Pepsi 500 – Auto Club Speedway

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

Are you looking forward to going back to the Auto Club Speedway?
“I am happy to see that it will be cooler than it was last year. I think it was 107 degrees last year. I checked out Weather.com and so far, it’s forecasting a high of 91 degrees on Sunday. I am liking that a whole lot better and am looking forward to racing at the Auto Club Speedway.”

What is the difference between Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and the Auto Club Speedway?
“The main difference is when you think of MIS, it’s like a superspeedway. You think about momentum. You roll into those corners and you try and keep your car wound up. When you think about the Auto Club Speedway, you drive into the corner and brake, especially in the Cup cars. You have to get the car to turn in the center. The track at Fontana drives like a giant short track.”

Some drivers said they use a lot of their brakes due to the high center of gravity that these new cars have. Will brakes be something to consider?
“Every day we learn more and more about this new car. That’s why in the Bristol race you saw Saturday night, it was better than what you saw last year. Drivers and teams are getting smarter. We understand exactly how we can best take advantage of the rules that we are presented and have a better handling car. Better handling cars mean harder driving race car drivers. That’s more action for the fans. Brakes can be a concern, but you certainly understand that you can cut a little hole in the front of your car and vent some air to them. That will take away from front downforce and it also will make your car a little less aerodynamic on the straight line so you really don’t want to do that, but it is an option you have to weigh out.”

Will you be taking a Gen-3 NAPA Toyota to Fontana?
“Yes. The rest of the season, with the exception of Martinsville Speedway, we will have Gen-3 cars for the No. 44 and No. 55 cars. We are working hard to do the same for the No. 00 car for when Michael McDowell returns at Richmond International Raceway.

“The car we are taking to Fontana is the same car we had at Michigan two weeks ago. When that race ended, our car was right. Toyota sends out a race recap and they take every lap in the race and split it into quarters. In the fourth quarter at MIS, we had the third-fastest car during that sequence of over 70 laps. Our car was one of the best out there. We know what we did to tune up to that point, so we are looking to unload fast at the Auto Club Speedway.”

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will qualify for his 714th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the 25th event of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Pepsi 500, gets underway at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Sunday night.
• He will be starting in his 16th race at the Auto Club Speedway. His best start at the track is 6th (April 28, 2002) and best finish is 7th (April 27, 2003).
• During his career at the 2.0-mile oval, Waltrip has earned two top-10 finishes. His average start is 24th and average finish is 26th.
• Waltrip has completed 3,379 of 3755 laps (90.0%) at the track and has led a total of 15 laps in competition.
• Earlier this season, Michael Waltrip battled back from a loose oil line and a crash to finish 28th in the rain-delayed Auto Club 500. The oil-line problem was repaired during the pace laps, and the spin occurred on lap 150 of 250. Adjustments made over the course of the race greatly improved Waltrip’s car to earn the solid finish.
• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 30th in the driver and 32nd in owner points standings. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team is guaranteed a starting spot for the Pepsi 500. A total of 44 cars are entered in the California race.

EVENT FACTS