Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
Michael Waltrip will make his 29th start in the Great American Race on Sunday, but ahead of that he has to get his No. 83 Maxwell House Toyota through the Duels, which can sometimes brew trouble.
If anybody can do it, though, it’s Waltrip as he is known to many fans as a restrictor plate expert. He has four total wins in Cup competition, two of which came in the Daytona 500 in 2001 and 2003. Despite scoring his last Cup win at Talladega nearly 13 years ago, Waltrip believes he can win his third 500, but knows it’ll be no easy task after a less than impressive qualifying effort.
“Well, if I hadn’t qualified 29th, I’d feel better about it,” said Waltrip. “You can’t be the hero the better part of a second off the pole. We’ll go out there Thursday and maybe in the draft the car does things that I recognize, that I need to have to be able to win, then my optimism will go up a notch or two.”
Over the last several years, Waltrip has done strictly restrictor plate racing, retiring from full-time competition in 2009. Daytona and Talladega are tracks that feel like home to Waltrip, and he knows whenever he gets on the track, he has a shot at claiming the checkered flag.
In 2013 at Talladega, Waltrip and Casey Mears were drafting to the front on the final lap when a wreck ensued in front of them, taking Waltrip’s shot at a fifth career Sprint Cup win to a halt. The motivation of knowing he can still win is what keeps him competing.
“I almost won like three of these things – that’s what kept me going is being competitive,” said Waltrip. “Last year, we were able to run up front a little bit at Talladega and finished 13th I think, so got the chance to do it again this year with Maxwell House and Aaron’s and Toyota and until I just can’t get in there or don’t want to get in there and mix it up, I’m going to keep doing it if I get the opportunity.”
In the past, Waltrip has run the restrictor plate races with his own team, Michael Waltrip Racing, but the team folded at the end of the 2015 season after the majority owner, Rob Kauffman left for a new venture with Chip Ganassi Racing. This year, Waltrip joins BK Racing for Daytona as a teammate to David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto and Robert Richardson, Jr. A lot of BK Racing’s equipment for 2016 comes from MWR, as Waltrip and Kauffman sold off a majority of the equipment to BK Racing’s owner Ron Devine. Waltrip has enjoyed working with the team and his new teammates for the week.
“We were able to help Matt DiBenedetto get in the race as well. That’s rewarding – he’s driving a MWR car – and our former driver, (David) Ragan, is over there,” said Waltrip. “They jokingly call it MWR South at BK Racing and I’m thankful that we’ve been able to help those guys out.”
Waltrip will face some adversity going into the Daytona 500, as he was involved in a wreck during Wednesday night’s practice heading into the Can-Am Duels. Waltrip will go to a backup car or as he called it, “Plan B.”
My nose is dented. Rear is hurt too. A 190mph pile up. The @BKRacing_2383 boys will need some @Maxwell_House coffee pic.twitter.com/Jp0sEyPLLH
— Michael Waltrip (@MW55) February 18, 2016
With one wrecked race car, and three cars guaranteed into the 500 already, BK Racing heads into the Can-Am Duels on Thursday with one goal in mind – stay out of trouble and lock in their fourth car driven by Richardson, Jr.
Waltrip’s last NASCAR race win came in 2011 at Daytona in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has 16 total wins in NASCAR’s top-three divisions, and looks to add to that on Sunday with his third Daytona 500 win.
