Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A 15th-Place Finish at Homestead Rounds Out Reutimann’s Successful 2009 Season
HOMESTEAD,
Starting 22nd after a disappointing qualifying run, Reutimann’s Aaron’s Dream Machine immediately flexed its muscles. Within the first 20 laps the No. 00 Toyota Camry had move up ten spots to 12th.
However, Reutimann soon radioed in to his crew chief Rodney Childers that his car was, “real loose on exit (of the turns).”
By lap 45, Reutimann was running 11th, but the problems were getting worse. “I need help with forward bite and center off,” pleaded Reutimann.
On lap 51, Childers called his driver to pit road for new tires and a handling adjustment that he hoped would correct the loose condition on the Aaron’s Dream Machine.
However, Reutimann soon reported that the car wasn’t much better than before. Luckily, a caution flag waved on lap 81, allowing the team to bring in the No. 00 for more changes. This time Childers called for both wedge and trackbar changes.
The changes initially appeared to be working, as Reutimann moved from 15th up to 11th by the time another caution came out on lap 101. Bringing in the Dream Machine for another stop, the team again made trackbar and wedge adjustments.
The third caution was brought out just a few laps later on lap 108, when teammate Marcos Ambrose brushed the wall.
Childers opted to pit again and take on four fresh tires. But with only a few laps on their tires many teams chose to only take two tires, which caused the Aaron’s Dream Machine to lose several spots.
After listening to his crew chief apologize for the loss of track position, Reutimann calmly radioed in, “That’s OK. Get me fixed up and I’ll drive back by those guys.”
Unfortunately, while he was indeed able to regain the lost track position the drive up the scoring chart was short-lived.
The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine was great at the beginning of a run, allowing Reutimann to easily pass competitors. But every time, the handling would start to go away within a dozen laps and he wasn’t able to maintain his forward march.
The team tried to make major changes to the Dream Machine on the last three pit stops, but each stop the extra time on pit road cost Reutimann more spots on the track than his car was able to make up before the handling went away.
Ultimately, Reutimann and the Aaron’s team would have a settle for 15th-place finish.
“We’re a little disappointed with the finish,” said Reutimann after the race. “The car was just off. We chased it, but were never able to get it running the way it should’ve. But I’ve got to thank my guys. They’ve done a great job all season and lately have been doing an awesome job in the pits. We’ll take a little break, then regroup and come back strong at Daytona.”
Denny Hamlin was able to score his fourth win of the season, beating out Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. However, the celebration belonged to Johnson, who held on to the points lead with his fifth-place finish and vaulted himself into the history books with his fourth consecutive championship.
With two poles, ten top-tens, five top-fives plus the win at
Monday, November 23, 2009
Waltrip Ends Season With 30th-Place Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Michael Waltrip closed out his final full season of driving the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota with a 30th-place result in Sunday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two-time Daytona 500 champion finished 32nd in the owner points standing. It guarantees his new driver, Martin Truex Jr., a starting spot in the first five races of the 2010 season.
“Unfortunately we struggled all weekend with our NAPA Toyota,” said Waltrip who qualified for Sunday’s race in 39th position. “It’s a little sad. We just kept working on it. My crew chief Gene Nead made some good calls and we were able to stay on the lead lap until the last lap or so. I am happy that we hung with it like we did, but sad at the result.”
The opening laps of the race saw the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota run extremely loose. The first opportunity to pit came under green flag conditions on lap 50. Waltrip entered the pits in 34th position for a service that included four fresh tires, wedge and the addition of fuel. He returned to the track to find the car still on the loose side. The challenge caused Waltrip to lose a lap to the leader, Kevin Harvick on circuit 61.
Waltrip’s teammate Marcos Ambrose, who passed Jimmie Johnson to take the lead for four circuits, brought out of the first caution after a tire went flat. The NAPA pit crew used the unfortunate opportunity to work on the car. They made wedge, air pressure, and packer adjustments. The No. 55 returned to the race in 38th position.
Crew chief Gene Nead kept Waltrip out on the track after the second yellow flag was thrown on lap 101. The strategy put the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota back on the lead lap. The strategy paid off as the race was slowed eight laps later. During the caution, Waltrip was on pit road for the addition of spring rubbers on lap 110. The race went back to green on lap 112 with Waltrip in 36th and Kevin Harvick in the top spot.
At the halfway mark, fans were treated to a heated battle between Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart. It resulted in two on-track altercations. The first saw Montoya having to go behind the wall for repairs after Stewart caved in his fender. It cut down Montoya’s tire and sent him in the wall to bring out a caution on lap 116. Then as Waltrip was pitting with the frontrunners, several cars got bunched up when entering pit road. Elliott Sadler did not see what was happening and crashed hard into the back of the No. 43. Waltrip sustained minor damage to the nose of his car. The NAPA team fixed the nose and made a toe change on laps 118 and 120. Waltrip returned to the track in 32nd place.
The next 20 laps saw the NAPA Toyota respond to the changes. This time is was extremely tight. Another chance for Nead to get a better balance for Waltrip happened on lap 155 after Montoya spun out Stewart. The driver of the No. 42 was cited for rough driving and penalized two laps. The rest of the field was on pit road for service. The NAPA crew removed spring rubbers and changed the track bar and wedge. Waltrip restarted in 31st and Denny Hamlin was the new leader.
Two more services for Waltrip were completed on laps 196 and 216. The NAPA Toyota was extremely loose on the final run, but Waltrip liked the feel of it in comparison to the tight condition. The No. 55 driver was able to pick up one more position before Hamlin took the checkered flag to claim his fourth victory of the season. During Hamlin’s victory lane interview, he congratulated Waltrip for his 25 seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and appreciated the positive influence he has had on his career.
Meanwhile, the night’s biggest winner was Jimmie Johnson who finished fifth. He made history by winning his fourth straight championship. It also put his car owner, Rick Hendrick in the records books. Hendrick is the first owner to have three drivers finish in the top-three positions in the points standings.
The top-10 finishers of the race were Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and AJ Allmendinger. As for Waltrip’s teammates, David Reutimann and Ambrose, they finished 15th and 35th.
Crew chief Pat Tryson who will lead the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS team next season guided his team to a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings. Truex’s top-10 finish at Homestead resulted in his 23rd-place finish in the standings.
The NAPA AUTO PARTS team will now focus on getting ramped up for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. All the action begins at Daytona Speedweeks for the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 on February 14. Both Waltrip and Truex will be behind the wheels of NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyotas. The Great American Race will air on FOX, MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
Unofficial Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/36/data/results_unofficial.html
Lap By Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2009/races/lapbylap/11/22/lap.by.lap.homestead/index.html
Friday, November 20, 2009
Ambrose reflects on first full season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heading into season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Marcos Ambrose has his backpack packed for his journey from America to Launceston, Tasmania, Australia as soon as the checkered flag falls on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For Ambrose, his season has somewhat exceeded his JTG-Daugherty Racing team’s expectations as they currently sit 18th in the championship standings with four top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
“On Monday after Homestead, I have a 3:50 p.m. flight to Australia and I can’t wait to get home because my family is already there,” Ambrose said. “It’s just been a great year for the No. 47 Little Debbie® JTG-Daugherty Racing team in the Cup Series. We didn’t expect that we would be in position to finish in the top 20 in points because we were just hoping to finish in the top 30,” Ambrose said. “We have exceeded our expectations and we have been very competitive. We have seven top-10 finishes, but were so close to having more. We had at least three 11th-place finishes that with a bit of luck would have been top-10s. But, it doesn’t really matter. We’ve done plenty this year.”
Ambrose’s flashes of brilliance occurred at a variety of tracks, not just road courses. In addition to finishing third at Infineon Raceway and second at Watkins Glen International, he finished fourth at Talladega Superspeedway, 10th and third at Bristol Motor Speedway, sixth at both Pocono Raceway and Daytona International Speedway. In 35 starts, he’s racked up 15 top-15 finishes.
“Our team is growing and our results this year prove that,” Ambrose said. “I’m a lot more confident as a driver and secure in myself that I can do the job. All those things will play a part. You can’t guarantee you are going to move forward. It’s a challenging world we live in. We are very focused on understanding that not every step is going to be forward and sometimes you may take a step backwards.”
The Australian driver knows there are no guarantees in this business, but he feels his JTG-Daugherty Racing team will be able to build a strong case for a spot in the Chase in 2010.
“We want to win a race and make the Chase,” Ambrose said. “Sure, it’s a lofty goal, but I think it’s achievable with our No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota if everything goes well. I think we are worthy of it and can do it. We know we gave away 300 points before the Chase started and we were about 200 points behind in the end.”
Before he looks ahead to 2010, Ambrose is ready to tackle Homestead-Miami Speedway with his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota and close the book on the season. Last year, Ambrose completed 222 laps and finished 42nd after sustaining damage to his machine in the 267-lap event at the 1.5-mile oval.
“We were in a crash," Ambrose said. "I’m hoping to end the season on a better note this time. I'm ready for a fresh start. It’s been a long year and I’m pretty tired. I’m not starting to wilt, but I feel the effects of the season. I’m looking forward to refreshing my mind and body by getting back into training and forgetting about going in circles for a while. I’m looking forward to joining my family in Australia and starting a new year in NASCAR.”
Live coverage of the 267-lap event on Sunday, November 22nd begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Michael Waltrip Racing Wraps Two-Day Test with Salo and Trulli
Michael Waltrip Racing officials were pleased with the outcome of a two-day test with Formula One drivers Jarno Trulli and Mika Salo behind the wheel of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna, Florida.
"Both Jarno and Mika have done really well," said Steve Hallam, Executive Vice President of Competition for Michael Waltrip Racing and a 27-year Formula One veteran. “They have both delivered competitive lap times. They bring a different perspective to our ears. We are able to hear about the cars in a different way. Also, Trevor (Bayne) being here is very useful because he is articulate and able to relate their experiences to reality. It has been a really positive test and has brought good value to us."
"They wanted to test our NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota and see what our sport is all about," Waltrip said. "They did an outstanding job and were turning some pretty quick times. We were just as serious about this two-day test as they were. We brought down an entire crew. Toyota, our team and engineers fully supported this effort. We were 100% committed to giving it our all just like we would at any of our tests.”
On Tuesday, Diamond-Waltrip NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Trevor Bayne climbed into the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota seat to shake down the car before Salo took to the wheel for the first time during his one day of testing. For over two years, Salo searched for an opportunity to test a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Ironically, Salo knew MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman for a little over a year, but what he did not know was that he co-owned multiple NASCAR teams until recently.
“Thanks to Rob, I was able to test a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car for the first time in my life,” said Salo, who turned 208 laps in the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. “I was very comfortable out there and had a lot of fun. I was quick and I know that if I had today to test, I would be a lot quicker. Now, I want to have 42 other cars around me and see what it is really like.”
“I have never raced on an oval before and New Smyrna is a good place to do my first run,” Salo said. “I would be scared if we were at a high speed circuit. I was just trying to get the feel of the car with the changes they were making. At the beginning, I was running to get comfortable. The car is a lot heavier and has a lot of power. I was comfortable in the car and that’s basically what I wanted. They made different changes. They changed springs, bars and so forth. We tried different things so I could understand what everything does.”
As Salo tested, Trulli observed. Midday the two were surprised when they had a visit from one of the locals - - Mark Martin.
“All of a sudden, Mark Martin was here at New Smyrna,” Salo said. “He sat down in front of me and I listened. I learned some things from him during his time here. I also learned some things from Michael, David (Reutimann) and Marcos (Ambrose) when I attended the race at Phoenix International Raceway.”
Trulli turned his first laps Wednesday morning. Climbing out of the car for the first time he said he was shocked by the differences between Formula One and NASCAR.
"In the beginning, it was a big shock for me," said Trulli, who turned nearly 300 laps today. "It was the first time in my life I was leaving pit road in a closed cockpit. I needed to get used to that feeling of not having my head out. I'm used to being in a stiff car on the ground. The Cup car moves around a lot. It requires skill, feeling and understanding. There are so many different factors and you need to be a smart person to be aware of what is happening around you."
By the one hour lunch break, Trulli had a better feel for the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry.
"Running here at New Smyrna is easy and very exciting, but racing here might be difficult," Trulli said. "It would take a lot of experience. I prefer a high speed circuit, but at least I have a taste and know the feeling. Today, was important for me to understand what I have to do to get better. In driving the car, I must understand the car. I have to trust it. The center and exit of the corner are important. Braking is crucial here."
Trulli is thankful to MWR and Toyota for the opportunity and admitted his interest was sparked when Juan Pablo Montoya made his move to NASCAR.
"I didn't know about NASCAR until Juan Pablo Montoya made his move," Trulli said. "The world has changed and everyone is looking at different Series. I haven't signed with anyone yet and I've talked to teams. My door is open right now."
MWR benefited just as much from the test as did Salo and Trulli.
"We have two enormously talented drivers that showed interest in trying NASCAR," said Ty Norris, Vice President and General Manager for Michael Waltrip Racing. "MWR wanted to participate because we are always interested in recruiting talent and we have a great desire to expand to a fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup team in the near future. We know the talent pool currently racing in NASCAR, so it is of great interest to us to evaluate talent from other racing disciplines. It just adds another international element to our organization.”
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