Michael Waltrip's #55 Napa Dodge ranked 33rd in practice today at Pocono Raceway, in preparation for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500. He completed his best lap in 55.030 seconds at 163.547 MPH, and was 1.253 seconds behind session leader Kasey Kahne.
"Hello?" was Mikey's first word on the radio this morning.
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr told him he was clear to back the car out of the garage. He told his driver the grill was open, and instructed him to run two hard laps. The crew would make changes, and Mikey would run another lap.
The #55 took to the track at 12:05pm.
"There's a bit of a line out there," Mikey commented, referring to the cars lined on pit road, waiting to take to the track. "So it will take a few minutes."
"10-4," Shear replied. He read off lap times for current session leaders during the wait, and Mikey thanked him. He was on track moments later.
"The car sure coasts good," Mikey commented, after his run. "It must have real good tires on it."
Shear reminded Mikey of a particular adjustment they had made.
Much static and chatter came over the radio, and Mikey said, "Be quiet!"
Shear read off lap times of 55.50 and 56.00, and asked for water and oil temperatures.
"240 right now," Mikey replied. "220 coasting."
"What were your thoughts on that lap?" Shear asked.
"If I had been a second faster," Mikey answered, "I would have been real happy." He told his crew chief the balance of the car was good.
Shear said he would look at the travel.
"I was pretty happy with the way it drove," Mikey stated. He wanted to work on the travel or to lower the car more. He said he liked the shock package, but the ride felt bumpy and choppy. He told his crew to take up the front of the car more. "I drove harder, and I ran slower, so something went wrong."
He pulled into the garage at 12:15pm.
Shear told the spotter he heard too much static when the spotter hit the button, but the static had cleared. The spotter said he would change with his other radio after practice. Shear called for the crew to put the car on scales, and to take the left rear off and slide the housing all the way back while jacking up the car. After Mikey got out of the car, Shear asked a crew member to sit on the door.
"You've got an hour left, buddy," the spotter noted.
"Thank you, sir," replied Shear. He asked crew member Jack to jump on the door again, and called for one out of the right rear.
The track went under the yellow flag at 12:40pm, as the team continued to work on the car.
Shear asked for Jack to return to the car. "Just sit on it, don't jump on it," he requested. After some more work, he asked where Mikey was. "I'll go find him."
A crew member said Mikey was on his way back to the car. The driver returned at 12:50pm.
Two minutes later, Shear was saying, "Coming to you, Ross."
The Napa Dodge took to the track.
"Michael, I'm going to ask you for an oil pressure, over there, after your second lap," Shear told his driver.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
Shear told his driver what adjustments he had made, as Mikey returned to the track at 12:53pm.
The spotter warned Mikey that Mark Martin's #6 was at the start / finish line, but said he didn't think Martin would catch Mikey.
After getting onto the track, Mikey said, "Right now, I've got 80 pounds."
"10-4," Shear replied. "80 pounds."
"Right now, I've got 75 pounds," Mikey said a moment later. "Only got 225 on the water. Gonna run one more."
"10-4," Shear replied. Following the lap, he told his driver he had completed the circuit in 55.89 seconds. He asked for temps when Mikey shut down the car.
"230," Mikey replied. "It drives great. I love the way it drives. Might have been different travel. I felt I ran it as hard as I could."
Shear wanted to work on shock travel, and spotter Ross told him forty minutes remained. He asked the crew to look for people who were scuffing tires.
"I don't want to scuff," Mikey told his crew chief.
"I don't personally want to," Shear replied, "but I want to know if anyone else does."
Mikey was in the garage at 12:56.
Shear wanted to top off on fuel, put on three tires with pressures, and get the car jacked way up and have Mikey run just one lap.
A crew member noted the build-up on the tires was the same from the first to the second set.
"It felt like it was about the same," Mikey replied.
Shear wanted to put a round in the right front and to take a round out of the left front. He asked a crew member to do it, then said he would do it himself. Shear asked his driver if he felt the travel was good.
"Yeah, I don't have any issues with the balance," Mikey answered. "My front felt down, it travels good. I tried as hard as I could."
Shear wanted "a shitload more grip" in the car. He said the inch by nine inch worth tape needed to stay cool, and told his driver to run just one lap.
Mikey said he would rather adjust the back with shocks, and get the car down. He thought that would be a better adjustment than working on springs.
Shear commented that the good thing about the front end being down on the straightaway was that the front end doesn't slam down.
Mikey was back on track at 1:05pm.
"55.31," Shear read off the time. "Shut 'er down, and bring 'er to me. What'd you have there, Mike?"
"A little looser that time," Mikey answered.
Sheare said the engineering department had predicted that the tire pressure adjustment would turn the car better in the centre but turn the car looser on entry, according to their data. "It's nice when your driver backs up what the engineering says."
"Yeah," Mikey replied. He said he wanted other back springs in the car. "Make sure I have stickers to qualify on," he asked of his crew. "I know you probably have that, but I just had to say it."
He came in at 1:10pm. Shear called for the car to be jacked up on the left. He wanted to change the front spring and tires. A crew member said there were no right rear shock on it.
Mikey got out of his car again, and was back in at 1:19pm. The car was about to go out, but then they needed to put tape on the car.
Mikey was back on track at 1:23pm.
"What do we got up in front of me?" Mikey asked as he headed down pit road. "Just a couple cars or what?"
The spotter said he thought Mikey was looking for a clean run, and that Mikey only had nine minutes left to practice. He cleared Mikey after the #5.
"There's two coming off Turn 3," the spotter noted. "I think we will beat them both."
Shear read off a 55.03 after the lap. He asked for water and oil temperatures.
"That was a good deal there," Mikey commented. "FIrst time I ever drug the road. Felt like money."
Shear told his driver to get in and to get ready for qualifying. He said everyone would give Mikey a little. "Then you get us a little, and we'll be fine." He told the crew he knows he put them through hell and that he appreciates their work.
Mikey told his team they were "generally good". "We'll stay focused all weekend," he continued. "We'll be fine." He said the car was hitting a little on the straightaways.
"On pit road, guys," the spotter warned them. Mikey was back in the garage at 1:29pm, and practice ended shortly thereafter.
Coverage of the Pennsylvania 500 begins Sunday at 1:30pm ET on TNT.
