Michael Waltrip ranked 36th of 47 drivers in the first Nextel Cup practice of the weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, in preparation for Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 300. He completed his best lap in 29.901 seconds at 127.380 MPH and was 0.581 seconds behind pace setter Jeff Burton.
The spotter came on the radio at 11:31am. He and the crew chief did a radio check, and the spotter noted that eighteen cars were on pit road.
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr said that Mikey was getting in the car, and that they planned to scuff tires right now. The spotter wanted to know if they were coming out and in, or if they would run a lap and a half at a time. Shear said they would run hard for a lap and a half.
Cars took to the track at 11:35am.
"Got a copy, driver?" Shear asked. He said this particular car did not have a lot of turning room on the left, so be careful in the garage.
"Coming to you, Ross," he told the spotter when Mikey was ready to leave the garages.
"Thank you, sir," spotter Ross replied. He said a car was out there and to take their time.
Shear reiterated how they would scrub tires and told Mikey were to go.
As the #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge glided down pit road for the first time this race weekend, Ross said, "Good morning, Michael."
Mikey did not respond. Ross told him that about five cars were going to be in front of him.
After the driver took to the track, he said, "I think the tires are fine." He noted that the front end was pushing out of the groove. "Look at everything and see what you can see."
"10-4." Shear considered an issue with the valience. Mikey said the car slid up in the corner, and the crew chief thought moving up the valiance would help.
"All right, spotter, double nickels coming to you," Shear told Ross when Mikey returned to the track. As the #55 came back into the pits, he said, "30.54 that lap, Michael."
Mikey said the problem wasn't with the valience. The car was pushing up the hill, and he wanted to put on tires and run for a while to find out what the problem was. He wanted someone on the truck to watch him in the centre of the coners. Shear said he would go.
Ross said the car wasn't dragging in the turns.
"What's a fast time?" Mikey asked.
"29.90," was Shear's response.
"What sway bar's in it?"
"2-8 left side."
Mikey was back on track at 11:50am and was told to fall in line behind Kevin Lepage's #61. After he ran a 30.09, he commented, "Uh, that felt better."
Shear said it should; the tires were getting better every run. He informed his driver they had started with the worse set.
"Oil temperature is 280, for some reason," Mikey noted. He observed it drop to 270 when on pit road, and said he didn't think the engine was broken.
Shear wanted to get ready for qualifying, but Mikey wanted to run the car and see. He said it didn't feel like he had too much bar.
Shear said it looked like the valiance was chattering in the turns, and Mikey said they need to put markers on it. He was back behind the wall at 11:54.
In the garage, Mikey asked his crew chief not to mess up heights and to retape it if he want to see what it did. Shear said his saw heights were with Mikey in the car and that he would have to do them again. Sixty-five minutes remained in practice.
"Where'd we draw to qualify?" Mikey asked.
Shear said he didn't know yet. He wanted tire sheets after the next run, and he gave Mikey other instructions too.
"You think I can remember all that?" Mikey asked.
"I'll help you."
"I'll do my best," Mikey sighed. "I like this fancy tape you have, Dave."
A crew member responded over the radio, saying he just got it and would use it every week.
"We'll see."
When Mikey headed down pit road to return to the track, his spotter first told him to hustle to be after Scott Riggs but then said he had to wait for two more cars.
"I'm gonna stop," Mikey said. He told his spotter to tell him when to go, but that he didn't want to be crowded. At 12:03, Ross cleared him in a space.
Shear read off a 30.12 and 30.14, called for a plug check, and asked about the oil and pressures.
Mikey reported that the oil pressure was 70 and the temperatures were 210 and 240. "Tires feel like the first time out," Mikey commented. "Real tight."
Shear wanted a spring change, and to look at range set 1 and 3, and told Mikey that was the same set they went out on first and noted that Mikey didn't like them then either. He then said this was set 2, and that they had skipped set 1.
"Why did we do that?" Mikey asked.
Shear said he liked them better for qualifying. He used two different numbering systems and had gotten the numbering wrong in his head.
"I did too," Mikey replied. "I just thought the first set we went out on was set 1. Shows how much I know." He said the tape didn't help him turn at all but the last set turned good.
Shear wanted room to put on tape in qualifying. He asked a crew member where he was, and was told he was checking on Bill Elliott's Michael Waltrip Racing #00 Burger King Dodge.
When Shear said he was still seeing a chatter, Mikey said he didn't feel it. "I'll hop out when we get there," he said. "We can look at everything, put on another set of tires and try again."
"Got 55 min, buddy," Ross noted.
"Thanks," was Shear's reply. He said they would look at travels and may go up 25 on the right front if they were going down than they needed to on the track. Mikey said he liked that.
"This car doesn't turn very far either way," Mikey commented.
"Hey, 45 minutes, buddy," Ross noted.
"Hey, buddy, you on?" Ross observed lots of drivers scuffing tires.
Shear said they would do that later in the practice run, and thanked him for the info.
When Mikey returned to the track, Ross asked if he wanted to stop again. Mikey told him he was ready when the track was clear. He was cleared at 12:28.
Shear asked about how the right rear tire affected the run. Mikey said he didn't know; the needed to look at it and fix it. He said he didn't know how it hit, but the car goes in and pushes up the track. He asked about lap times.
Shear told him he had run a 31.76 and a 30.76. He thought the right front needed cambre taken out to help the travel.
"Let's do that," Mikey replied. He wanted to put set one back on, the first ones he went out with, and make another run.
Shear asked if the spring was hitting harder or the same.
Mikey told him it was no different. He said he went for it, tried harder, and then was loose after that.
Ross announced that only thirty minutes remained in practice.
Shear said they were better with scuffs, the same tires they ran at Richmond. Mikey asked if it were the same set they ran in 2005.
"Blast right around that 4 car," the spotter said when Mikey returned to the track at 12:41. "Let's go."
"The 48 is on stickers," Mikey commented.
Shear read off a 30.19 and a 30.14.
"That drove better," Mikey reported. "That drove like it did earlier. No push, maybe just a little bit free a tick."
Shear didn't want qualifying tires on the car until last minute. He didn't want heat to get into them.
"A little bit free," Mikey commented. "A little bit free in, and in the centre, and a little right off." He said they may want to go with a track bar adjustment, or whatever they thought. "It needs to be a little different.
"I'm a combination of pushing and loose," Mikey continued. "Just a little bit." He wanted a few changes and told his crew to "poke at it." He said that, as good as it drove, the car needed work during the race.
Shear wanted to make another adjustment before qualifying. He wanted to put a pound in the right front, and "put a half here and there."
He also wanted to work on the left front fender. He said, if it touched, that would mess up the run.
Mikey asked when practice would be over. He wanted a quarter bar out in the front if they had time so they would have that information. He also requested that they not use their qualifying tires in practice without letting him know that's what they were doing. He noted that temperatures were not a factor in the run.
After Mikey made a run, Shear read off two 29.90's. "Tell me what you need."
Mikey told his crew chief he thought the car was better but to try sway bar. "I was just a little too tight on the exit but was able to really hustle it."
"Did the 32 mess you up any?" Shear asked.
"No." Again, he said the temperatures were not a factor. After the run, the temperature was only as high as 230.
Shear said they would be all right if they could get back out without too many cars on the track. Mikey returned at 12:58.
The spotter said fives cars would be on the track when Mikey came out. Mikey commented that Scott Wimmer's #4 and Robby Gordon's #7 were on sticker tires, if they wanted to watch them.
Shear said Jimmie Johnson's #48 ran a 68, and Mikey noticed that Kasey Kahne's #9 was also on sticker tires. He said he was ready to go when told.
Ross cleared him.
"30.06, Michael. 30.06," Shear read off the time.
"Well, you started talking, man! Fuck!" Mikey exclaimed. "That didn't do any good. That wasn't any better."
Shear said he would go out 31st in qualifying.
"How much time we got?" Mikey asked.
"Four minutes," Shear said. The #55 did not return to the track for the end of that session.
