Despite struggling throughout the day with an ill-handling hot rod, Michael Waltrip finished 20th in the Golden Corral 500. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge crossed the stripe one lap down in today's Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Due to rain on Sunday, NASCAR postponed the running of today's Cup event to Monday morning. The call to start engines came at 11:00pm ET.
"Okay, Michael, pace car is rolling," crew chief Derrick Finley informed his driver. "Third time by." The team discussed pit road location before determining pit road speed.
"Ahh... I've got 4,000 and second," Mikey told his team.
"10-4," Finley replied. "4,000 and second.
"All right, guys. Nice, smooth pit stops. Have a good day," Finley added. After a pause, he addressed his driver. "Hey, Michael, if you can reach it, battery one."
"Battery one," Mikey repeated.
As the field turned pace laps, Brent Sherman and Brian Vickers dropped to the rear of the field for changes. Mikey remained in his 24th starting position, with Kasey Kahne on the pole.
"All right, bud," spotter Mike spoke. "Coming to the green. 325 laps. Have a good day."
"Thank you," Mikey replied.
"Pace car gone," the spotter continued. "Ready... Green flag, green flag, green flag."
As Elliott Sadler drove to the outside of Mikey at the drop of the green flag, Ryan Newman drove outside Kahne and took the top spot. Kahne rallied back to lead the first lap. Meanwhile, by lap 2, Mikey was 26th; Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr had passed. Mikey lost another position on lap 3, when Newman took the lead.
"22 by himself, 17 with him," his spotter noted. He cleared the #55 behind Matt Kenseth's #17. With Kenseth's pass, Mikey dropped to 28th by lap 4. He went three-wide and passed Kenseth along the inside.
Bobby Labonte's #43 took the lead along the outside on lap 5. While Mikey had passed Kenseth, Robby Gordon had passed him. The #55 remained 28th. Kenseth rallied back with Scott Riggs' #10, dropping Mikey to 30th by lap 6.
"After that 10," the spotter informed Mikey of the open spot. "Three-wide. Two-wide. Clear."
Passing back Riggs brought Mikey back to 29th on lap 7. He got around Paul Menard and Bill Lester for 27th within the next circuit. Despite that burst of forward momentum, Mikey lost ground in the coming laps. Jamie McMurray's #26 passed along the inside on lap 10.
"Inside," the spotter observed. "Got one more with him. Clear."
That one more was Kyle Petty, who moved Mikey back to 29th by lap 11.
"Inside by himself," Mikey's spotter warned him of the returning #10. "Clear all around."
Mikey was 30th by lap 12.
"Okay, eleven laps," Finley spoke to his driver. "How is it?"
"Loose on the throttle a little bit," Mikey told his crew chief. He lost two more spots by lap 14 to Jeff Green and Dale Jarrett.
"I mean, the track's probably gonna come to us," Finley commented to his driver. "Don't cha think?"
Mikey did not reply. Brian Vickers and Martin Truex Jr got around the #55 by lap 15, moving the #55 back to 34th.
"Need a little help between now and then," Mikey told Finley. After his spotter let him know about a spin in Turn 4, he continued. "We need to be smart about these adjustments." He said he was loose and was feeling like he was going to spin out, and wanted to go a round on the trackbar.
The yellow flag waved for the first time on lap 16 for Ryan Newman's flat left rear tire. Mikey was 33rd, and headed for pit road with the rest of the field.
"The 4 passed," Mikey reported on his way to his box. "The 4 passed coming on pit road. He can't do that."
After stops, Finley said the tires looked good.
Kahne led the lap 20 restart; however, Greg Biffle took the top spot along the inside one lap later. Mikey was 32nd.
"Inside by himself. Clear," the #55 spotter announced. "Looking outside, outside. Two of them, 96 with him."
Scott Wimmer's #4 passed on lap 23, moving Mikey back to 33rd. One lap later, he was 35th; Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte had rounded the Napa Dodge. He maintained that position for several laps, until he passed Dave Blaney's #22 on lap 32.
"Okay, that's twelve laps on those tires," Finley noted one circuit later. "How is it now?"
Two laps later, his driver responded. "It's loose right off - bad."
"10-4," Finley replied. "We've still got that rubber in the right rear we can pull."
"Inside, two of them," the spotter said on lap 37, after David Stremme had passed Mikey and dropped him back to 35th. "The 15's with you."
Paul Menard's #15 got around the #55 on lap 38. From the 36th spot, Mikey told his team he wanted air in the left rear tire.
"10-4," Finley answered. "Will do." He had just told his driver on lap 41 that a competition yellow was coming in nine laps when the yellow flag waved for an accident.
The second caution came on lap 42. Kyle Busch's #5 dropped debris as it slowed significantly.
"Let some air out of that left front liner," Mikey instructed. "I'm loose off." He described the car as "crazy loose late," and said he was just about to spin out with that spring.
"10-4," Finley responded. He confirmed the rubber and air adjustment, as Newman accepted the free pass. NASCAR lifted the proposed lap 30 competition caution at this time, and called for a quicky yellow.
"Maybe a pound out of the left front, if you think it will help," Mikey suggested.
"10-4."
The leaders pit, and Carl Edwards spun Blaney's #22 while coming out of his box. Edwards' #99 picked up tie rod issues that would plague the driver for the rest of the day. Kurt Busch led after stops, with Mikey in 33rd. The #55 spotter noted debris in the groove in Turns 1 and 2, and Finley said the tire wear looked good again.
Busch's #2 led the lap 48 restart. Mikey remained 33rd until lap 55, when Menard passed him. Riggs' #10 got around the #55 one lap after that. As Bobby Labonte went to the garage with a blown engine, Mikey regained 34th. Hermie Sadler also went to the garage but would return.
Mikey lost a spot to Newman's #12 on lap 59, and two to Sterling Marlin and Dave Blaney one circuit later. He picked up a position from Riggs on lap 64, raising the Napa Dodge to 36th. Denny Hamlin took the lead one lap later.
"What have you got now, Michael?" Finley asked.
"Just won't handle. Just won't handle," Mikey replied. After a pause, he added, "It's pushing off.
"It's just really bad. One way or the other, whatever you do."
Debris in Turns 3 and 4 from Edwards' blown right front tire drew the third caution on lap 67. Mikey described his car as "amazing", "ridiculous", and "terrible". He said he was faster when he was loose. Finley wanted to go up on the track bar and take out wedge. He said that had helped Blaney's #22. Matt Kenseth got into the #55 while exiting the #17 box, as Mikey was getting into his. Kenseth relayed an apology through spotters. When spotter Mike passed along the word, Mikey said that Kenseth had done nothing wrong and noted that he needed assistence every now and then. He was 38th after his stop, while Kevin Lepage stayed out to lead a lap. When Lepage's #61 pit, Hamlin's #11 reclaimed the top spot.
Jet dryers in Turn 4 delayed the restart. NASCAR issued Edwards a one lap penalty for running the stop sign at the end of pit road. Kyle Busch pit late, advancing Mikey to 36th for the restart.
Hamlin led the field back to green on lap 74.
"Outside, two of them," spotter Mike warned. "Clear high, after the 5."
Greg Biffle took the lead on lap 75, as Mikey dropped two spots. Hamlin immediately dropped inside Biffle's #16 and got back out front. Although Mikey passed Lester on lap 77, he lost the spot again one lap later. He was still 38th when Biffle took the lead on lap 81.
The #55 picked up spots later in the run. Mikey passed Blaney for 37th on lap 88 and Sherman for 36th the next time around the track.
"Fifteen laps right there," Finley noted. "Is it any better?"
"No!" Mikey exclaimed. After a pause, he added, "It's just real, real loose."
"10-4," Finley replied, and told his driver he was reeling in the next bunch of cars. Mikey passed Casey Mears' #42 for 35th on lap 95, but lost the spot to Blaney eight laps later.
"One car between you and the leader," his spotter observed on lap 105. "Still half a straightaway." Five laps later, spotter Mike informed his driver that the next car behind the #55 was leader Biffle. Green's #61 slowed on the backstretch, as it ran out of power. Although Mikey gained 35th from Green's failing car, he lost the lead lap on lap 111. Kenseth pit with tire issues the next time around the track, enabling Mikey to pick up another spot. Finley said they were approximately fifteen laps away from pitting.
"We've got to have some more bite on the gas," Mikey commented.
"10-4," was Finley's reply. Stremme's pit on lap 118 moved Mikey up to 33rd.
Jeremy Mayfield lost a tire and ran into the wall on lap 119, drawing the fourth caution. Mikey received the free pass back onto the lead lap.
"If I could have my front end working like it is now in the gas, shit, man, I'd be good," he commented. He told his team to be smart with the adjustments. "Bad, bad, bad loose," he said of the car. "I'm having to dirt track it." The leaders made stops, and Mikey came in with lapped traffic.
"Am I supposed to pass him?" Mikey asked of a car on the track when he went to his box.
"Not yet," Finley replied. "I'll tell you when." He said he had an official in the box to say.
Mikey told his team that the left rear adjustment had made the car push, "so don't do that". He said to leave the air alone, and to go with a round of bite instead. Finley said he knew and that he'd do that. He later noted that the team had found a slow leak in the right front tire. Mikey said the car had been handling better at the end of the run, "so that was a bonus".
Tony Stewart was the first driver off pit road, and his #20 led the lap 126 restart. Stremme, Robby Gordon, and Kenseth restarted in front of Stewart, at the tail end of the longest line. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch made contact with one another, causing Harvick's #29 to cut a tire. Stremme also got into Harvick.
Mikey was 30th by lap 127, as Harvick made a stop. Busch's #2 hit the wall off Turn 2 and also incurred damage.
Mikey passed Terry Labonte for 29th on lap 130, one lap before he said to his team, "Plowing now." He passed the struggling #2 on lap 133 and gained 28th.
"Inside," his spotter warned. "96 by himself. Clear."
Terry Labonte's #96 passed on lap 137, dropping Mikey to 29th.
"Definitely got as bad as it's been all day," the driver commented over the radio. He gained a position to Scott Wimmer on lap 140. After his spotter cleared him of a slow car along the bottom groove on lap 148, Mikey complained, "Whatever you did messed up the front."
"We'll undo what we did and go a different direction," Finley replied. Spotter Mike noted that Harvick's #29 was on fresher tires approximately five car lengths behind the #55. NASCAR blackflagged Busch's #2 on lap 155 for not meeting the minimum speed requirement.
Lap 163 saw Mikey taking 27th from Clint Bowyer, who had scrapped the wall several laps before. Robby Gordon's #7 was looking outside with fresher tires when the yellow flag waved.
The fifth caution came on lap 166 for debris.
Mikey reported that the car was plowing, and had no front end grip. "Y'all beginning to get the theme?" he asked. He said he had too much air. Finley told his driver they would take out air and wedge. Mikey wanted to lead a lap before making his stop, so long as he wasn't stopping with just one lap to go before the restart.
"Make sure it's not one to go, D," he reiterated after Tony Stewart led the front runners coming off pit road. He led lap 168 under yellow and pit with a little over a lap before the restart.
Stewart led the field to the green flag on lap 170. Mikey was 29th.
"Outside, the 7 by himself," his spotter noted. "Clear high."
Robby Gordon's #7 passed, dropping Mikey to 30th on lap 171. The next time around the track, Biffle took the lead, and the #55 passed Terry Labonte's #96 for 29th. He was warned about a slow car along the top groove on lap 187, just as he took 28th. That slowing car was the #14 Waste Management Chevrolet of Sterling Marlin.
Marlin's left front flat and subsequent tire lock led to the sixth caution on lap 189. Mikey noted that the car was better than it had been on the run before. He still siad it was "terrible loose" and "plowing" and that the car had "no downforce". "I don't know what to tell you," he commented. "That was better, so good job." He said no air in the front tires or the left rear, imploring his team to "do something, think outside the box, not the same old same old." He said, if they said not to mess with the car, Mikey would go with it. Finley wanted to take air out of the left rear tire. The leaders pit under yellow. While waiting for his car to be serviced, Mikey witnessed Reed Sorenson running over Robby Gordon's catchcan man.
Terry Labonte led under yellow, and gave the lead to Tony Stewart when he made his stop. Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy led the lap 198 restart, with Mikey in 27th.
"Green flag, green flag, green flag," spotter Mike said. Biffle took the lead on lap 199, following a strong restart. Meanwhile, Mikey lost spots to Sorenson and Bowyer. He was now 29th. A pass along the outside by Scott Wimmer's #4 dunked him back to 30th on lap 201; however, he regained the position when Jeff Green pit with loose lug nuts on a left side tire four laps later. Lap 209 saw Mikey return to 30th when Terry Labonte passed; however, Mikey repassed Labonte and reclaimed the spot one lap later.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's #8 cut a right front tire and pit for two new tires on lap 214, costing the #8 two laps. Mikey gained 28th from Earnhardt Jr. Mayfield's #19 slowed along the bottom groove three laps later, and one lap after that, Bowyer's #07 spun.
Bowyer's tire issue and subsequent spin led to the seventh caution on lap 222. Finley asked if anything had changed.
Mikey said the car was about the same. "It's a handful every turn, every lap." He said he woudl rather race it like that.
"10-4," Finley sighed. "10-4."
Mikey added that, if anything, he could lose a pound out of the left front liner. The leaders pit, and Biffle lead after stops. Mikey was 26th, and then 25th when Earnhardt Jr's free pass car pit.
Racing resumed on lap 225 with Biffle in the lead. Mikey was 25th.
"Outside," his spotter warned one lap later. "4's up there by himself."
Wimmer's #4 was not the only one looking to pass. Wimmer, Earnhardt Jr, Petty, McMurray, and Bowyer all got around the #55 by lap 227. Mikey was now 30th. He rode in that position for over ten laps, before picking up 29th from Terry Labonte on lap 238.
At the front of the field, Kasey Kahne manuevered past Biffle to lead lap 247. Mikey did not gain another spot until lap 255, when Hamlin went to pit road after smacking the wall. Jeremy Mayfield also made a stop. One lap later, spotter Mike warned that four cars were between Mikey and the leader.
"Slow one on the apron," the #55 spotter warned on lap 261. "Clear all around."
Terry Labonte lost the lead lap one circuit later. Mikey was the last one on the lead lap when the eighth yellow came out for debris in Turn 1 on lap 264. Finley let his driver know that he had been running on par with 6th place.
Mikey reported that he was "so loose" and was "about to wreck". He said he could hang out if they didn't want to mess with the car; everything had made the car worse. He told his team to do something different if they did anything.
Terry Labonte received the free pass, and the leaders pitted. Kahne led after stops, with Mikey in 23rd. The spotter noted debris in Turn 3, and led his driver around it.
Kahne led the lap 268 restart, with Mikey running 23rd.
"Inside," spotter Mike observed. "One more. Clear right there."
Wimmer and Sadler passed one lap into the run. One lap later, McMurray, Truex Jr, and Mears dropped Mikey to 28th. Several laps into the run, the Napa Dodge appeared to come to Mikey. He passed Ken Schrader for 27th on lap 281 and Mears two laps later. Finley complimented his driver on good lap times. Mikey passed Sadler for 25th on lap 300.
"25 laps to go this time," his spotter noted. "25."
Kenseth's #17 pit with a flat tire on lap 302, advancing Mikey to 24th. Robby Gordon, who had been running 3rd, pit with a vibration on lap 308. He was too fast on pit road and was issued a pass through penalty. Gordon's misfortunes allowed Mikey to take 23rd on lap 311; however, Kahne was in Mikey's rear view mirror.
Mikey lost the lead lap to Kahne on lap 312. He ran with the first and second place cars for two laps before dropping behind the third. Mikey passed Brian Vickers for 22nd on lap 318, becoming the first driver one lap down. Jeff Burton dropped through the ranks, allowing the #55 to pick up 21st on lap 321. One lap later, Mikey was 20th.
Kasey Kahne won. His #9 Dodge Dealers Dodge was the first Dodge in Victory Lane in twenty-nine years.
"20th place, Michael," Finley said over the radio, after the stripe. "Good job." He commented that Mikey had drove his heart out."
Mikey said the car had been terrible, but the last adjustment had made it the best it had been all day. He said he had to drive his ass off for 20th, and he had a good day. "Proud of y'all. Good effort."
Finley said they would definitely get their stuff better, and also told his driver he'd done a good job.
See what the #55 team have for Bristol next weekend! Coverage of the Food City 500 begins at 1:30pm ET on FOX.
