and NASCAR wasn't happy.

Friday morning, the No. 5 was returned to the team minus a decklid and spoiler, forcing the team to unbolt the decklid and spoiler assembly from the team's backup car and transfer it to the primary.

Earnhardt Jr. wasn't too happy.

"Everybody tries to get a little bit on the cars and the rules and get in the gray area," Earnhardt said in a television interview. "Our guys were trying too hard on a car that didn't need it. The car's pretty good. We all learned a lesson and probably deal with penalties next week, which is pretty much standard. We'll be all right."

In other words, Earnhardt Jr. is ticked that his team is going to be fined and penalized for a race car that before the infraction could have won the race.

Other pre-race rules infractions included Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann having his carburetor confiscated and drivers Cale Gale, Johnny Sauter, David Gililland, David Stremme and Kertus David having post-qualifying issues with their oil tank lids.

Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide Debut Sputters originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Johnson, Waltrip Take Daytona 500 Front Row

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Michael Waltrip, Joe Nemechek, Hendrick Motorsports, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.

The start of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has brought together two names that ultimately ended the 2007 season on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Michael Waltrip will start alongside pole winner Jimmie Johnson for Sunday's 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Johnson, last year's Sprint Cup champion, drove a lap at 187.075 mph to secure his second-career pole for the season-opener. Waltrip, who finished 44th in last year's season standings, guaranteed his spot in the Daytona 500 with a lap of 186.734 mph.

Both laps were faster than the pole-winning speed in 2007.

While Johnson was excited to be on the pole for the season's biggest event, it was Waltrip that was nearly speechless about his effort. Exactly one year ago, Waltrip was facing the biggest storm of his career after his car was found to have an illegal additive in the engine prior to qualifying for the 2007 edition.

It would lead to a season that saw both he and his Michael Waltrip Racing team miss several races, fall out of the top-35, and lose sponsors for 2008. Somehow, his team trucked on and this time around at Daytona, all three MWR cars face a go-or-go-home situation if they want to make the event.

Waltrip, a two-time 500 winner, joined teammate David Reutimann and Joe Nemechek as the three drivers that guaranteed a spot in next Sunday's race based on time. The third MWR car with Dale Jarrett on-board will have to race his way into the race on Thursday during the qualifying races.

Nemechek's near pole-winning run was doubly impressive considering the team operates out of Denver, Colo. and has only been in business for three years.

Johnson, Waltrip Take Daytona 500 Front Row originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kahne Fastest; Toyota Leaves DIS Smiling

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

Kasey Kahne finished as the fastest driver through the past two weeks of testing at Daytona International Speedway, but the Toyota camp left with the biggest smile.

On a day that saw the entire day's testing session squeezed into a seven-hour multi-car parade at 180mph, Kahne dropped a lap of 189.111 mph to put his No. 9 Dodge Charger at the top speed chart. Forecasted rain -- it never materialized -- forced NASCAR to skip a lunch break and run one entire session until 4pm.

The Toyotas, though, left on a much higher note than they left the Daytona 500 last year -- with slow cars and a dense cloud hanging over the operation from Michael Waltrip's fuel additive scandal. Instead, Camrys ran consistently at the top of the charts in single-lap speed sessions and had good-handling cars in the draft.

The love was spread among many of the teams, as well, with Bill Davis Racing (Blaney), Red Bull Racing (Allmendinger & Vickers), Michael Waltrip Racing (Waltrip, Dale Jarrett & David Reutimann) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart & Denny Hamlin) all getting near the top of the chart.

The Toyotas didn't completely dominant the drafting side of things, though, with Kahne's Dodge pacing the way, the Toyotas of Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin second and third, Dario Franchitti's Dodge fourth, and Regan Smith's Chevy in fifth. The fastest Ford was Matt Kenseth in seventh.

The next round of preseason NASCAR testing heads out west to California and Las Vegas. Vegas will see the Sprint Cup stars January 28-29 and California will get the drivers Jan. 31-Feb. 1.%Gallery-14054%

Kahne Fastest; Toyota Leaves DIS Smiling originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daytona Testing Part II: Maybe Dale Jarrett Won't Need Past Champion Provisional

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

Click for previous NASCAR Testing posts from Daytona.

It's been a long time in the NASCAR world since we've seen two Dales lead at the top of any list statistically.

The second round of preseason Sprint Cup testing at Daytona International Speedway changed that Monday morning as soon-to-be-retired Dale Jarrett topped all drivers on the speed chart. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s new Hendrick ride was second fastest.

Jarrett's lap time of 184.987mph not only paced the Monday morning single-lap session, but also bested Jimmie Johnson's best single-lap time from the first round of testing a week ago at DIS.

Running fast in qualifying trim for Jarrett is going to be especially crucial for Daytona and the four remaining races he plans to race into this season. The No. 44 Michael Waltrip Racing entry failed to make 12 races.

Jarrett, despite being a past champion, will not always be able to fall back on the guaranteed spot in a race for a past champ because of an owner points swap at Penske racing that allowed Kurt Busch's points from a year ago to be transferred to Sam Hornish Jr.'s new ride.

Busch, the 2004 champ, would automatically be in the field of a race because his championship was more recent. Jarrett finished outside the Top-35 in points last season, leaving him as a go-fast-or-go-home car if Busch needs a provisional.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was nearly a tenth of a second off the pace of Jarrett at 184.646mph for second place on the morning chart. Rookie and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti was third, Jarrett's other No. 44 was fourth, and Tony Stewart was fifth in his first outing under the Toyota banner.

Testing continues through Wednesday afternoon with over 50 different cars already have taken the track. Stay with NASCAR Fanhouse for continued updates!

Daytona Testing Part II: Maybe Dale Jarrett Won't Need Past Champion Provisional originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Labonte Back in Waltrip's Car for Brickyard

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Terry Labonte, Michael Waltrip, Nextel Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR Silly Season

I'd imagine Michael Waltrip thought that by this time in the 2007 campaign, he wouldn't be making announcements like this.

Michael Waltrip Racing announced Wednesday that two-time Cup champ Terry Labonte will find himself in the No. 55 Toyota for the Allstate 400 on July 29th.

Labonte drove the No. 55 for Waltrip in Sonoma, Calif., and finished 35th on the road course. He's also scheduled to drive next month at Watkins Glen.

"I felt having him in the car next weekend at Indianapolis would be a great opportunity for me to continue to evaluate my entire organization from an owner's perspective," Waltrip said Wednesday.

"The feedback related to road course racing that Terry was able to provide my team after Infineon Raceway was very valuable. "We look forward to more of the same input after Indy."

Labonte has participated 11 races at the Brickyard, but has had only one top-5 finish back in 1996.

More trivia? Indianapolis was the first race Terry missed in 655 races back in 2000 after suffering a head injury at Daytona just weeks before.

For Waltrip? MWR has indeed shown some improvement as of late, and his top-10 run at Michigan was a definite sign of things to come, I think.

Fans can fault the guy all they want, but the truth is NASCAR needs guys like Waltrip around the garage area. At least, that is, in Pocono.

Labonte Back in Waltrip's Car for Brickyard originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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