Power steering issues for the #55 by Kellyanne Lynch
23 September 2007
Michael Waltrip's #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry lost power steering partway through the Dodge Dealers 400, this afternoon's Nextel Cup race at Dover International Speedway. He man-handled the car to a 15th place finish but was two laps down. Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann finished 18th and three laps down after getting caught up in a wreck while Dale Jarrett fell out of the race with an engine problem and placed 41st.
"We had a lot of promise early in the race," Mikey said after the race. "We were really running fast. Then we had a power steering issue -- then we had handling issues. I really don't know which had to do with which -- I know the power steering was a big issue because that makes you drive the car weird and maybe I didn't adjust right for that. All in all we were competitive all day and fast early so we can take this, be positive and have a good feeling about what we did here today. We weren't very good here in the spring so this is a great improvement for us here at Dover."
"Bobby, it's Mark, got a copy?" spotter Mark Green came on the radio at 1:36pm ET.
"He doesn't have his radio on yet," a crew member replied.
"Thank you, Ron." A moment later, Mark addressed the driver.
"I got you," Mikey replied. "Y'all hear me okay?"
"I got you, Mike, loud and clear."
"Got you too."
"Yeah, I got you. Loud and clear," added crew chief Bobby Kennedy.
After a minute, Mikey said, "I heard it was great." The context is unclear.
"There you go," Bobby replied. "Got an at-a-boy, Kevin."
"Hey, Bobby, it's Mark," the spotter addressed the crew chief.
"Yeah, go ahead," Bobby answered.
"Since we're pitted forth box in, I'll get him to the cone, and you'll get him in and out."
"All right, 10-4, 10-4."
A moment later, Mikey talked about something in the car not normal and only being on the eleven.
"That is not normal," Bobby acknowledged.
"I don't know." Mikey commented on gas being low too.
"That's not normal either. It'll be all right. It'll come up."
"Okay." Later, he added, "All right, I got it to wake up. It's 7200."
"All right, 10-4."
"I wonder when the last time I started last was," Mikey pondered aloud. "I don't remember ever starting last. I haven't started a few times."
"Yeah, I'm trying to think. I haven't remembered the tail end either," Bobby said. "Well, you didn't really qualify last. They start you last. It's the way the system is."
"I may have had a top ten if they just counted turn four to turn four, if they cut off the rest of it."
Bobby agreed.
Mark talked about something being in between Turns 3 and 4. "Slow one up here a little bit." He said the field was at pit road speed.
"Well, it looks like 3600, but I don't know. 35 or 34. I don't know. You tell me."
Bobby said they'd go with 3700, because they were showing 3900 max.
"3700 is what the 00 shows," Mark stated.
"Anybody coming back here with me?" Mikey asked.
"I believe one of the Red Bull cars is coming back," Bobby said. "That's what I heard."
"Oh yeah, he changed his engine."
"All right, Mike, coming to the one to go this time. One to go."
Sharing the 07, whowever first on track gets it. "All right, guys, let's be heads-up in the pits here." Don't get tires mixed up going over the wall. "Everyone take care of himself, and we'll be good."
"Okay, pace car is off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Clear all around, clear all around."
The green flag waved at 1:46pm ET with Clint Bowyer leading the field. Denny Hamlin immediately took the lead as Mikey moved past AJ Almendinger for 42nd.
"Clear all around. The 84 has a motor problem behind you. Clear all around." A couple laps later, Mark said, "Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Two-wide, you're on the bottom. Clear. Clear all around."
Lap 6 saw Mikey move into 40th, having passed David Stremme and Clint Bowyer.
"Still clear by one on the 07. Looking inside, by himself. By himself," Mark guided.
"Speak up, Mark," Mikey requested.
"Still there, still there. Still there. 40 looking inside, inside. Clear. Clear all around."
Mikey was back to 41st with Bowyer's pass on lap 8.
"Clear high, clear high. Clear all around. Looking inside, inside. Clear. Clear all around."
"26 flat, 26 flat," Bobby gave lap times on lap 12. Mikey was now 40th, having passed Kenny Wallace's #88. "Leader ten."
The first caution came on lap 12 for Johnny Sauter, whose #70 had spun.
"It's a little loose," Mikey reported, walking over his crew chief who was asking how the car was. "It seems fine though."
"All right, if they start peeling off, we'll stay out to get us some track position." 07 gets first option. Have to stay out first time anyway because of that. Little loose everywhere?
"Mainly just right in the centre. I can't roll in the centre like I want to. I have to coast through the centre. I can't give it any gas before that because of the looseness." Good off, just needs help in the centre.
"Okay, 10-4, 10-4. All right, I see enough of them peeling off so that, when it comes back to us, we're going to stay out."
"All right, staying out here. Staying out," someone said.
Bobby told the seven crewmen to stay in the shared pit box in case Mikey had to come in.
"Got a blower right off of 4, Mike," Mark warned. "Need to go high when you get here."
Because Almendinger was out of the race, the #55 team prepared to move to his pit box.
"All right, we're in the process of moving the pit. We will be in the 84 pit," said Bobby. He told Mikey that was past the #00.
"So we'll be on the left?" Mikey asked.
Bobby laughed. "Yeah, a big 10-4 on that."
"If it ever winds up on the right, I"m not going the right way, right?"
"Yeah, 10-4."
Bobby confirms with a crew member named Flash that it's the 84 pit that was open.
"Yeah, pit twelve," said Flash.
"10-4."
Flash asked about the 70 pit. When Bobby asked if they were out, Flash discussed the damage.
"He might not be out though," Mikey commented.
"They're going to try to fix the 70 car, they're telling me, Bob," said Flash.
"All right," Bobby replied. "We'll just move to pit twelve."
Hamlin led the lap 18 restart with Mikey in 20th. He immediately lost five positions to people with new tires.
"Lined up on the outside. Just hold your bottom there," Mark noted. "Still out there, still out there. Got another one coming. Outside. Still outside, still outside. Still out there, still out there. Still outside. Still out there. Got a spin behind us. Caution's out, caution's out."
The second caution on lap 21 was for Ken Schrader's #21, which spun.
"I was the last guy. I didn't have anybody protecting me, or I wouldn't be so bad. It's still a little loose."
Bobby said he was like a sitting duck out there and it would have helped to get a few laps to get it sorted out.
Mikey said he was a little too loose to do what the other guys were doing. "Are we going to pit?"
Bobby told him they would pit and would make a track bar adjustment.
"We're still in the fourth stall on pit road, Mike," Mark informed his driver.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
Bobby called for four tires and told his driver to go past the #40 pit. "Right here, right here." After the stop, he said they'd give him an update for when they were ready in the twelfth box.
"It's going to be a little bit, Bobby," a crew member said. "The 84 isn't even out."
"What happened, Mark?" Mikey asked.
Mark told him the #21 was really loose and finally just went around, but that he barely touched the wall.
Racing resumed on lap 25 with Mikey in 36th. Mark cleared Mikey by half a car length on the #40 then all around.
"Looking inside, inside. By himself," warned the spotter. "Clear, clear."
"25.20," Bobby read off the lap time.
"Inside, inside. Clear, clear. Outside. Clear the 31. Clear, clear."
Passing Jeff Burton moved Mikey into 35th on lap 30; however, David Stremme passed along the inside the next time around the track. Mark cleared the #55 behind the #40.
"Still there," Mark warned. "Clear all around, clear all around."
"25.80, 25.80," Bobby read off times. "65, 65.
"75, 75."
"Still down there. Still there. Clear, clear all around."
Mikey passed David Gilliland on lap 36 to regain the 35th position.
"60, 60. Pretty good lap there," Bobby commented. "60, 60."
"Clear by half on the 38," said Mark. "Still there. Clear high behind him if you need it. Still out there, still out there. Still out there, still there. 38 lined up behind him on the outside, looking outside. Still outside, still outside. 41 car coming with him. Looking outside. Outside, still outside, still there. Clear high behind the 41. Clear right there. Clear by two, back to the 88."
By lap 41, David Gilliland and Reed Sorenson had passed. Mikey was now 37th.
"Leader's at the line... now," Bobby noted.
At the front of the field, Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 43, just as Mikey ran a 26 flat.
"Still outside, still there. Clear behind him," Mark observed. "Still out there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear clear, clear."
Mikey passed Paul Menard for position on lap 47.
"All right, tell me about your car and what we can do to fix it," Bobby requested through static. After a pause, he said, "55, 55. That's a good lap right there. Faster than most of the guys in the top ten."
"Clear, clear."
Mark had cleared Mikey past Gilliland for 35th on lap 50.
"46 flat, flat. Leader a 70," Bobby continued with lap times.
"I'm a little tight," Mikey reported.
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got debris on the race track," Mark said on lap 53.
The third caution was for debris. Bobby asked where the car was tight.
"Right where I was loose in the centre. I'd just do that track bar."
Bobby said they'd have to wait for the second time by; they still needed to pit in the #07 pit after the #07, because a crew member said they were setting up canopies. Bobby told them they shouldn't worry about satellites and stuff like that. Mikey asked about leading a lap while they were at it, and Bobby told him to go for it. The crew chief called for two rounds down. They wondered if the #31 was trying to lead, but he was the free pass car. They had to stay on track an extra lap, because the leader beat them to the line on pit road.
"Just make sure they don't call one to go on us," Mikey requested.
Bobby told the guys to be ready on pit road. When Mark said they were fixing something and wouldn't be caught with one to go, the crew chief said to come in next time around the track.
Mikey led lap 57 before making his stop. While the #55 was coming off pit road, Mark said they would come to the one to go soon. He told Mikey to restart in front of the lucky dog - the #31.
Hamlin led the restart on lap 59 with Mikey in 39th.
"Clear by one on the 31. Clear all around, clear all around," said Mark. "Clear the 49. Still down there, still there. Still there. Clear the 88. Clear all around."
Getting around John Andretti and Kenny Wallace put Mikey in 37th on lap 61.
"Still out there, still there," Mark warned. "Still out there, still out there. Quarter panel, coming back, outside. Still out there, still there. Still outside, still there. Clear, clear, clear."
Mikey was 36th on lap 64, having passed Joe Nemechek.
"Clear by five, pulling away," Mark noted.
Two laps later, the #55 picked up 35th from Gilliland. One circuit later, Mikey was up another spot.
"Clear, clear all around," said Mark. "The guys there in front of you backing up a little bit. Still inside, clear high, clear high, still inside. There's a hole behind the 15 if you need it. 15 still inside. Clear, clear all around. Good job.
"Still out there, still there. Clear, clear."
Lap 70 saw Mikey pass Elliott Sadler for 33rd.
"We're ready," a crew member said.
"10-4," Bobby replied.
"Clear by ten on the 19," Mark said.
At the front of the field, Matt Kenseth kept peaking inside Hamlin's #11 for the race lead. Mikey passed Kyle Petty for 32nd on lap 74 and was warned Ken Schrader's #21 was backing up the field.
The fourth caution was for Kyle Petty's spin on lap 76.
"It was about the same. A little loose, a little tight," Mikey commented. "I'd say maybe just a half a pound in the right rear or something? It's mainly just a little bit tight, but I get loose in a couple of seconds."
Bobby called for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. He said they were now past the #00 in pit stall twelve and told the cfrew to get Mikey a drink. Bobby guided the #55 to the new pit box. He told the crew not to move someone on pit road and was yelling about the paramedics not getting there.
"Michael, somebody hit a loose tire on pit road, and it came flying into our pits and hit our gasman in the head," Bobby informed the driver. "All right, Eric. All right. Who do you got? Are we covered? Okay, we got it covered here, Ty." He said they had the backup gasman from the #00.
David Ragan had hit a tire that had bounced out of the #44 box, which flew over the #55 and struck the gasman. Paramedics attended to him as the field remained under the yellow flag.
"All right, he gave us the thumbs-up when he got into the ambulance there, Michael," Bobby told his driver.
"All right, thank you," Mikey replied.
Somebody said to put set eleven on the wall. Bobby told a crewman to go borrow a gas can from Red Bull as their #84 was out.
"Ty, are you going with Art there to take care of him?" Bobby asked.
Kurt Busch was first off pit road and led the lap 85 restart with Mikey in 33rd.
"Clear by three, bak to the 31," Mark finally spoke five laps later. "Still out there, still there. Clear high. 31 looking inside. You're clear, you're clear. 15 still out there, still there. Clear high. Still out there, still there. Clear behind him if you need it. Still out there, still there. Still out there, still out there. Still outside. Still out there. Clear high, clear high."
Mikey passed Paul Menard's #15 on lap 95 for 32nd.
"45 on the bottom there is holding them up," Mark warned. "Still out there, still out there, still there. Still out there. Clear behind the 19 if you need it. Still out there, still out there. Clear high, clear high. Clear by five, back to the 31."
"Leader at the line now," Bobby said on lap 98.
At the front of the field, Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 99.
"Still out there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear, clear."
Mikey passed Sadler on lap 101 for 31st.
"Clear all around, clear all around," Mark noted. "Clear, clear."
Two circuits later, the #55 was up to 30th; Mikey had passed David Ragan.
"25.70," Bobby read off the lap time.
"Clear the 45. Clear, clear."
"Leader now. Don't let those guys hold you up, bud," Bobby said as Mikey took 29th from Scott Riggs on lap 110. One lap later, Dale pit with smoke coming out the back end. He reported having no power steering.
"Clear by ten behind you. Pulling away," Mark said, walking over something to which Bobby responded with a 10-4.
On lap 114, Mikey got around Brian Vickers for 28th. David was just in front of the #55.
"How come nobody talked to me?" Mikey asked as he passed David on lap 119 for 27th.
"I'm working on it, Mike," Mark said. "Still out there, still out there. Clear."
"25.70, 70," Bobby read off the lap time.
"Clear the 43, clear the 40. Clear all around, clear all around," Mark stated. Mikey was now 25th, having passed Bobby Labonte and David Stremme on lap 122.
"25.85, 85."
"Clear, clear," Mark said as Mikey passed Tony Stewart on lap 126. He was now 24th. Three laps later, he was cleared by Reed Sorenson for another spot.
"Still out there, still there. Clear behind him."
Bobby told Mikey he was two-tenths of a second quicker than the leader.
"Still out there, still there. Still out there. Still there, still there. One more corner there. Still there, still there. Clear, clear, clear."
Bobby said that Robby Gordon had been holding him up, just before Mikey passed on lap 134. "All right, leader at the line... now." Meanwhile, David got lapped.
"Clear clear," said the spotter. Mikey was 21st on lap 137, having passed Tony Raines. Bobby told him he had the fastest car on the track.
On lap 138, Mikey gained 20th from Kasey Kahne.
"25.90. Leader 05," Bobby noted.
"Clear, clear," Mark said as Mikey picked up 19th from Jamie McMurray. "Clear, clear all around. Still out there. Still there. Clear clear."
Mikey got around JJ Yeley's #18 on lap 146 for 18th.
"Caution's out, caution's out," Mark told his driver on lap 148. Bobby asked about adjustments.
"No, unless you think it's going to tighten up. It was pretty good," Mikey replied.
Bobby told Mikey he was 18th and one of the fastest cars on that run. "Take a deep breath here," he reminded his driver before calling for four tires.
The fifth caution was for debris. Bobby told him to go around the #8 car and that the #00 was lapped. "The 2 will be in front of us. It will be 3700, 3700."
"Come on, Mike. Come on, Mike. There you go," Mark guided. Bobby told him again to go around the #8.
"All the way, all the way. 37, 37," Mark spotted after the stop.
"Thank you there, Mark," Bobby said. "I come unplugged for a second."
"Yeah, I didn't hear anything."
"Way to be on your toes there." Bobby told his driver they had been about five laps away from a green flag stop.
"What happened to the 44?" Mikey asked.
"Motor. They were missing real bad on pit road." Bobby said they were going to the garage to change the carberator, but he didn't know what was going on with it now. "All right, as soon as I can find a motor here that works, I'll give you an update. You're doing a good job."
"I can really feel my front tires. They feel heavy, and that's cool," Mikey commented.
"10-4, 10-4." He told Mikey the tire sheets came in looking good.
Kenseth led the lap 155 restart with Mikey in 15th. Mark cleared the #55 by the lapped #78 and warned the lapped #15 in front was slow.
"Clear, clear all around. Clear all around," Mark guided. "45 running up top here slowing them doing, kind of got them all jumbled up. Clear by three on the 00. No pressure."
"Tighter," Mikey commented.
After Bobby gave times, he said, "10-4 on the tighter."
"You've got the #00 five back, pulling away from everybody else," Mark commented. David was lapped in 30th. "29 coming on pit road here on the bottom."
Mikey was 14th when Kevin Harvick pit with a loose wheel on lap 169. Harvick's #29 team thought they might have loose lugnuts from the last stop.
"Clear by ten on the #00. Pulling away from everybody else," said Mark.
"26 flat. Leader 80," Bobby gave lap times. "25.80, 80. Same as the leader.
"95, 95.
"90, 90.
"95, 95.
"95, 95. Leader... now. Leader an 85.
"10. 26.10.
"26 flat, 26 flat.
"26.10, 26.10.
"90, 90."
"Clear by five on the 01," Mark noted. "Clear by one."
Jimmie Johnson slowed on the track and went to pit road on lap 187. He may have cut down a tire after getting into the wall. Meanwhile, the lapped #01 passed Mikey.
"Clear by five on the 99," said Mark. "Clear by two. Looking inside, by himself. Clear by ten behind him."
Lap 191 saw Mikey move back to 15th with Carl Edwards' pass.
"Clear by ten, back to the 00."
"26.15, 15," Bobby read lap times. "30, 30.
"26 flat. Leader an 85, 85.
"85, 85. Leader at the line... now.
"26.05, 05. All right, we're about thirty laps away from pitting. 30. Still too tight?" Bobby asked. "26.20, 20."
"Still tight," Mikey replied.
"10-4, 10-4. Going to make an air pressure adjustment and take some wedge out."
"Still clear by five, back to the 00," Mark said.
The sixth caution was on lap 204. Hamlin had wrecked Kyle Petty's #45. Jeff Burton received the free pass back onto the lead lap.
"Crash on the frontstretch," Bobby said as Mark said the same. He told his driver the planned adjustments.
"Uh, take a round of wedge out?" "Why don't you don't do wedge this time and do a pound in the right rear. Or don't do something and put a pound in the right rear."
Bobby asked about the eighth man, then told his crew to get Mikey some water and a rag. The #55 pit under caution for a thirteen second stop.
"If I stopped shorter, I would have been faster," Mikey commented.
Bobby said they'd talked about that and that Mikey was doing a good job. He told his driver to use this chance to relax under caution.
"That set before was perfect. That set there was just way too tight," Mikey said of his tires.
"All right," Bobby acknowledged. "10-4." He told his driver all the adjustments they had made. "And you are P13 right now, P13. And I don't know how many laps we're at, because my computer don't work."
Under caution, the #11 went to the garage with brake issues.
"Hey, Eric Wilson. When you get a chance, give me an update on Art," Bobby requested of a crew member, referring to gasman Art Harris who had been injured earlier and taken to the hospital for further assessment. "All right, they transported Art to the hospital. They say everything's okay. He's just real real sore. Everything should be fine."
"Okay, thank you," Mikey replied.
Kenseth led the lap 212 restart with Mikey in 13th. David was lapped and in 27th.
"Still inside, still there," said Mark. "Still down there. Clear low if you want it. Clear low. The 24's slow there if you want it. Back inside, inside. Still down there. Back inside, back inside. Still down there. Clear behind that 20 if you want it. Clear low, clear low. 66 looking outside, outside. 24 still there, still there. Clear all around. Clear all around."
The #66 of Jeff Green was just behind the #55 for position while Jeff Gordon's #24 was in front, also on the lead lap.
"Looking inside. Clear, clear. Clear by three."
"25.70, 70," Bobby read off the lap time.
"Still out there, still there. Get in hard there. Clear all around. There you go, there you go. Keep digging now. Still down there. Clear the 42. Clear all around," Mark guided.
Mikey was 12th on lap 228, having passed Juan Pablo Montoya.
"Clear all around. That looked good right there. Clear all around."
"70, 70. 25.70."
"Got a spin behind us. Caution's out," Mark announced.
Lap 229 saw the seventh caution. Jamie McMurray got loose on his own, slid up into another car, and spun.
"I'd like to stay out, but it's probably not the smart thing to do," Mikey commented. Bobby said it wasn't and to save that for later in the day. "Maybe just stick that right rear up another quarter or two or three tenths or so."
The leaders pit. Bobby told the crew to stop Mikey short, because the #42 would come around as Montoya was behind Mikey on the track.
"I don't think I've got any front steering, any power steering left," Mikey commented.
Bobby told the team to have power steering fluid and other things prepared for the #55 to come in for that. "Just feeling the low RPM there?"
"No, when it goes right, it doesn't feel right. And when I was turning into the pits, I could hardly feel it," Mikey reported.
Mikey asked where the #00 was running and was told one lap down in 24th. He then asked if someone had spun to bring out the caution.
"That would be the 26. I think he cut down a right front and then finally went around there going into three," Mark replied.
"Okay, I definitely don't have any power steering, or it's worse now than it's been all day," Mikey told his crew. He said he didn't know what to expect on the restart. Bobby told the crew to be prepared for him to come in.
Lap 235 saw the restart with Kenseth leading and Mikey in 14th. Two laps into the run, the #55 lost a spot to Jeff Burton.
"Inside, inside. Still down there, still down there. Clear low if you want it. Clear low," Mark guided. "Looking inside. Got a slow one up top by the flag stand. Clear low if you want it. Still out there. Keep digging now. Still out there. Still there."
Kevin Harvick pit on lap 239 with a tire issue; he had a right rear puncture.
"Still clear, still clear," said Mark. "Clear by one on the 42. 42 outside, outside. Got another one coming. Clear. Clear all around. Outside, outside. Still out there, still out there. Got the 26 outside. Still outside. Clear behind the 26. Clear all around."
Mikey lost spots to Montoya and Bowyer on lap 245 and another to McMurray the next time around the track. The #55 was now 18th.
"25.60, 60," Bobby read off lap times. "60, 60.
"70, 70. Leader 45.
"90, 90."
"Inside, inside," Mark warned. "Clear behind the 96. Clear all around."
"25.85. Leader now," Bobby said on lap 256.
"Clear by four, back to the 18. 18 got a run on the inside. He's by himself. Clear all around."
On lap 260, JJ Yeley passed. Mikey was now 19th and the last driver ont he lead lap.
"26.20, 20," Bobby said after a long silence on the radio, on lap 266.
"Clear by two on the 29. He's a lap down. Inside. Still inside," said Mark. "Clear, clear all around. 40 car looking outside. You're still clear."
At the front of the field, Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 268.
"That's the leader ten cars back. They're about to pit here as they stayed out before," Bobby informed his driver. "26.10, 26.10.
"20. Leader's two cars back."
"Clear by four, back to the 99," Mark said on lap 276. The #55 lost the lead the next time around the track, and the #01 in second immediately passed too. Yeley got lapped in front of him too. Mikey was cleared by two car lengths to the #17, then cleared behind him.
Bobby told his driver the leaders would pit soon, and the team would work on the #55.
"Clear by three on the 48. He is on the same lap as us," Mark noted. Jimmie Johnson's #48 was actually two laps down.
Edwards pit on lap 289, giving the lead to Mark Martin. Tony Stewart passed, so when Edwards pit, Mikey was still 19th. Matt Kenseth was the next one to head to pit road. The #55 was up to 16th on lap 292 because of stops. On lap 294, Bobby said they were ten laps away from pitting and would work on air pressure adjustments. Mikey was 15th the next time around the track with McMurray's stop.
David Stremme stalled on pit road and was pushed to the garage.
"Still clear by four, back to the 88," said Mark. "Clear by three, back to the 1 car."
"26.10, 26.10," Bobby read off times.
"26 car about a half back. New tires on the 26. Inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear all around." The #26 was two laps down.
Matt Kenseth passed on lap 303; he had new tires. Mikey was now back to 16th; however, he regained 15th when Dale Earnhardt Jr made a stop the next time around the track. "99 car three back, new tires. Inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear by eight, back to the 88."
"All right, next time by, next time by. Be careful getting on pit road," Bobby told his driver. Mark said to wave off Kenny Wallace's #88.
Mikey pit on lap 310. Martin pit the next time around the track, giving Greg Biffle the lead.
"20 car's going to stop this time," Mark warned once Mikey was back on track. Stewart did. Mikey was three laps down in 26th on lap 314. He got around Greg Biffle to get himself back one of his laps on lap 316.
Biffle pit on lap 317, putting Reed Sorenson in the lead. Mikey was 21st, two laps down.
"Clear by three," Mark said. "Inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear by ten, back to the 18 car."
Mikey was 20th and two laps down on lap 318. Stops had cycled the next time around the track, putting Kenseth back in the lead.
"Clear by twenty, back to the 49," Mark noted.
"Sideways and no power steering," Mikey reported.
"10-4, 10-4, 10-4, bud," Bobby replied. "26 flat."
On lap 322, Edwards took the lead.
"Still out there, still there. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear, clear," Mark observed. "Clear by three on the 49."
"25.90, 25.90," Bobby read off times. "25.70, 70."
"Got the 9 car looking inside, inside. By himself. Clear, clear all around."
"9 is for position," Bobby stated.
"Inside, inside. Still inside. Clear, clear all around. Clear by three, back to the 21."
On lap 330, Kasey Kahne's #9 passed and moved Mikey back to 21st.
Denny Hamlin slowed on the track and went to pit road on lap 334. He may have had some help spinning before he returned to the garage.
"26.20, 26.20," Bobby read off times on lap 342. "15, 26.15.
"25, 25."
"Still clear by twenty," said Mark.
Lap 355 saw the eighth caution for debris.
"Well, you made it so loose that nobody could drive it, and I don't have any power steering. I'm way over past being tight. I can't hold onto it," Mikey reported.
Bobby called to put wedge back in. Mikey said he didn't think it didn't make sense to do it in the first place but they did it so let's undo it.
"When I asked for two tenths of air, and it didn't do much, let's do more with air and leave the wedge alone. How many laps am I down?"
"Two laps, two laps. There's only six cars on the lead lap."
Bobby told the crew to work on power steering but to be quick and not to lose laps.
Matt Kenseth led the lap 361 restart with Mikey in 23rd and two laps down. Dale Earnhardt Jr got wiggled out of the front ranks right quick. Edwards took the lead just before the caution.
The ninth caution was on lap 364. Mikey was warned about smoke and guided around him. Tony Raines had turned John Andretti into the wall, and David got spun into it.
"We're not racing the 96 no more," Mikey commented.
"10-4."
"I can hardly drive it, my arms are so tired. It's still loose," Mikey reported. Mikey said he had power steering for two or three laps or at least felt like he did. Bobby called for three laps down on the track bar and no other adjustments.
Leaders pit under yellow. The #17 put the hood up with a potential cyllander issue. NASCAR closed pit road. Meanwhile, ABC gave Mikey the Allstate good hands move of the race award for getting around that wreck.
"Well, it appears Tony Raines was minding his own business, and he got knocked blank out." He added, "I hope I don't get mad at anybody. I don't think I could get my helmet off."
"10-4," Bobby laughed. "Update on Art. He's been released from the hospital. He's all good."
"10-4. Was it scary-looking?"
"Yeah, it was. Seeing the tire whack the side of his head, about whacked him out."
"Where's Reutimann going?" Mikey asked.
Bobby told him they had sent him to the tail end of the longest line for pitting too soon, then NASCAR realised their mistake and let him go back.
"Where's Vickers going?"
"Pit this time," said Mark.
Mikey asked for some air in the tires too.
NASCAR red-flagged the race at 5:12pm.
"What happened?" Mikey asked. He asked Bobby two repeat when people were talking over each other. Bobby told him where they were on-track.
"Bobby, you know early in the race when I was talking about my front tires feeling heavy? I think that was the power steering," Mikey said.
"He's talking to Frank right now. I'll get him in a second," Mark replied. He asked Mikey if the starter works.
"I don't know. I'm trying to find out if I can get my hand up there or not."
"10-4."
After a while, Mikey exclaimed, "She works!"
The yellow flag had returned. Bobby said they were racing the 9, 18, and the 48.
"All right, Mike, going to be one to go when you get back. When you get the green, it will be 27 laps to go," Mark said.
"Hey, uh, just make sure I don't get lapped if this thing ain't no better," Mikey requested. "Just make sure I stay more than a second ahead, you know."
"10-4. We will have 27 to go when we get the green," said Bobby. "27. Hey, they got you on the big screen. It looks like your arms are still attached to your shoulders."
"Yeah, they are. I just can't feel them anymore."
Racing resumed with 27 laps to go and Edwards in the lead. Mikey was 22nd. Kenseth blew up, and the yellow flag waved on lap 375 for the ninth time. Kyle Busch received the free pass.
"I don't know how they're going to clean it up. The track looks pretty bad," said Bobby.
NASCAR called a quickie yellow. Kenseth's departure put the #55 in 21st.
Lap 278 saw the restart with Edwards leading. The tenth caution came three laps later for Robby Gordon's #7.
"Got one in the wall, high up in 2. Keep digging, keep digging. No caution. Caution's out, caution's out," Mark spotted.
"That probably didn't help our position, but that probably helped your arms," Bobby commented.
"Yeah, they're cramping up. It's kind of a pain in the butt. I'm aching," Mikey replied.
Some drivers pit under yellow.
"Got the 8 car coming to your outside," Mark noted as Earnhardt Jr took the free pass. "Okay, coming to the one to go this time. One to go."
"Got the 8 coming again to your outside," Mark added a moment later.
"He can't do that," Mikey replied.
"All right. Nevermind."
Racing resumed on lap 386, but caution was out a lap later. Mark guided him through the wreck.
"Uh, I just saw two... now, there's another one. There's three," Mikey said. He asked what happened.
"Ahhh, couldn't tell ya."
Bobby said the 2 car just got high and started it by accordianing the field. Mikey told his crew chief he was chilling in overdrive. Busch had lost a right front tire. Other drivers involved were Jeff Green, Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, JJ Yeley, Scott Riggs, Kyle Busch, Reed Sorenson, Jimmie Johnson, and Martin Truex Jr. NASCAR red-flagged the race.
"Did you go through any de-briss going down the back?" Bobby asked.
"Well, I didn't feel nothing, but they hit the outside wall, and when I went by, they were on the inside wall. So there's a chance I did. A flat would screw us, so we probably should think of putting four on it."
Bobby said he was thinking of saving them five hundred bucks.
"Yeah, let's just forego the 500 bucks and put four on it."
Cars refired on lap 387 at 5:46pm. Mark told them they could pit when they come around.
Edwards led the lap 390 restart with Mikey in 14th, two laps down.
"25 on the lead lap, fresh tires, one back," Mark warned with ten laps to go. "Clear all around, clear, clear all around."
The twelfth caution came with eight laps remaining for debris in Turn 3. Truex Jr was smoking heavily.
"How bad is that 48?" Mikey asked. "Y'all need to pay attention to who I'm racing and let me know what he's doing."
Mark asked if it were just the 48 on their lap.
"I just know the 48 is running, and I wanted to know how hard I need to run. It's no big deal."
Bobby said he could still run quick if he wanted with the laps he was turning but that the #48 was pretty badly injured. Johnson's #48 was just in front of the #55 now.
"Who blew a tire, Mark?" Mikey asked.
"The 1 car. He had damage from that wreck, and he came back out there, and it all fell apart again," Mark replied.
Johnson pit under yellow, which allowed Mikey to move back into 14th.
"Tell Schrader to protect my back, if he don't mind," Mikey requested.
"10-4," Mark replied. "I'll go talk to him."
"48 doesn't look very injured," Bobby commented. "48, he just come and got four tires. He'll be gunning for you."
"The 48 car is lined up three spots behind you. I'll watch him," Mark promised.
Edwards led the lap 496 restart with Mikey 14th and two laps down. Three laps later, Mark said Johnson was still two cars behind them.
Johnson passed on the last lap, putting Mikey in 15th.
"All right, I couldn't hold him off. I'm sorry," Mikey apologised.
"You got some other circumstances going on there," Bobby replied. "If you didn't, you wouldn't even had to worry about him. You done all right."
MWR goes to Kansas Speedway next week. Coverage of the Nextel Cup's LifeLock 400 begins Sunday at 1:00pm ET on ABC. The Busch Series' Yellow Transportation 300 is the day before and airs at 3:00pm on ESPN2.
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MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 15th
How was your car today?
"We had a lot of promise early in the race -- we were really running fast. Then we had a power steering issue -- then we had handling issues. I really don't know which had to do with which -- I know the power steering was a big issue because that makes you drive the car weird and maybe I didn't adjust right for that. All in all we were competitive all day and fast early so we can take this, be positive and have a good feeling about what we did here today. We weren't very good here in the spring so this is a great improvement for us here at Dover."
What does this finish do for your confidence or outlook heading into next weekend?
"We had gotten ourselves in a bind as far as the points because if it had rained out qualifying then we wouldn't have been in the race here this weekend. Now we have ourselves back in so if it rains in Kansas next weekend -- we'll race. That's real important because we have to make sure we have a spot in the show should it rain -- we have to be able to race to be able to get better."
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Domino's Pizza Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 18th
How was your race today?
"We could never get the handling the way we wanted it. I think Frank (Kerr) and the guys made almost every adjustment you can. It was loose one run, and then tight the next - it just would not handle in the corners. This is an okay finish -- I think we survived the battle of attrition more than anything. I really thought we had a good chance of finishing in the top-10, but it didn't happen. I'm still proud of the team - they continue to work hard and deserve finishes in the top-10."
DALE JARRETT, No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 41st
What happened that took you out of the race?
"I think we burned a piston. We lost power the first time because we had a power steering line that came loose so we lost power steering. It all just compounded and made everything worse. I'm sure it tore the piston up and then it blew."