Michael Waltrip finished 29th in the DirecTV 500, today's Nextel Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. FOX commentators stressed pre-race the importance of brakes at this track, and Mikey lost around midway. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge spent time in the garage as a result.
Today's race took place under sunny skies. At the start of the race, the air temperature was 76 degrees. The track temperature is 100 on the concrete and 115 on the asphalt straightaways. Mikey rolled off 33rd.
Polesitter Jimmie Johnson battled fellow front row starter Jamie McMurray throughout much of the first lap. Johnson edged out McMurray for the top spot. Mikey held onto 33rd.
The yellow flag for the first time on lap 3. Many cars got into one another when the field bunched. Drivers involved include Dale Earnhardt Jr, Clint Bowyer, Robby Gordon, Kyle Petty, Chad Chaffin, Travis Kvapil, and Jeremy Mayfield. Earnhardt Jr was too fast exiting pit road and picked up a drive-through penalty. Chaffin went to the garage, while Gordon went to the garage with a failed engine. Gordon's #7 would finish 43rd, after completing just seven laps.
Racing resumed on lap 10 with Johnson in the lead. Mikey was 28th, after cars in front of him pitted.
Kvapil's #32 Tide ride spun independently on lap 14, drawing the second caution. He joined Chaffin and Gordon in the garage. The other 40 starters still remained on the lead lap.
Johnson led the field to the lap 22 restart. McMurray worked the inside line, attempting to manuever around Johnson's #48; however, his #26 could not complete the pass. Mikey continued to ride in 28th. Lap 28 saw McMurray slide into the top spot in Turn 1, after bumping the #48's rear fender a few times. Tony Stewart's #20 got around Johnson as well, and tailed the #26. The front two broke away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Mikey dropped a spot to 29th.
Stewart grabbed the lead on lap 34, along the backstretch. McMurray stuck with the #20, and the pair continued to hold few car lengths over Johnson's #48 in 3rd.
The #55 car struggled later in the run. By lap 40, Mikey was 31st. He was over eleven seconds outside Stewart's lead.
Mike Garvey and Stanton Barrett pitted with issues around lap 52. Mikey was still 31st. He was over seventeen seconds outside the lead by lap 56.
Stewart was all over Mikey's rear fender by lap 61, threatening to put the #55 a lap down. Stewart completed the pass within the next few laps. Around the same time, Johnson shuffled aside McMurray for 2nd.
By lap 87, Mikey was 33rd. He lost spots to Scott Wimmer and to Martin Truex Jr.
Jeff Gordon lost a right front tire, bringing out the third caution for debris on lap 91. Jeff Green received the free pass, and Mikey was still 33rd. Leaders pit under yellow, and Stewart was the first driver back on track. The #20 had to dodge the #24 exiting his pit as he made his stop.
Racing resumed around lap 98, with Stewart leading. Mikey was now 32nd, having passed Truex Jr during stops.
Lap 110 saw the fourth caution. Greg Biffle got loose coming off Turn 2, slid into Jeff Burton's #31, and spun. The right side of his #16 bounced off the inside wall. Denny Hamlin got the free pass.
Stewart led the field to the lap 116 restart. Mikey was 31st. He lost a spot to Mears' #42 by lap 125. Passing Edwards a couple laps later moved Mikey back into 31st. Meanwhile, Stewart held over a second lead over the rest of the field.
David Stremme spun in Turn 3 on lap 134, bringing out the fifth caution. Stremme's lapped #40 was going up the track at the same time Ken Schrader's #21 was moving down a lane. The #40 slid across the #21's nose and spun. Dale Jarrett received the free pass. Some drivers chose to pit, working different strategies.
Stewart led the lap 140 restart, with 27 cars on the lead lap. Mikey was fourth in the line of lapped traffic, still running 31st. By lap 149, he lost two spots to Bowyer and Blaney.
Ken Schrader's #21 went to the garage and fell out of the race with overheating issues on lap 165. Scott Wimmer stopped shortly thereafter with a flat tire.
Mark Martin spun with help from Casey Mears, bringing out the sixth caution on lap 172. His #6 had been the free pass car; however, he lost re-admission to the lead lap due to the accident. Leaders pit, and Jimmie Johnson was the first driver back on track.
Stewart reclaimed the top spot when racing resumed on lap 183; Sterling Marlin had been the leader. Johnson lost a few spots after getting loose under JJ Yeley's #18. Mikey ran 30th. He gained 29th when Bobby Labonte's #43 dropped out of the race with a transmission failure; however, he lost that spot a couple laps later after Mark Martin passed him. Kyle Petty lost a rear end gear shortly thereafter, allowing Mikey to return to 29th. Mears lost a gear just before the halfway mark. Although Mikey gained 28th, he went a second lap down at the same time, at lap 223.
The seventh caution came out on lap 226. Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch had been running in the top 10 when Busch got loose under Burton's #31, and slid up and spun Burton's #31. Carl Edwards received the free pass. The leaders made stops.
Johnson, who was first off pit road, led the lap 236 restart. Mikey rode 28th, two laps down. Stremme and Petty came back on track momentarily, but soon returned to the garage. Truex Jr passed Mikey on lap 248, dropping the #55 to 29th. FOX commentator Jeff Hammond noted Mikey's struggles. He highlighted the bright red brake rotors on the Napa Dodge, and said the car's brakes were failing. The hot rod could not stick in the corners properly as a result. Mikey spent five laps off the track with these issues, and was seven laps down by lap 268. He still rode 29th.
By lap 275, Johnson had lost his sizeable lead. Tony Stewart's #20 was breathing down the #48's neck, as Johnson manuevered through lapped traffic.
The eighth caution came after Scott Riggs rear-ended Joe Nemechek in traffic, spinning both cars. Sterling Marlin received the free pass, and the leaders pit under yellow. Stewart picked up the lead following his stop.
Stewart led the restart, with about 204 laps to go. Mikey was still 29th. Just before the next caution, he went to the garage and fell to 31st.
On lap 309, the yellow flag waved for the nineth time when Denny Hamlin's #11 spun independently.
The #55 was still off-track when Stewart led the restart with approximately 185 laps to go.
The tenth caution came on lap 318 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Budweiser driver had put his nose under Newman's #12. Newman pinched Earnhardt Jr, cutting down the unprotected right front tire. Carl Edwards received the free pass. Mikey was still being marked 31st, and he returned to the race under this yellow flag period. The front runners did not pit.
Racing resumed on lap 325 with Stewart in the lead. Mikey was 54 laps down in 31st.
Lap 336 saw the eleventh caution, following a spin by Joe Nemechek's #01. He and Raines made contact in Turn 2, causing a tire rub in the #01 that ultimately caused the car to lose grip and to go around in Turns 3 and 4.
Stewart led the field to the green with 161 laps remaining in the race. Mikey was still 31st, still 54 laps down. Fifteen laps into the run, Johnson closed on the #20.
The twelfth caution came after Marlin got into the back of Jeff Green's #66 and spun him toward the outside wall. The leaders made stops, allowing Johnson to pick up the lead racing Stewart off pit road.
Racing resumed with about 128 laps to go. Mikey was being scored 30th. Kahne's #9 smoked tremendously and went to the garage five laps into the run.
With 121 laps remaining in the race, Johnson took the top spot in traffic. Twenty-five laps later, the #48 was on Mikey's rear fender. On lap 405, the #55 lost another lap to the race leader and was now 55 laps down.
Caution 13 came on lap 427 for Ryan Newman's #12's cut tire. The leaders pitted, and the #48 beat the #20 off pit road.
Johnson led the restart with 67 laps to go.
Fifteen laps into the run, the yellow flag waved for the fourteenth time when Stanton Barrett lost the right front suspension. Mark Martin received the free pass. He joined the eighteen cars on the lead lap.
The green flag returned with 46 laps remaining. Johnson led the field, with Stewart all over his rear fender. Mikey was now marked in the 29th position, due to Kahne's previous departure. With 37 laps to go, Jeremy Mayfield's #19 smoked a great deal and went to the garage.
Stewart dropped inside the #48 on lap 470 and did not complete the pass. The #20 bumped the back of the #48 a few times on the next lap, as Elliott Sadler's #38 closed in on the pair in 3rd. Stewart was inside Johnson again with 27 to go before completing the pass. He narrowly dodged getting into the back of his teammate JJ Yeley in the struggling #18. Behind the pair, Sadler lost grip and wiggled out of the groove. He lost a few spots.
With 15 laps to go, the fifteenth caution came out for Nemechek. The #01 lost the brakes, slid up the track in the corner, and rear-ended the wall. Some drivers chose to pit.
Eight laps remained in the race when the green flag waved again. Stewart led the field. The yellow flag waved half a lap later.
Lap 494 saw the sixteenth caution. A broken drive train was suspected to have caused Matt Kenseth's #17 car to snap loose on the front straightaway and to hit the wall with the left front. Kenseth went to the garage.
NASCAR red-flagged the field with seven laps left for several minutes.
Three laps remained when Stewart led the restart. Jeff Gordon struggled in Turn 2, clogging the field and allowing #20 to jump away from the rest of the field. Stewart picked up the win. Mikey finished 29th, 55 laps down.
Tune in to the races at Texas next weekend! Coverage of the Samsung/RadioShack 500 begins Sunday at 1:30pm ET on FOX. Mikey may also compete in the Busch Series' O'Reilly 300, which airs Saturday on the same channel at 3:00pm.
