Michael Waltrip will start in the back of the pack in both races this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. He qualified 39th for the Busch Series' O'Reilly 300 and 42nd for the Samsung/RadioShack 500.
His #99 Aaron's Dream Machine was the 22nd of 46 cars on the track in Busch Series qualifying. Mikey turned his best lap in 29.473 seconds at 183.219 MPH, which was 0.735 seconds behind Denny Hamlin's pole-winning time. He had been 35th in first practice, with a 29.973-second lap at 180.162 MPH that was 0.968 seconds off pace-setter Kyle Busch.
Aaron's is featuring a University of Texas theme on the hood of the car this weekend. "This paint scheme is a celebration of the championship the Texas Longhorns won last January," Mikey said during Busch Series practice yesterday. "What a great game it was, and also fun to watch. I'm honored the University of Texas and Aaron's worked together and have come up with this great paint scheme. This first practice was a challenge for us. We had a couple of problems. It is a brand new car. I'm looking forward to the next practice."
The hot rod did not pick up speed. Mikey ranked 41st in second practice. He completed his best circuit in 30.207 seconds at 178.767 MPH, which was 0.986 seconds behind session leader Reed Sorenson.
Mikey was also 41st in his #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge in first practice for the Cup race.
His 29.492-second lap at 183.100 MPH was 0.820 behind chart topper Kurt Busch.
His car was the 39th of 48 cars on track for qualifying, and ultimately placed 42nd. Mikey ran the slowest time of those who made the field, with a 29.246-second lap at 184.641 MPH. He trailed pole-sitter Kasey Kahne by 0.872 seconds.
Be sure to watch the races! Coverage of the Samsung/RadioShack 500 begins Sunday at 1:30pm ET on FOX. The O'Reilly 300 airs tomorrow on the same channel at 3:00pm.
