Waltrip looks for more restrictor-plate success
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Thursday, April 24, 2008
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Chris Trotman / Getty Images
Michael Waltrip might have a little extra spring in his step for this weekend's Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. After all, his Michael Waltrip Racing organization appears to have the horsepower and talent to perform well on restrictor-plate tracks.
Especially in qualifying. Last fall, needing to make the show on speed, Waltrip went out and won the pole position for the race, and teammate David Reutimann qualified fifth. This weekend, they are both locked into the field for the race – Reutimann by virtue of a strong run at Phoenix that boosted him back into the top 35 in owners points – and ready to focus on the racing.
Waltrip has always enjoyed racing on this restrictor-plate track. He won here with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2003 and enjoyed a stretch of races in which he earned three top-10 finishes in four races. He was third in 2005, but since then his finishes at the track have dropped off.
Waltrip said that it’s a good feeling heading to Talladega feeling confident with what the team is bringing for Sunday’s race.
He likes the drafting nature of the facility, the need for the partner to help you along while having a track wide enough to take advantage of that.
“What I love about Talladega, especially now, is that you can go all over the place,” Waltrip said. “You are going to see four- and sometimes five-wide racing. It is not out of the question. I think Talladega is the closest thing to a video game I have ever driven. That’s basically what you are doing. You are sitting there and barely moving the wheel. That’s what you do in a video game, and that’s what you do at Talladega.”
Still, despite that characterization, Waltrip said that driving at the track is fun, especially in NASCAR’s new car. Whatever machine one is in, though, the crucial factor is picking the right line in which to run.
“Everybody will pretty much have a good handling car,” he said. “Everybody will have a fast car. It’s all about positioning yourself for those last four or five laps.
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“What’s also great about Talladega is all of the drivers have a shot on Sunday. You have a banked track with the smooth surface, and anyone can win.”
Sometimes, it’s just a matter of essentially who has the most guts. At least that’s the way Waltrip sees it.
“It used to be all about the car,” he said. “Now, the cars are so equal that it is about who can sit on the fire and sweat ice cubes. It’s
that intense for 500 miles.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- David Reutimann
Comments
1 response to "Waltrip looks for more restrictor-plate success"
dwayne monk said:
Apr 24, 2008 at 6:55 PMi think micheal mc dowell will surpise a lot of people this weekend
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