Michael Waltrip picked up his best finish of the Nextel Cup season tonight. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge crossed the stripe 16th in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Mikey started today's race from the 29th position, with Kurt Busch on the pole. He had the 19th box on pit road, in front of Jamie McMurray's #26 and behind Derrike Cope's #74.
When the green flag flew, Kurt Busch jumped out ahead of Jeff Burton, taking a solid hold on the top spot. A couple laps into the race, Mikey picked up two spots, as Burton pressured Busch for the lead. Matt Kenseth caught the pair in first and second. Derrike Cope fell out of the race within the first ten laps.
On lap 12, Burton dropped under Busch and took the top spot. Kenseth slid into the second spot. Brian Vickers suffered a flat tire on lap 13 and scraped the wall. His #25 car limped to the garage.
By lap 17, Mikey had passed Dave Blaney and Greg Biffle for 25th. He was nine and a half seconds off the lead, and nine laps later, he was up two more spots. Biffle passed him a couple of laps later, dropping the #55 to 24th. By lap 45, Kasey Kahne's #9 got around the Napa Dodge.
Lap 54 saw Kenseth take the lead.
Sterling Marlin brought out the first caution on lap 61. He got a flat right front tire, and his #14 sailed up the track and into the wall. Drivers made stops under yellow. Busch's #2 was the first car off pit road. Because he had pit short and outside his box, Mark Martin was held in his box for a one lap penalty. Kyle Petty also served a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit road. Everyone on track had made stops under that yellow, and Joe Nemechek received the free pass back onto the lead lap.
Busch led the lap 68 restart, with Mikey running 22nd. Four laps into the run, he had passed Dale Earnhardt Jr for position. Lap 77 saw Burton retake the lead, and Earnhardt Jr got back around the #55 a couple laps later. Bowyer got around Mikey on lap 87, moving him back to 23rd.
On lap 88, the yellow flag waved a second time. Dave Blaney had pinched down Kyle Petty's #45, sending the #45 for a spin. Travis Kvapil and Kenny Wallace both got penalties for speeding on pit road.
Burton led the lap 84 restart. Mikey was 25th. On lap 97, Clint Bowyer, Sterling Marlin, and Kevin Lepage went three-wide. Marlin tapped Mikey, forcing him down that track. In turn, Mikey forced down Yeley. Mikey fell to 26th and had sustained a donut, while Yeley's time on the apron dropped him back significantly. Lap 110 saw Mikey get around Kevin Lepage for position.
The third caution was on lap 114 for David Gilliland. His #38 got loose off the corner, got on the apron, drifted up, and made contact with the wall. David Stremme received the free pass. Drivers made stops under yellow, and Sadler was the first driver off pit road.
The field took the green again on lap 120. Dale Earnhardt Jr had stayed on the track and led the field. Mikey was 28th.
On lap 138, Carl Edwards took the lead. Meanwhile, Mikey picked up 27th from Jamie McMurray. Jeff Burton got around Edwards for the top spot on lap 150. By then, Mikey had fallen back to 28th. He got around Dale Jarrett on lap 161 to take back 27th.
Jeff Gordon took the lead several laps later. Green and Bowyer had passed by lap 187, dropping Mikey to 29th.
The fourth caution came for Kevin Harvick, who lost his right front tire and hit the wall in Turn 2. Mikey received the free pass, and cars made stops.
Lap 208 saw the restart. Gordon lead, and Mikey was 27th.
Debris drew the lap 210 caution - the fifth of the race. Scott Wimmer had hit the wall. He fell out of the race shortly thereafter.
Racing resumed on lap 217 with Gordon in the lead. Mikey rode 27th. Two laps into the run, Gordon slid up the track and lost the lead to Jeff Burton. On lap 225, Reed Sorenson got a right rear flat. He stayed in the gas and wobbled along the track, trying to find an opening to the pits. Kurt Busch tagged him, and behind him, David Stremme and Scott Riggs made contact.
The sixth yellow flag was for Sorenson and others involved in that accident.
Green returned on lap 233. Burton led, and Kurt Busch's #2 was smoking the fender. The yellow came back immediately.
NASCAR brought out the seventh caution for Clint Bowyer, whose #07 made hard contact with the wall. His left rear wheel had popped off. Some leaders made stops under the yellow flag period, and Kurt Busch's team banged out the left front fender. Twenty-seven cars were on the lead lap.
Lap 242 saw the restart, with Burton out front. Mikey was 19th. Riggs and Harvick passed on lap 250, moving the #55 to 21st. Mikey picked up 20th by lap 292.
On lap 310, Kenseth took the lead from Burton.
"Still there, still there, still there," his spotter noted. "Clear. You're doing a great job racing that leader, bud."
Behind the #55, Bobby Labonte held leader Kenseth at bay.
"You're clear one back to the 43, and he's got the 17 on his lead," observed the spotter.
Robby Gordon dropped through the ranks, allowing Mikey to gain 19th on lap 323.
"Stay down stay down stay down," the spotter warned. "Still outside, still outside, clear."
The yellow flag came out for the eighth time on lap 325 when David Stremme's #40 hit the wall. He went to the garage.
"You got a car in the wall," informed the spotter. "Caution's out, caution's out. He'll be out of the wall, but there may be debris."
"How's the car, Mike?" Baldwin Jr asked.
"It's, um...," Mikey responded, "it's loose in and tight off. It was better than it's been." got tighter and tighter
Baldwin Jr called for a pound out of the left front, four tires, and fuel. "You're doing a good job, man," he praised.
"I need a couple of waters there, and some rags," Mikey told his team.
"How are your temps?"
"220, 220 on the long run."
Baldwin Jr told the team to "pack it good" with fuel. Leaders made stops under yellow. "Get all you can to the guys. What are these guys doing?"
"We're in the pits."
"Get all you can. Get all you can to the line. Watch your speeds," Baldwin Jr warned. "We'll have an opening in front of us and behind us, so just get in good, Mike, to the sign. Got the committment line now. 3, 2, 1, right here.
"I don't know if you were doing anything with your brake," continued the crew chief, after the stop. "Just make sure, in the long run, you might need to put some more front brake or rear brake. I don't know if you put a lot of front brake in it, but it helped it. You may need to lay off on the long run."
"10-4," the driver responded.
"Doing a great job, man!" Baldwin Jr repeated. "They're really busting people for speed. That's the fourth guy. They're busting the 19. He's on the bottom there."
"You got all the fuel you need? You need to take any more?" spotter Ross asked.
Baldwin Jr said they will get another caution for sure, and that they were close but were about ten or fifteen laps short.
"10-4."
"All right, bud," the crew chief addressed his driver. "One to go. One to go."
Baldwin Jr complained that NASCAR wasn't coming over the radio to say the green flag was coming out or that they had one to go.
Racing resumed on lap 333 with Burton back in the lead. Mikey was cleared two back, and rode 17th. Kenseth fought for the lead. Two laps into the run, Sadler's #19 passed and dropped Mikey to 18th. His spotter warned that the #78 was slow on the bottom.
"Clear, there, you're all clear."
Lap 337 saw Mikey pass Casey Mears.
"Cleared three back, cleared three back," noted the spotter. "Still there. Clear, clear. Clear, two back.
"You've got a slow one on the bottom. The 40 car's a lap down. Still there. Still there. You see that 40. Left side, still there. Still there. Clear up, clear up, clear up. Clear, all clear.
"Robby's right there. Inside, inside."
"He's not for position," Baldwin Jr pointed out.
"Yeah, but he's got a vengence," the spotter replied. He cleared Mikey by him. "All right, brother, let's go run our race now.
"All right, leader's at the line... now." That was on lap 267. "All right, buddy, you're clear two back. Leader's two behind you."
Reed Sorenson rode side-by-side with Mikey, one lap down, on lap 377. When the #55 got around Sorenson's #41, it made ground on those behind.
"Caution's right in front of you."
The nineth yellow flag was for contact between Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler around lap 380. Sadler hit JJ Yeley on his way down the track.
"Plowing," Mikey reported.
"It's not loose getting in anymore?" Baldwin Jr asked.
"Negative."
Baldwin Jr wanted four tires and to go one up on the track bar. When Mikey asked for more right rear air, the crew chief went with it. Again, he reiterated that his driver was doing a good job.
"Go go go go go go go go. Great job, guys! Good job!" Baldwin Jr praised. "All right, now we're good on gas, Ty."
"Good stop, boys! Good stop!" The spotter exclaimed.
Dale Earnhardt Jr won the race off pit road, and Mikey was now 15th.
"One to go, one to go."
"You'll have 114 to go when it goes green, and you're sitting in 15th spot, man," Baldwin Jr said.
Lap 387 saw the restart. Earnhardt Jr led, and Mikey was 15th. On lap 394, the #55 battled Dale Jarrett's #88 for position.
"Still there, still there. Clear, clear," the spotter warned. "Clear two back to the 20, buddy. Nice job!"
Kenseth whipped by Earnhardt Jr and took the lead on lap 400. Earnhardt Jr had got on the apron and wiggled up the track.
"Clear four back, no pressure," said the spotter on lap 410. Five laps later, he added, "The 45's slow on the high side. Clear, clear.
"Leader's at the line now," he warned with 77 laps to go.
"Clear three back, about 70 to go." He warned his driver that the lapped #7 of Robby Gordon was with him again. "Still there. Still there, for some reason."
"About six cars, maybe five cars back to the leader," he added on lap 442.
"One's blowing up in... caution's out, caution's out. Looks like the 19 blew up in Turn 1." He warned Mikey of oil.
The tenth caution on lap 446 when something broke on Elliott Sadler's #19, and it flew into the wall. Dave Blaney received the free pass.
"Hey, Tommy, guess what?" Mikey asked. "PLOWING!"
"That change didn't make you loose in, did it, Mike?"
"Nope."
Baldwin Jr called for half a pound of air in the right rear and one up on the track bar.
"It may not be oil," noted the spotter. "He started smoking at the start / finish line, for some reason."
"Hey, Kenny, take half a pound out of the right front, okay?" Baldwin Jr requested of a crew member. When pit road openned, the leaders made stops. "Make sure you get all your wheels tight there, all right, guys? This will be the last stop of the night.
"3, 2, 1. Pit to the side. Bring your wheel a little bit to the left, all right." After a minute, the crew chief added, "50 laps to go, 50 laps to go. Position 15. The 22 will be the lucky dog, outside."
"All right, Ty. Here's where everything starts getting crazy, man," Baldwin Jr addressed the spotter under yellow.
"All right, buddy, coming to the green. 46 to go. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight, three back."
The green flag returned on lap 456. Mikey was 15th, with Kenseth leading.
"Clear clear clear. Inside, inside. Clear clear."
He was told inside and clear on and off until lap 464, when his spotter told him everyone was back single-file.
"Inside, inside. Clear, clear."
Lap 471 saw Mikey fall to 16th; Dave Blaney's #22 passed. "29 to go."
"Clear three back, buddy. Three back," the spotter said on lap 479.
"You're doing a good job, man," Baldwin Jr encouraged his driver. "20 to go, 20 to go."
"All right, buddy, eighteen to go. 88 and 22 for position," the spotter said. "Ten to go, ten to go. 17 at the line now."
"Still there. Clear, clear," the spotter said on lap 494. "7 to go, 7.
"5 to go. That is the leader behind you."
Kenseth dropped inside and ran side-by-side. Mikey hung along his outside but ultimately, the race leader passed. With two laps to go, Mikey fell a lap down. The #55 stuck with the #17.
"Second place coming under you. Inside, inside. That's it, bud. Great effort, Michael. Great effort."
"Great job this weekend, guys!" Baldwin Jr praised his team. "We took a piece of shit race car yesterday and turned it into a 16th place car."
"You too, Tommy. Thank you so much," Mikey replied. "I appreciate everyone working like they did. Sorry I didn't get 15th. Almost got it."
"That's our best finish of the year, Tom."
"Yeah, so far. We've got more races to go."
NASCAR goes to California Speedway next week. Coverage of the Sony HD 500 will air this coming Sunday at 7:00pm ET on NBC. He may compete in the Busch Series' Ameriquest 300 the day before, which will air on TNT at 10:00pm ET.
