Not really, but you can look at the cars that have missed races and see that a lot of them are previous winners in either Cup or Busch.Quote:
Originally Posted by tstran17_88
Menard is a good driver though, so I'm not counting him out of my statement.
I think with the strength of drivers now entering NASCAR, you can be a damned good driver and not make races just because of the 35 guarnteed spots, and the 10 or so extra cars trying to make each race. That said, Mikey I don't think is an exceptional driver, and you couple that with an average to bad performance by his team, and you will keep missing races. The mess in Daytona put Mikey's team off on the wrong foot, and they may never recover. He had a poor team last year that struggled with a make of car that at least was proven. Now he has a brand new car with a crappy team. Recipe for disaster. Missing the Daytona 500 put him in a hole they wont get out of until next season. Toyota must be wondering why they put so much stock in this guy....
Mikey made the 500 though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
That's right, put him in his place! Seems that we can't remember what happened 2 months ago now...Quote:
Originally Posted by tstran17_88
Toyota is most likely questioning their decision to go with Waltrip. Napa is probably thinking they should have stayed with DEI. Mikey's in a whole heap of trouble. He won't qualify at Texas. My guess is, there's going to need to be a short list of entries, and a couple with have to screw up qualifying for him to make the cut.
i wouldn't be suprised to see the NAPA livery transplanted onto Dale Jarrent's car for 1 or 2 races before the season is done.
Well, I like Mikey, he's a character and can laugh at himself...
I agree with a lot of what's been said, I think he needs to get Bill Elliot to start a few races, just to appease NAPA. Plus, if he was out of the car for a while, he could concentrate on the team.
A good article here -
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/column...vid&id=2802401
As far as DEI is concerned, I just don't think they are the force they once were. I hope Jnr moves to Childress for next year, he needs to be with a team that will support him and give him good equipment. Whilst Teresa is at the helm, I don't think Jnr is going to move forward.
Julian
This must've been posted at Infield Parking on April Fool's Day. :D
"CORNELIUS, NC --- Michael Waltrip Racing announced Friday morning that driver Michael Waltrip is being relieved of driving duties in the number 55 NAPA-sponsored Toyota Camry. Waltrip has missed four of the season’s first five races, and has a season point total of negative 27 after incurring a 100 point penalty for a fuel additive that was discovered in his car’s intake manifold after qualifying for the Daytona 500 in February.
“We simply can’t continue on the path we find ourselves on,” stated an obviously dejected Waltrip, “and the time has come for a change. I’ve decided to release myself from my driving contract, and begin the search for a replacement.” No possible replacements were named, and any potential candidates would have to first be approved by Toyota Racing Development officials.
Michael Waltrip’s struggles as a driver began in 1985, and have continued through to the present day. Despite a handful of super speedway wins in DEI-prepared Chevrolets, including a pair of Daytona 500 victories, Waltrip’s career has been marked mostly by mediocre finishes and several memorable television commercials.
When asked if the controversy surrounding this year’s Daytona 500 had anything to do with the decision, Waltrip reminded that he is still working on finding out exactly who placed the fuel additive in his Toyota. “Just like OJ’s tireless hunt for his wife’s killer, we’ll continue to follow the leads until we find out once and for all, just who it was that actually made our car seem competitive during Daytona 500 qualifying.”
Ads for car parts, guns, rent-to-own furniture, and other necessities for the NASCAR fan still grace the Michael Waltrip Racing website, reminding visitors that Waltrip’s effectiveness as a pitch man can still lure advertisers into signing million dollar endorsement deals despite his complete inability to competitively drive a stock car at the sport’s highest level.
Despite his firing, Michael tried to remain upbeat. “It’s not cool to be fired by yourself, and it’s really uncool to have to fire yourself,” said Waltrip in a statement that was clear only to himself, “but you have to remind yourself to look at the bright side. We’ve got some really cool things going on at the Raceworld shop this summer where the fans will be able to participate in some actual shop activities. That is, if we still have a shop this summer.”
That sounds more like a stunt he would pull to keep his face on the 5 o'clock news.
Try this solution on for size.Michael buys out Robbie Gordon and puts Robbie in the NAPA seat with the #7.Besides an ego,Robbie comes with a top 25 in points.He runs unsponsored a lot,and likely would be able to bring some sponsorship with him.That would salvage the 2007 season for Mikey and,who knows,the two are enough alike they might get along.