Michael Waltrip to kick-start 2010 season with Dubai sports-car race
Michael Waltrip is going global. While his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series effort on the track will be scaled back in 2010, the owner/driver will be extending his reach outside the stock-car world when he competes in this week’s Dubai 24-Hour sports-car race.
Waltrip, 46, will team with JTG Daugherty Racing driver Marcos Ambrose, Rob Kauffman (co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing) and fellow racers Rui Aguas of Portugal and Niki Cadei of Italy. The race is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
“I went to Italy and tested for a couple of days back in September,” Waltrip said. “The test went really well.
“I work out all the time anyway, so I know physically I’m ready to go do it.”
Kauffman co-owns the AF Corse team, which will field a Ferrari F430 GT2 entry for the endurance race.
“The team I’m going to drive for is a championship team,” Waltrip said. “We’re capable of winning the race in Dubai.
“The reward for a successful event in Dubai will be a trip to LeMans. I’m looking forward to that as well. That’s pretty cool.”
A two-time Daytona 500 winner, Waltrip plans to attempt to compete in select Sprint Cup races this year. He has four Cup wins in 759 starts.
