HOMETOWN HERO WALTRIP HOPES FOR KENTUCKY BREAKTHROUGH

Michael Waltrip

June 27, 2014 – Thought omnipresent at a race track – in either a television studio or walking pit road – Owensboro, Kentucky native Michael Waltrip doesn’t get behind the wheel of a race car all that often anymore.

He has people to do that for him, these days.

And they’ll represent him at his home track of Kentucky Speedway. So, yes, in a way, this is a home race for Kansas native Clint Bowyer and North Carolina native Brian Vickers – the two cornerstones of Michael Waltrip Racing.

This is a big one for more than local pride, of course. Both drivers are winless, and especially in the case of Vickers, in danger of missing the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Bowyer, coming off two consecutive top-10 finishes, has climbed to 14th in points – good enough to be one of the Chase Grid drivers were NASCAR’s playoffs beginning today. They’re not. So a win at Kentucky would go a long way. It’s more than possible; Bowyer finished third last year.

Vickers has yet to crack the top 25 at Kentucky, finishing 31st (DNF) last season and 27th in 2011. He’s hit a rough patch of late, a stretch defined by bad luck. His engine gave out at Dover, leading to a 43rd-place finish, and at Michigan, an early accident caused him to limp home in 42nd.

 

 

ELEVENTH HEAVEN: WHO’S NEXT?

Kahne is strong at Kentucky, finishing second there in 2012

June 26, 2014 – Ten is a ubiquitous number this week. There are 10 races left, and 10 different tracks. Up to this point, there have been 10 different winners – and 10 drivers who are thus virtually locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

But there are way more than 10 drivers who want to make ‘11’ the number on everyone’s mind – as in ‘11th different driver to win in 2014.’

There are plenty of candidates. Last year during this upcoming 10-race stretch, there were five winners who have so far gone winless in 2014 – Matt Kenseth (twice, at Kentucky and Bristol), Brian Vickers (New Hampshire), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis) and Kasey Kahne (Pocono).

Any one of those talents could conceivable grab the win this Saturday night at Kentucky. We’ve already touched on Kenseth and Newman (page 1) and Vickers (about four inches above this sentence). Now, Kahne…

Though overshadowed thus far by fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (all of whom have combined to win six races), Kahne’s season hasn’t really been all that bad – especially lately.

Kahne finished fifth at Michigan and sixth at Sonoma to move up to 16th in points – and a spot out of the Chase bubble (Kurt Busch, currently 26th in points, would bump Kahne out thanks to his win at Martinsville).

Kahne is strong at Kentucky, finishing second there in 2012.

 

BRIAN VICKERS No. 55 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE / KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

CORNELIUS, N.C. – June 25, 2014 – Kentucky Speedway’s advertising bills itself as the roughest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers can attest to that claim. A broken wheel during a May 20-21 Goodyear tire test at the 1.5-mile track led to a hard wreck in turn three for Vickers. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver wasn’t seriously hurt in the accident, but he said Saturday night’s race is going to be all about negotiating the rough surface and surviving 400 miles of close, high-speed racing.

Vickers crew chief Billy Scott said the time his team spent at Kentucky Speedway should pay dividends in Saturday night’s race although he expects the hot setup in May will be different than what works Saturday night.

BRIAN VICKERS ON KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY: “It’s an extremely rough race track. I broke a wheel last time I was there so that tells you it’s pretty rough. I like tracks with some bumps and character, but Kentucky is really rough. I think it is time for a repave. On the straightaways your head is moving back and forth so much it gives you a headache. We did the Goodyear tire test there in May and we certainly learned a few things. But, this weekend it’s going to be a tough track for everyone.”

Billy Scott

CREW CHIEF BILLY SCOTT ON AT-TRACK TESTING: “Nothing replaces going to the track and testing. All these NASCAR teams use tools like computer simulations that do a good job of helping us get an idea of what to expect once you arrive at the track. But, you don’t have real drivers or real tires. Nothing beats getting out there and running laps, getting data and hearing the feedback from the drivers.”

WOULD YOU TEST MORE? “In a perfect world—from just the setup standpoint—we would test every track we race. But considering time and money involved in doing that I’d prefer if none of us tested. That keeps it fair for the whole field and saves time and money.”

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE TO TESTING? “Not really other than time and cost. You have that chance to wreck a car and often times the tracks change by the time you go back. That even happens on the same weekend let alone when there are several weeks between testing and racing. You aren’t going to race what you thought was best at the test, but you will be somewhere closer than if you hadn’t gone there at all.”

 

 

BRIAN VICKERS No. 55 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE SONOMA PREVIEW

Brian Vickers

CORNELIUS, N.C. – June 17, 2014 – No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers says NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on road courses is so exciting it’s time the sport’s leaders take it global. He believes Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway will be as good a race as any motorsports fan will watch on a road course in 2014.

Vickers has good reason to think he and Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer will be part of Sunday’s excitement. MWR’s success— two consecutive victories and four top-five finishes in the last six races—plus Vickers’ experience gained racing sports cars around the world make the No. 55 team one of the race favorites.

BRIAN VICKERS: “Road racing is something I’m excited about. I think the time I spent overseas road racing really helped me a lot. I’m really looking forward to Sonoma — that is sort of one I have circled so to speak. There are certain tracks that you look forward to. I like to race there and the team has good cars there. Road racing is wild and interesting. Our road racing is the best in the world. There’s a lot of great road racing out there — Le Mans was going on last weekend and I had the opportunity to race there. That is an awesome event, but unquestionably I think our cars put on a better show on a road course. I would love to see our sport expand. Everybody talks about adding more road races and I’m all for it, but just don’t add another Watkins Glen. I love Watkins Glen, but let’s go somewhere else, let’s go international, let’s go to other continents — if we’re going to add road racing let’s go to new markets. I think NASCAR will put on the best road race that any road race track we’ve gone to has ever seen. I love those tracks around the world. I think the time I spent in sports cars made me like them even more.”

IF TEAMS SHOULD IGNORE POINTS IN 2014: “You look at history and that would tell us that there’s not going to be 16 winners coming into the Chase after 26 races, but history changes right? There’s always a first time for everything. Our goal as a team is to stay as high in the points as we can and get a win. We’d love for the Aaron’s Dream Machine to have multiple wins, but we’re focused on both. I don’t think we can just throw the points out the window. Even though everything that has been done to the points is to emphasize winning, the guy that would have won the championship last year never would have won a race. So, I don’t think you can throw the points out the window yet.”

 

 

BRIAN VICKER’S No. 55 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE DOVER PREVIEW

Brian Vickers

CORNELIUS, N.C. May 28, 2014 – No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers’ return to full time NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing has gone well, but the best may be yet to come. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver and crew have scored the eighth most points of all teams in 2014 and seem to be running better each week. Vickers has the fifth best average finish of all drivers in the last 10 races. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Dover Downs International Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s race—the 13th of the season. The No. 55 team spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Pocono testing on the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track. Last week the team tested at Kentucky Speedway.

BRIAN VICKERS ON DOVER: “I enjoy Dover a lot — it’s a great race track. It’s really fun — it’s like a high speed Bristol — one-mile, high-banked and just a lot of fun. It’s so fast though — everything happens fast there. The way the cars react, the way the speeds are — even though we go faster on mile-and-a-half tracks, it just seems to happen faster there for some reason. It’s always a lot of fun and it’s a challenge. It’s such a completely different type of race track and I think we will have a good car there.”

VICKERS ON SEASON SO FAR: “We are pleased but not satisfied. Billy (Scott, crew chief) has done a fantastic job in his first season as crew chief. We’ve come close to winning a few times with top-five finishes, but we still have some work to do. Seems like our cars are really good on long runs. I’m really optimistic about Michael Waltrip Racing. We’re working hard with Toyota, testing, and doing all the right things we need to do.”

 

BRIAN VICKERS AARON’S DREAM MACHINE LAS VEGAS PREVIEW

No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Brian Vickers

CORNELIUS, N.C. – March 03,2014 – No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Brian Vickers and his Michael Waltrip Racing team visit Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

The No. 55 raced well in the first two races of the 2014 season, but with little result. A multi-car accident at Daytona and a melted tire bead at Phoenix damaged the car leaving Vickers with 30th and 25th place finishes.

Jeff Burton joins Vickers and teammate Clint Bowyer this weekend driving MWR’s No. 66 Let’s Go Places Toyota. Burton and Michael Waltrip will run in limited races in 2014 but lead an extensive testing effort.

ON LAS VEGAS: “It’s been a few years since I have raced at Vegas in a Sprint Cup car. I think because of the progressive banking it should be a little easier to pass than it was at Phoenix. But how much is debatable. I think you will see a good race.”

ON WHETHER IT IS GETTING HARDER TO PASS DURING RACES: “I don’t buy into the whole racing has gone bad because of aero. Aero has always been there. I don’t know what people are talking about. I have been watching races for 20 years and I don’t ever remember the competition ever being this good. Aero has always been there it’s not like it just got invented five or 10 years ago. I think the reason you are seeing less shuffle on long green flag run is the tires don’t fall off as much. The reality is that the competition is closer than it has ever been. During practice the top 30 guys running by themselves can run with a tenth of each other. How am I going to pass someone when we are running the same lap times? I think as a sport we chase parity so much that we have accomplished it. The cars are so even and the box is so small that you could take the bodies off and the reality is that I am going to still have a hard time passing someone when I am only hundredth of thousands second faster.”

ON JEFF BURTON: “It’s fantastic having Jeff (Burton) involved and what he can bring to this team. His level of experience obviously, what he’s been able to accomplish in his career, the insight from all the teams that he’s worked with over the years. I think just having him on board, especially for me this past off-season, just being able to have two drivers in cars testing when I wasn’t able to be in a car has been huge. We couldn’t ask for a better guy to be in that role, in my opinion.”

 

THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES MIGHT BE DETERMINE BY EXPERIENCE

Regan Smith

August 22, 2013 – assume that the NASCAR Nationwide Series points battle has narrowed to only five contenders: Sam Hornish Jr., Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, Austin Dillon and Brian Vickers. With only 18 points separating them, all five drivers have a very realistic shot at capturing the title.

The determining factor in this year’s championship battle could come down to one thing – championship-hunt experience.

As the series heads to Bristol for Friday night’s Food City 250, four of the five drivers in the top five have some type of championship battle experience.

The odd man out is Smith, currently tied for third (-15), who returned to the series fulltime after six years of giving it a go in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In seven years in the top series, seven previous years in the NNS (of which only one was fulltime before this season) and five years in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he had never been in the title conversation. His best points finish in one of NASCAR’s three national series was 20th in 2006.

Austin Dillon

Although Hornish, the current points leader, has never really been embroiled in a battle for the points lead during his tenure in NASCAR (he finished fourth in 2012, but never made it higher than third in points during the season), he won the IZOD IndyCar Series title three times – 2001, 2002 and 2006.

Sadler gained a lot of experience dueling for the title the last two seasons. Unfortunately, his efforts fell short both years, finishing runner-up to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the final standings.

Austin Dillon was in the thick of the NNS championship hunt last season up until the very end, ultimately finishing third. The year before, he held off a hard-charging Johnny Sauter to capture the 2011 NCWTS title.

Vickers, who will be pulling double-duty for most of the remaining weekends, won the NNS championship in 2003. This could be his last chance at another NNS crown since he’ll be returning to the NSCS fulltime in 2014.

The points battle is so close that one poor performance could shake things up among those in contention, as evident by Dillon dropping from first to fourth at Mid-Ohio. With two shorts tracks (Bristol and Richmond) remaining on the schedule, no lead is safe. Schedule for the NNS race: 7:30 p.m. ET, NASCAR Nationwide Series Food City 250, ESPN on air at 7.

Source: NASCAR

 

MARTIN TRUEX JR. No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS TOYOTA BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

CORNELIUS, N.C. – August 21, 2013 – No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. plans to continue Michael Waltrip Racing’s success at Bristol Motor Speedway when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on Saturday night. MWR’s three drivers own the best average finish in the last three races.

The MWR surge began in March 2012 when Truex, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers finished third, fourth and fifth — a first for the organization co-owned by Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman.

There’s a lot on the line Saturday night. Truex is 12th in the standings with three races remaining before the start of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Truex holds the second and final provisional wild card (653 points, one win) as he seeks his second consecutive Chase berth. Kasey Kahne has the first transfer spot with 659 points and two victories. Only 14 points separate positions eight through 12 and 10 points separate Truex from 10th place in the standings.

TRUEX ON BRISTOL: “It’s just insane — it’s out of control. Bristol is like having a boxing match in an elevator. Everything is so right there and so packed together. The fans are on top of the action. When you’re driving the car, you’re always in the middle of something.  You’re always busy and you don’t get any time to rest. It’s just an exciting place and it keeps you amped up and keeps you on the edge of your seat all night long.”

WINNING AT BRISTOL: “The NAPA team has been close to winning there. We’ve been second there a few times and third — we’ve been really good there. It would be a fun one to win. I won there in Nationwide and it sure would be great to win. We want to win everywhere, but there are certain tracks that are really cool to win at and Bristol is definitely one of them with that night race and getting to drive on top of the building with the fireworks shooting off. Yeah, that is one I want to get especially considering how close the points are with three races to go. A second win would certainly help us if we need a wild card to make it into the Chase.”

RACING WITH VICKERS: “He’s been a great part-time teammate. He fits in so well with our group that Monday’s announcement to put Vickers in the seat for 12 of the 13 races left makes the most sense. It gives us all a head start and allows for a seamless transition into 2014. I think with the few races he’s run with us this year — obviously it includes a win, he’s done an incredible job. Now, he’s going to be able to help us even more as we try to lock up two of our three cars into the Chase with just three races to go.”

 

BRIAN VICKERS TO DRIVE NO. 55 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE IN 12 OF FINAL 13 RACES; MWR GRANTS MARK MARTIN RELEASE, PLANS TO DRIVE NO. 14

CORNELIUS, N.C. – August 20, 2013 – Michael Waltrip Racing announced Monday that Brian Vickers will drive the team’s No. 55 Toyota in 12 of the 13 races remaining in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

The announcement follows the mutual decision by MWR and Aaron’s Inc. to grant Mark Martin an early release, enabling him to replace the injured Tony Stewart.

Vickers was originally scheduled to drive three of the remaining races in 2013. The announcement increases that schedule to 12. Michael Waltrip, MWR founder and co-owner, will race the No. 55 at Talladega on Oct. 20 as originally scheduled.

The move gives the 29-year-old Vickers an early start to his full-time role in the No. 55. Last week Aaron’s and MWR announced Vickers will drive the Aaron’s Dream Machine full-time beginning in 2014.

Waltrip said Martin achieved all of the goals both he and the team set when he began a 24-race schedule in the No. 55 in 2012.

“With Mark Martin, we accomplished everything we hoped to when he came to this organization, which was bringing that winning confidence to the team, the experience to help elevate our program and ultimately find the full-time driver for the future who can race for a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship,” said Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion.

“Mark’s leadership the past two years has been so impactful that he has left a mark on this company that will be here as long as we race. This opportunity to help two Hall of Famers in Mark and Tony Stewart at the same time, while getting the opportunity to run the rest of the year with Brian makes sense for MWR. But nothing could happen without the support of Aaron’s, Toyota and the other MWR sponsors. Each of them saw the same benefits in such a move and helped make it happen. This is a truly win, win, win situation.”

In 2012 and 2013 with MWR, Martin earned five top-five finishes and five pole awards in 39 races. His work with teammates Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. also played a role in MWR putting both drivers in NASCAR’s 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as making both favorites to earn 2013 berths.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done the last two seasons and I’m extremely thankful for the effort everyone on my team and at MWR put behind me,” said the 54-year-old Martin whose 870 Sprint Cup starts is the fifth most in NASCAR history. “I also want to thank Michael Waltrip and (co-owner) Rob Kauffman for giving me this opportunity. They are building a strong organization at MWR and one that’s going to be a force in NASCAR for years to come both on and off the track.”

Aaron’s thanked Martin for his work behind the wheel and with its customers and employees in the last two seasons. Aaron’s featured Waltrip and Martin in several national television commercials.

“Aaron’s is supportive of the arrangement with Mark Martin agreeing to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Ronald W. Allen, Aaron’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re energized about Vickers’ availability to drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine for the remainder of the season. MWR talked about how this move would better position our team for 2014 while helping Stewart-Haas Racing so we believe this is the best of all possible outcomes for everyone. We appreciate everything Mark Martin has done for Aaron’s over the last two years and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Vickers joined MWR in 2012 with plans to run a five-race schedule. That schedule increased as the performance improved and the Thomasville, N.C. native grew more comfortable with the organization. He won the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and posted four top-five finishes in 14 races with MWR.

“No one wants to see Tony out of the 14, but I am appreciative of the opportunity to get more seat time in the 55 as a result,” said Vickers who is also seeking a second Nationwide championship in 2013.

“I didn’t think things could get any better than last week’s announcement with Aaron’s, but having a chance to run the rest of the 2013 season creates a tremendous opportunity for our team and we’re excited that all of this came together the way it did. Mark gets to help out Tony and we get to start our program early in the No. 55. We’ve proven we can win races in a part time capacity so far in 2013 and I’m confident that spending more time working with the 55 crew will only to help improve our already strong performance to date, giving us the momentum needed to start the 2014 season off strong in Daytona.”

Vickers will race the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Saturday night in Bristol.

 

5-HOUR ENERGY TOYOTA CAMRY DRIVER CLINT BOYER HEADS TO MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

CORNELIUS, N.C. August 15, 2013 – No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry driver Clint Bowyer heads to Michigan International Speedway for this weekend’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race with a 110 point lead over 11th place in the standings with four races remaining before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Bowyer and his team need to finish 34 points better than the 11th-place driver this weekend in order to punch their ticket into the NASCAR playoff. The 34-year old Emporia, Kan. native finished runner up for the 2012 championship, but has no interest in talking about his 2013 championship run until he clinches a Chase spot.

Bowyer learned Tuesday that Brian Vickers will pilot the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine full time in 2014. Vickers will join Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. to fill out the three car lineup for Michael Waltrip racing.

ON THE CHASE: “We are in a good position right now on the points side, but to be honest I’m pretty superstitious when it comes to talking about anything related to (the Chase) until I know for sure if I’m going to be there. I like our chances, but at the same time a lot can happen in the next couple races. One or two things go the wrong way and we’ll be back fighting for our spot. If and/or when we are fortunate enough to be racing for a championship I’ll answer any questions you have, but right now I’d rather just focus on the race at Michigan this weekend and trying to get our 5-hour ENERGY Toyota to victory lane. Michigan is big for 5-hour ENERGY since they are based in Michigan and that is my focus right now more than anything else.”

ON VICKERS: “Brian Vickers is a great teammate and Aaron’s being back on board is paramount to everything going on. To have these cars funded and funded well with good sponsors and everything that comes with it is huge for all of us. He has done so much in a part time role with the team, which is not easy to do by the way, and he has done it well and even got a win. He has gone through a lot over the last couple years, but he kept at it and came out the other side. That shows you the kind of determination Brian bring to the table. And I can’t say enough about the job that Mark Martin and done and what he has brought to the table over the last two years. He is a machine on and off the track and to call him a teammate and be able to learn from him has been a privilege.”