Michael Waltrip NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Sylvania 300 Fast Facts
Waltrip Hopes to Drive Under the Radar at NHIS
HUNTERSVILLE, NC – With the contenders for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship displaying an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality to the remainder of the field in Sunday’s race at New Hampshire International Speedway, Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge, hopes to reclaim the success he has experienced at NHIS. With two top-10 finishes at the track in the last two years, Waltrip feels confident of his chances at earning his first top-10 finish of the season in the Sylvania 300.
Waltrip’s average finish in the last four September races at NHIS is 14.5, better than his season-best finish of 16th at Bristol Motor Speedway last month. Since the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began, he has earned one top-10 and one top-15 finish at the track. With the drivers participating in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup “big picture” racing this weekend, Waltrip is aiming for a top-10 position before the checkered flag waves at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Michael Waltrip Fast Facts…
Waltrip’s average starting position in 23 starts at New Hampshire International Speedway is 20.695; his average finish is 23.695. He has four top-10 finishes at the 1.058-mile oval, two in the last three years.
Waltrip’s best start at New Hampshire International Speedway is fourth and best finish is sixth; both came in the 2004 New England 300.
Waltrip is among nine active drivers to compete in all 23 races at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Waltrip’s best start of the 2006 season came at Daytona for the Pepsi 400; he qualified in 19th position. Waltrip’s best finish of the 2006 season came at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Sharpie 500 where he finished in 16th position.
With 10 races remaining in the 2006 season, Waltrip is 36th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver points standings, 1,555 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. He is 17 points behind 35th ranked Travis Kvapil.
Waltrip’s No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge will feature Chassis No. 99, the same chassis used last week at Richmond International Raceway.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip on New Hampshire International Speedway...
What are your thoughts and expectations for the Sylvania 300?
“When you’re in a situation like this NAPA AUTO PARTS team where you have to qualify on time each race, you need to be on every week, and we weren’t. Hopefully, we can rebound from Richmond and learn from our mistakes. New Hampshire is a track where we’ve had a legitimate shot to win over the last couple of years. It’s a much shorter and flatter track than what we’re accustomed to racing on, but I’ve grown to really like those types. It reminds me of Phoenix, and I’ve performed fairly well there in the recent past. Temperatures are beginning to cool down a lot, and we’re heading up North. I’m looking forward to a mild weekend at a track I’ve grown to really like over the years. This NAPA AUTO PARTS team has put what happened last week behind us, and we’re ready to move on and put ourselves into contention for a top 10 finish.”
