Michael Waltrip qualified 39th for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, Sunday's Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. He turned his best of two laps his second time around the track. His 30.004-second lap at 126.943 MPH was 0.634 seconds behind pole-winner Ryan Newman. His #00 Burger King Chevrolet with Bill Elliott behind the wheel got in with a championship provisional.
"1, 2," Mikey said on the radio from pit road, before his run. "Hey, can anyone tell me the four slowest times on the stock cars?"
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr said he would "go down there and find out now." He told his driver the times for the go-or-go-home group.
"Update me when the 74 goes," he requested, "and I've got it covered from there." He said that the #5 of Kyle Busch was on sticker tires.
Shear told him the #74 of Derrike Cope ran a 30.24 on his first lap and a 30.44 on the second.
Mikey's #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge came onto the track at 4:06pm ET. After the first lap, Shear told him he had run a 30.07. "Need a little more, if you can get it.
"30 flat," Shear said after the second lap. "30.004."
Mikey told his crew chief that would get him into the race, because four cars were slower. Shear said somebody else needed to be slow to get Bill Elliott's #00 in. Mikey said they only needed four behind them, including Bill, and "that's just the kind of world we live in." He reported that the car had no front grip but the back was "plenty good."
Shear told him to park on the front stretch with "the rest of the guys."
