Tire issues plagued the #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge in the Pepsi 400, tonight's Nextel Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Michael Waltrip finished 38th, three laps down, as Tony Stewart won.
"Anybody have a copy?" asked the spotter.
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr responded.
"Thanks," the spotter said. "I've got a new microphone. Does this sound okay?"
Shear told him it wasn't too clears.
"Yeah, just testing. Testing 1, 2, 3."
Shear said he had heard static from plains in the background, but the new microphone worked well.
"Got a copy on me yet?"
"I hear you, Joe," the spotter said. He said they were trying to hear from Mikey but hadn't yet.
When the driver came on the radio, Shear told him NASCAR was dropping them to the rear of the field for an unapproved adjustment. The team had qualified 19th.
"Don't worry about that. It is what it is," Mikey said. "We'll just start from the back. Don't harbour on the past. Focus on the future."
"Joe," Mikey addressed his crew chief after a moment, "if we're pushing, let's take wedge out of the left rear. If we're loose, let's take wedge out of the right rear."
"Yeah, 10-4. Give me as much feedback as you can," Shear replied. "And you guys do all your magic. It's always good."
"Give that a try, Dave. Let's see what happens," Mikey instructed his crew. "Do it again right here, tighten that up."
"Yeah, I copied ya."
"They're stopping them up there, Michael," the spotter warned. "Hold on, hold on a second. Boris just about wrecked them coming off pit road. It's unbelieveable. It's like looking at an interstate wreck.
"About five away, over to your left, right by the Best Buy."
"You see us, buddy?" Shear asked.
"Yeah, I see you," Mikey replied. "See you in a little while."
Shear laughed. "Okay."
"All right, when you catch up to the pack there, it's pit road speed," the spotter noted. "The whole pack coming to your outside here."
"Uh, four..." Mikey estimated. "39 and second."
"All right, 10-4. 39 and second gear," Shear acknowledged.
"All right, buddy. One to go when you get there," the spotter noted. "One to go.
"All right, buddy, fill it out, do what you want to do," the spotter added after a few moments. "I'll keep my eye on all the craziness, let you know what happens."
"All right, I'll do what I can do." Mikey replied.
"Try that again, bud." the spotter said. "You broke up a little bit."
Shear told him to put on all his fans.
"All right, I've got all my fans on, everything is good." Mikey said they'd see what happens and will try to get back in the top 35.
"There you go!" Shear replied. "Show your magic!"
The green flag waved at 8:18pm ET, with Boris Said on the pole. Mikey was last.
"All right, buddy. Be ready now. Pace car's coming off. Green green green. Everybody straight, everybody straight. Still outside, the #00."
"One down, 40 more to go," Mikey said after the first lap, after gaining spots to Hermie Sadler and Kirk Shelmerdine. Meanwhile, Tony Stewart led the first lap.
"Still all clear, all clear," his spotter said. "Three wide up there, checking up. Everybody's straight now. Everybody's straight. You're all clear, all clear."
Lap 4 saw Mikey gain two more spots to Chad Chaffin and Kyle Petty.
"Clear right up there if you need it," the spotter noted.
Chaffin passed on lap 5, dropping Mikey back to 40th.
"Still outside, still outside," his spotter said. "All clear, they've settled down a little bit."
"Still outside," his spotter said on lap 7, as Mikey was marked ahead of Travis Kvapil in 39th. "You're all clear, all clear. 40 car's been kicked back. He's been stuck in the middle, really jamming this thing up. You're still all clear, either side.
"Pretty tight off this corner here. Everybody's clear. Caution's going to be out, there's debris on the back straightaway."
Lap 9 saw the first caution come out for a Cingular beachball on the track.
"Uh, since we're toward the back, I think we should take four tires and take some wedge out," Mikey said. He also wanted a different philosophy on the air pressures.
"All right."
"Yeah, just a little tight," Mikey commented. "Nothing terrible, but I know I could be better."
"Okay, 10-4. Let's put a pound in that right rear and take two rounds of wedge out," Shear decided. He said he couldn't hear his driver in the corners; something could be getting jammed there.
Someone mentioned to check the front fenders due to potential contact.
"If you got a rubber you could shove in the right rear, that would be good," Mikey added.
Drivers pit under yellow. Mikey was warned to watch the #11 of Denny Hamlin as he was coming into his box. Martin Truex Jr's #1 stayed on the track and led. Mikey was 39th.
"All right, buddy. Be ready," the spotter said. "Leader's coming off four. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Outside only. Everybody's straight, everybody's rolling."
Racing resumed on lap 12. Mikey was 37th, with Truex Jr in the lead. Despite shuffling, he remained 37th the next time around the track. Greg Biffle took the lead on lap 14, as Mikey passed Kasey Kahne.
His spotter warned him of the #88. "You're clear, he's not. Still clear, still clear."
Jeff Gordon led lap 15, as Mikey lost a spot. He was warned of Tony Raine's #96, and then told that Kahne's #9 was coming.
"Still outside, he's there," the spotter observed. "Clear there, all clear."
Jeff Burton spun, drawing the second caution on lap 16. He had been nudged and turned when he slowed in response to Dave Blaney slowing.
"Spin off the corner," the spotter warned. He was told to back it down and that the wreck was on the apron.
After Mikey's response came in the form of static, the spotter said, "All right, Joe. Anybody's got a plan for his radio?"
"Can you hear me?" Mikey asked.
"I can hear you right now," Shear replied.
"Raise that trackbar up two turns, two turns down on the left rear." Mikey's words were filled with static. "Two more rounds out of the left rear, maybe raise up the track bar. Maybe air out of the right rear too."
"Want more tires?" Shear asked. He discussed what he wanted to do with the car.
"It's going to be a quicky yellow, a quicky yellow." the spotter noted.
Shear let his driver know, "We've got another radio to put in there."
Mikey said it could be the button or a chord. "So long as I can hear y'all, it doesn't matter. We can talk under caution."
"10-4. Get that track bar up a couple turns."
"3900," the spotter said. "There's going to be a lot of fuel only. Watch those guys."
After the stop, Shear said, "Okay, guys, good job."
"All right, Michael, lay over for a little bit. That #61 is going to be coming by - the lucky dog. Coming out now."
Chad Chaffin accepted the free pass, as Casey Mears made an extended stay on pit road.
"All right, buddy," the #55 spotter addressed his driver. "One to go, one to go."
"Tight," Mikey commented. "A little tight." He broke up on the radio after that.
"Be ready. Pace car's off," the spotter noted. "Green green green, outside only. Everybody's straight, everybody's straight. Clear, all clear."
Lap 21 saw the restart, with Jeff Gordon leading. Mikey was 34th. The spotter warned him of the #42 and #40 on the top side, making a move. "You're clear, clear. Still clear, all clear.
"Got the 88, 42, 40 with you," the spotter noted.
On lap 25, Mikey picked up a spot from Dave Blaney. At the front of the field, Matt Kenseth looked under Gordon for the top spot. The pair ran side-by-side for over a lap before Kenseth faded along the bottom for a bit.
"Two by two, everybody has help," the spotter said. "Clear low if you need it. All clear. Got one looking under you. Inside. He has help."
Mikey was 31st on lap 27. He had passed JJ Yeley, Robby Gordon, and Casey Mears.
"You got by that 96 there. You're clear, all clear. Still outside, still outside. You're all clear right there, you're clear."
After Mikey passed Raines' #96 on lap 27, his spotter cleared him. He fell to 32nd on lap 29 as Blaney bumped into the side of him.
"You're clear, all clear, nice job," said the spotter after Mikey gained 28th. "Still there, both lines have help. Got the 9 with him, still outside. 22 jumped up top. Clear right there, all clear, all clear.
"Got one inside - the 66, inside with that white car," the spotter continued. "Clear, all clear. Whatever you need. All clear."
Passing Sterling Marlin and Martin Truex Jr moved Mikey into 26th on lap 33. He was told the #1 of Truex Jr was looking to pass before he was cleared. "Nice job."
Tony Stewart took the lead around this time.
"Clear, all clear," the spotter said. "Most of the help's up top.
"22's all by himself, by himself. You're clear, all clear." On lap 36, he added, "That's Boris there, down there, by himself. Inside, inside. You've got two of them - 22's got a pusher. Still there, still inside, still inside.
Mikey fell to 28th on lap 37 when Blaney and Jarrett passed. He was battling Jarrett and Said when Burton came inside. Burton and Jeff Green passed, moving Mikey back to 30th on lap 39.
"You still got the #1 with you, up top." Truex Jr then dropped him and passed on lap 40. Mikey was 31st. "1 car's got help, inside, inside. Got the 42 with you. That's Sterling inside, inside. Both of you have help. 42's inside."
Lap 41 saw Mikey drop to 33rd as Mears and Marlin passed.
"Pushing!" Mikey called over the radio, after a great deal of static. JJ Yeley got around him, moving him to 34th on lap 42.
"18 looking underneath," his spotter said.
"I'm plowing," Mikey said amidst static.
"He's coming on pit road, guys," the spotter noted. "3900."
Mikey went to pit road on lap 43. FOX reported that he may have a right rear flat.
"I think it's an equalised right front," Mikey said, as he sat on pit road.
"Go go go go," Shear said.
"3900, man. 3900." Mikey was 42nd and lapped when he returned on lap 45. Other drivers pitted shortly thereafter. Race leader Tony Stewart pit at the end of the lap.
"We're racing the 1 for the lucky dog," the spotter said. He noted cars peeling off for pit road. Carl Edwards led lap 46. "You're going to see some smoke up here, but it's just people getting to pit road. Clear high, clear high. They are inside, still there. Clear clear."
Edwards pit, giving the top spot to Robby Gordon on lap 47.
"10 outside, still clear, all clear," the spotter noted.
On lap 49, Dale Jarrett passed Robby Gordon low and took the top spot. Drivers continued to make green flag stops. Jarrett led lap 50.
"Let's get around that 01, if you can," the spotter said. "Let's get around that 01, if you can."
Robby Gordon was credited with the lap 53 lead. "The 88 and the 7 were the leaders, but they're pitting this time... Oh, the 7 didn't pit this time," the spotter observed.
Robby Gordon pit, giving Reed Sorenson the top spot on lap 52. "All right, here comes the 7," the spotter noted. "Here comes the 7. The leader now is the 41, and he's at the line... now. Slow one on the bottom. All clear."
Sorenson pit, handing the lead to David Stremme on lap 53. Mikey was up to 30th. "All right, all those guys have pitted," the spotter said. "The lead's back to the 20, the 20. He's in Turn 3.
"Still there," the spotter continued. As the Ganassi drivers all pit on lap 54, Mikey advanced to 27th. He fell a spot to Robby Gordon on lap 55.
Shear said they would need to put a rubber in the right rear. "I think it fell out."
"Nice job, Michael," the spotter said on lap 62. He noted that Mikey was gaining on the pack in front of him. First through eleventh were together, with twelfth through twenty-first in another and twenty-second through now twenty-eighth - Mikey - in a third.
"All clear," the spotter noted on lap 64. "It's about five or six back to the 11 and the 18."
Mikey complained about his tires through static, and Shear said they'd look at it next time they stop.
"Inside, the 11," the spotter said. "The 18's with him. All clear, all clear."
Hamlin and Yeley passed, dropping Mikey to 30th on lap 65.
"How long before we pit?" Mikey asked.
"14 laps," said Shear. Raines, Sorenson, and Stremme passed on lap 68, dropping Mikey to 33rd.
Riggs, Green, Said, Kvapil, and Petty passed on lap 69, as Mikey went to pit road with heavy right side damage. He had lost the tire and smacked the wall.
"You've got to pull the fender," the spotter told the crew chief. "Look at the fender."
He lost the lead lap and fell to 41st.
"Joe, who's the lucky dog right now" the spotter asked the crew chief. "Are we the lucky dog right now?"
"Yeah, 10-4."
"10-4. Just hang in tight, bud," the spotter encouraged Mikey.
The spotter warned Mikey on lap 78 that the #14 of Sterling Marlin was slowing and may be out of gas. Many cars were starting to make green flag stops. Lap 80 saw Mikey pick up a spot to Marlin. He was now 40th. More drivers came to pit road for scheduled stops.
"Did something break, Michael?" the spotter asked on lap 81. "I don't know if you can hear him, Joe, but he's off the pace."
"I can't hear him," Shear replied. "Get ready."
"Yeah, I don't know if he brushed the wall again or what," the spotter said. "Another radio, at some point."
"If it doesn't take too long," Mikey replied as soon as his radio came in clear on pit road. "Got a flat tire. I didn't hit the wall this time, and I didn't hit the wall last time. Pull the fenders out! Pull the fenders out! Pull the fenders out!"
After Shear barked instructions, Mikey yelled at his team, "I don't know what y'all are doing in those pits. Why didn't y'all warn me about that 66?
"You don't give me any water, you don't tell me who's..."
Dale Earnhardt Jr took the lead on lap 83, and Tony Stewart pit. Mikey was now two laps down. By lap 85, he was three laps down in 42nd.
Earnhardt Jr pit on lap 86, giving the lead to David Stremme. Stremme pit at the end of the lap. Matt Kenseth took the top spot on lap 87. By now, Mikey was up to two laps down.
Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 88.
"Caution's out, caution's out, caution's out," the spotter announced. "The 19's up there with them.
A few words transmitted from Mikey through static. "... For future...don't understand why y'all can't..."
"Did you hear him?" Shear asked.
"All right, Joe, just get a plan going, talk to Michael," the spotter told the crew chief.
"We're going to have to get a rubber in that right rear," Shear said. "Raise that right side air pressure up two pounds, both of them." He wanted to put a rubber in the right rear and go a round in the left.
"Hello?" Mikey said.
"I can hear you now."
"Just clear the fenders," Mikey told his team.
"All right," the spotter said, "we're going to give him something to drink, and a radio."
"I can't believe y'all...," Mikey complained, "...was in his pit, you didn't say a word. It's just... it's amazing."
"I'm sorry about that," Shear apologised. "I thought he was leaving when you get there.
"Oh, okay. It's okay."
"No," Shear told his driver. "It's not okay. It's sorry."
"I need water," Mikey told his crew, "and the car keeps blowing out right front tires. Other than that, it's pretty lovely out here."
"I know, I'm trying to fix it the best we can."
"I just wish y'all would use your heads," Mikey stated. "Don't put any more right rear tires in the back. There's so many rubbers it's backwards."
"There hasn't been a rubber in the right rear. It fell out."
"Whenever that... how do y'all hear me now?" the driver asked.
"I hear you pretty good right there."
"Wow!" Mikey exclaimed. "You wasn't able to help me through this deal a little bit better?"
"We're going to get some changes here," Shear said. "You say you're loose getting in now."
"Yes."
"Okay, 10-4. Put those rubbers in, and drop that right rear track down."
The spotter said to look at the fender, and Shear said they would.
"Whoa, y'all ever been here before?" Mikey asked. "Give me another water." After a minute, he said again, "Give me another water. Another water."
"All set on your car, buddy," Shear replied.
"Is the right front clear this time?" Mikey inquired.
"It should be one to go," the spotter noted. "Pit the car. 3900, 3900."
"Y'all could at least talk me into the pit," Mikey complained. "Talk to each other about something, instead of acting like it's the first time y'all ever been to Daytona."
"I was talking to the guys," Shear protested. "The fender hasn't cut the tire down, and we have more fender clearance."
"Well, if I remember correctly, when the first one came out, it blew out," Mikey explained. "Same thing with the second. I don't remember what happened with the third one."
"All right, Michael," directed his spotter. "Come on up here. It'll be one to go, so we'll pull up on the inside. Slow one up there," the spotter directed. "Two slow ones on the bottom. It's that 00. He's not going to pull up, he's not going to pull up. Go around him. Looks like we're running the 19 and 1, we'll be racing with for the lucky dog."
"We're two laps down," Mikey informed his team.
Lap 93 saw the restart. Mikey was two laps down in 41st. Earnhardt Jr led. The #55 spotter told him he was outside.
"I know they're outside. They're going to be for a long time, so just let me go," Mikey told his spotter.
"Okay."
JJ Yeley rode beside Earnhardt Jr for the top spot. He jumped ahead after the stripe, along the outside groove. Jeff Gordon pushed.
Yeley led lap 95, but Jeff Gordon took it the next time around the track.
"Still two by two," the spotter warned. "Watch those cars in front of you. You've got one all the way up on the top. Three wide, three wide. Give him plenty of room. Back to two wide. You've got the 1 car outside."
Lap 101 saw Brian Vickers taking the lead. Mikey was up with the front pack, and was going from three to two-wide and back again. "The 43 and 20 in your mirror," the spotter noted. "They're two-by-two behind you. That's the 20, working the bottom."
On lap 110, Tony Stewart jumped to the high side around Brian Vickers. With help from Matt Kenseth, he moved into the top spot in the middle of lap 111.
"Is the tire going again?" Shear asked on lap 115.
"I don't think so, Joe," the spotter answered. "I don't think so."
"Okay," Shear replied. "I just don't want anything to happen."
Mikey explained his drop through the field. "I just decided that I probably wasn't going to be able to accomplish anything, so I just slide back here - hope they wreck."
"Okay.
He was still two laps down in 41st. Lap 117 saw him gain 40th from Chad Chaffin.
"Clear the 32," the spotter said on lap 118. "All clear."
Mikey had been running with the top 10. He was now around the drivings in the mid-thirties.
"Yeah, it's starting to shake again," Mikey said. He told his team to tell him if the tire might blow out. "Y'all have no idea how many laps I ran before I blew out, so don't tell me that."
"Eleven or twelve laps," the crew chief replied.
"We're pitting in twelve laps," Mikey said. "Okay. Thanks."
"We run 25 laps on this set of tires," Shear informed his driver.
"Guys, does it look like the caution might be coming out?" Shear asked on lap 121. The spotter continued to direct Mikey through traffic.
After a long pause, Mikey said, "I can't understand you."
"Is it still vibrating" Shear asked.
Silence on the radio followed.
"Six laps before we pit, if the right front will hold out, Michael," the spotter informed the driver, after Shear's communication broke up.
"Three more laps," Shear noted on lap 124.
"We'll be pitting in three more laps, Michael. Three laps," the spotter said.
"Pit next time by," Mikey replied. The spotter relayed the information, as Mikey went to pit road on lap 124. Tony Stewart pit moments later, giving the lead to Jeff Gordon on lap 125.
"Turn it left, turn it left," Shear directed. "Go go go."
"3900 to the line," the spotter said. "3900, 3900. All right, go hard, go hard."
More drivers came to pit road after Mikey exited.
Kevin Harvick took the lead on lap 126. Mikey was marked three laps down in 41st. Brian Vickers picked up the top spot on lap 127 when Harvick pit. Vickers' stop gave the lead back to Tony Stewart. Mikey was back to being two laps down.
"Joe, with the tire issue, are we in the window to make it to the end?" the spotter asked.
"It will be really close, really close," Shear replied.
The spotter noted they were losing tires eight laps from scheduled stops.
"I'm about ten laps short on tires," Mikey commented.
Shear said hopefully they'd get a big wreck and could come in for tires at the end.
"There's 33 to go, man. 33."
"We're good on fuel," Shear commented. "I just don't know about tires."
"Lead pack at the start / finish now, Michael," the spotter observed.
"Got 25 to go, man," the spotter said on lap 136. "25 to go." The #55 radio was quiet for long spans of time before and after that communication, interrupted only by the spotter clearing Mikey by cars.
"Twenty more to go, buddy, twenty more to go," the spotter said five laps later.
"We put scuff tires on it last time," Shear told his driver. "Hopefully they last as long."
"They're starting to push and shove at the front," the spotter noted. "Hopefully we'll get a twenty to thirty car deal, get us a break."
"Fifteen to go, man. Fifteen."
The yellow flag waved for the third time on lap 148. Kurt Busch had taken Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte three-wide, knocking Johnson's #48 loose and wiggling him up the track into Bobby Labonte.
"Cars in the wall in three and four, cars in the wall in three and four," the spotter noted. "Caution's out. Only two of them brushing around there. Caution's out."
"Okay, guys. Get ready to put tires on it. A little bit of fuel," said Shear. "Was it a little bit better there, Michael?"
"No, it was definitely looser," Mikey replied, "but I don't know what it's doing to the front tires. Alls we do is just free it up, free it up, free it up. I don't know. Dirt track loose, but I don't think the right front tire was going to make it all the way anyway. It was starting to give up."
"Okay, 10-4. Four tires on it second time by."
"Pit road's open for the leaders," the spotter noted. "Pit road's open for the leaders. Stay out one more lap."
The leaders pit. Shear and the spotter discussed Mikey being two laps down, and the only ones on that lap.
"It's going to be a single-file restart anyway, so it don't really matter," Mikey replied.
Shear and the spotter led him to his box.
"Drop the right side. We've got to turn the tires a little bit," Shear directed. "Go go go go."
Boris Said led under yellow. With Labonte's departure, Mikey picked up 40th.
"All right, man, one to go when you get around here," the spotter said. "One to go."
Racing resumed on lap 152 with Said in the lead. Mikey commented on Said leading, and the spotter said he hadn't pit.
"Seven to go, seven to go. They're three-wide, going four-deep up there," the spotter noted. "Big crash off of two, big crash off of two. About two or three caught up in it."
The yellow flag came out for the fourth time on lap 155. Yeley had gone up and turned Greg Biffle, then got into Jeff Gordon. Carl Edwards got into Yeley. Biffle turned down into Mark Martin.
"Hey, Mike, I'm sorry about this thing." Shear said the A-frame was probably what had messed them up. "I hate it, the thing's terrible. We just..." He said drafting practice would have helped.
"That's a good excuse," Mikey replied. "Go with that."
"They're saying one to go, one to go," the spotter noted. He said there were safety trucks down low.
Said led the lap 158 restart. Mikey was 39th with Gordon's departure.
"Give me a play by play," Mikey told his team.
Tony Stewart took the top spot on lap 159. Kurt Busch hooked up with Kyle Busch as Mikey was told two laps were left in the race. Mikey was marked 38th. The yellow flag came out for debris off Turn 3 on the last lap, and Stewart crossed the stripe under yellow and checkered. Mikey finished 38th, three laps down as he lost another tire.
"Come on across, come on across," the spotter directed.
"Let's give him some water and some other stuff for him," Shear told the crew. "Sorry about that, guys. I was hoping for a better day than that."
NASCAR goes to Illinois next weekend. Coverage of the Nextel Cup's USG Sheetrock 400 begins at 3:00pm ET on TNT. Mikey may compete in the Busch Series' USG Durock 300 the day before, which airs at 4:00pm on the same station.
