Mikey 28th in Auto Club 500 by Kellyanne Lynch 25 February 2008 Michael Waltrip struggled with his car throughout much of today's installment of the Auto Club 500. The Sprint Cup race, which had started yesterday, concluded this afternoon after rain prevented the race's full running yesterday. Mikey's #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry finished 28th, two laps down. Michael Waltrip Racing drivers David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett finished 23rd (one lap down) and 33rd (three laps down) respectively. "Hello?" Mikey came on the radio at 12:58pm ET. "I got ya," spotter Mark Green replied. "Three minutes 'til start your engines." "You have any idea on caution laps, Mark." "I haven't heard yet, but as soon as I find out, I'll let you know." Shortly thereafter, the cars took to the track and ran laps under caution. They started on lap 87. "Are these speed bowlers on just the front or the rear too?" Mikey asked. He said he couldn't tell. Mark said they were only on the rear. Mikey then asked crew chief Paul Andrews if they'd kept the rear wear bowlers, and Paul said they had. "In the future, wouldn't it be wise to have front and rear bowlers or what?" Mikey asked. "We don't believe the back is doing anything, just because the way you had to put them in." Paul replied. "Roger. That's cool." Paul suggested he turn off the rear at the beginning to see how that affected the car. "Well, I'm afraid to. Well... you're right. I will." Mikey said he was afraid he'd push, but they'd see what happened. Paul told him to turn them on if he started a lot better. "Yeah." "Have they said anything about the track, Mark? Is it perfect, or is it still weeping?" Mikey asked. Mark said they hadn't been out there for a while and that it wasn't perfect but better. He then told Mikey they'd go around twice rather than three times. "Is pit road open the first time by?" "I'll have to check on that." "I'm coming either way, so I guess it don't matter. We still need to make sure we know what's going on." "10-4. I'll check." After a minute, Mark stated, "Um, all I get up here is they usually don't open it first time by." "Well, tell me what to do up there, crew, because I need to know." "Um, pit road will be open to the caution time this time." Paul said they'd take right sides only. "Don't go until I tell you to go. When you're done on the right side - when the rubber's done." "All right, I won't go 'til you say, and then Mark, give us some steady FA from the pace car," Mikey requested. "Okay," Mark said. "Okay, 4800, third pit stall in." Paul guided his driver to the box and told him he had a clear drive in and probably was clear coming out too. "Right sides. Come on! Come on, get right sides on it." "Pace car just in the middle of the black straightaway. Pace car just now into three." "We're in good shape, we're in good shape. Okay, we're all done. Let's go." "4800, 4800. When you come back, it'll be one to go when you come back." Lap 90 saw the restart. Johnson led, David was 12th, Dale was 29th, and Mikey was 33rd. "Clear the 45. Clear by five," Mark guided. "Clear the 78. Clear all around. Still outside, still outside. Quarter panel. Still outside, coming back even. Everybody lined up on the outside here. 78 coming with you now. Still outside. Clear, clear all around. Clear by three, clear all around." Mikey was 31st on lap 92. Meanwhile, David dropped to 14th. "41 flat," Paul read off the lap time. "Clear by two on the 22 car." "41.40." "Looking inside, inside. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by two back to the 88. 88 inside, clear by six behind him." Mikey was 32nd on lap 94. "It's just terrible, backing into the turns, plowing in the centre, and loose off," the driver reported. "10-4," Paul acknowledged. "Clear, clear." Mikey was 31st again on lap 95. "It's worse now than it's been all d... since we got here," Mikey reported. "10-4." "Clear by one back to the 19. He's got a little run on you here," Mark warned. "Got a run up top. Outside, outside. Got room behind him." Mikey said the back end wasn't right. "And we screwed up the right front," he added. "10-4." "Damn, man. This thing... y'all screwed it up bad now. We gotta work on it." "10-4. We'll do it," Paul assured his driver. "Mark, I don't even understand it. It plows so bad, and then it spins out." "42.30 - that's a good lap." "Clear by four, back to the 34," Mark said. Mikey was 33rd on lap 100. David was 19th, and Dale was 30th. The #55 was up one spot one lap later. "42.10." "Clear, clear," Mark observed. "Clear by three." "42.20." "Clear by eight. Looking a little better up on top." "Well, it ain't," Mikey replied. "42.15," Paul continued giving lap times. "Last lap was better. Got about six or seven cars coming your way. 42.20." "Clear the 01," Mark noted. "42.10." "Clear. Clear all around." On lap 107, Mikey was 30th, having passed Reagan Smith and Dale. David was 19th, and Dale was now 31st. David was 20th the next time around the track. "42.30. Still have cars coming your way. "42.10." "Clear all around," Mark said. Getting around David Blaney's #22 moved the #55 into 29th. "Last lap, 42 flat. This lap, 42.40. Looking good," Paul said. "42.25. Still got cars coming your way." "Clear, clear all around. Keep digging there. Just a bunch of dust flew up. 22 looking inside. Side looks good. Clear, clear. Clear all around, clear all around. Good save there. Just got up in that junk there." "Where's the effing leader? KEEP ME INFORMED!" Mikey asked. "Leader at the line... now," Mark replied. "This car is the worst car I've ever driven. Congratulations." "10-4, thank you," Paul responded. He then gave lap times. "42.70." "Clear by five, six to the 22," Mark noted. "42.50. Still got cars coming your way a little bit." "Clear by four on the 11 car." On lap 118, Mikey was 29th. David was 22nd, and Dale was 31st. David lost a spot one lap later. "Looking inside, inside. Quarter panel. Clear behind you. Back inside. Still clear by six on the 22." Mikey reconsidered what he'd said four laps ago. "I'll take that back. Some of that shit I drove last year was worst than that." "10-4, man. We'll be all right here. 42.70." "It's just I'm going to wreck. I mean, I'm saving myself every lap." "10-4," Paul replied. "42.80." Green flag pit stops began on lap 120. Johnson gave the lead to Kasey Kahne with his stop. "Lead cars are pitting," Mark noted. "22 looking inside, inside. Clear by ten behind him. Clear all around." "It is so loose, I can't hang on." Kahne pit on lap 122, giving the lead to Kurt Busch. David Ragan went double-wide too long on pit road and almost hit Joe Nemechek. "2 car on the bottom, out of gas. I think he's going to make it," Mark noted, regarding leader Kurt Busch. Busch's stop put Carl Edwards in the lead. "Okay, let's pit next time, pit next time. Four tires, everyone," Paul told the #55 team. Mikey was 5th on lap 124. "Clear by ten there," Mark said. "48 about five back. Just wave him off. He's up there on the top. 4800 when you get here, 48. Third stall in." "Five, four, three, two, one. Right on your sign," Paul guided. The #55 was in on lap 125. Johnson was back in the lead. "All clear, all clear." "48, 48," Mark reminded his driver. "Keep all four below the white line there. Clear right there. 1 car six back, up to speed. Four back. Outside, outside. By himself, clear by eight behind him." Mikey was 31st and a lap down on lap 126 after stops had cycled. Dale was 30th, also lapped, while David rode 21st. "41.90," Paul read off the lap time. "Clear by one back to the 01," Mark spotted. "Looking inside. Inside. Clear by six behind him if you need it. Lined back up with you, clear all around. Looking back inside, inside. Still inside. Clear all around. Clear by four back to the 34." "42.20." Mikey was 32nd on lap 131; Regan Smith had passed. "42.05. "42.25." "I'm loooose!" Mikey exclaimed. "10-4," "Got one in the wall behind you. Caution's out, caution's out," Mark said. The eighth caution was on lap 135 for Jeff Burton. He'd cut down a tire and had hit the wall in Turn 1. Elliott Sadler in 24th received the free pass. "Leader is in the middle of the back straightaway. We are one lap down." "It's just a joke. It's just ridiculous. I can't do nothing. It's going to spin out. So I don't know what y'all..." "10-4," Paul replied. "Right front air pressure ain't going to fix it," Mikey said. "I'm going to wreck it." "10-4." "I should be ahead of the 34, Mark. Tell him." Leaders made stops when pit road opened, and Kyle Busch was the first driver back on track. Paul called for a four tire stop. "4800 when you get here, 48," Mark said. "Five, four, three, two, one. Right on your sign," Paul guided Mikey to the pit box. "All the way, all the way." "48, 48." "Tell me when it's frickin' one to go," Mikey said. "10-4, 10-4. Sorry. Next time," Mark replied. "Ready? Green green green." Kyle Busch led the lap 137 restart. David was 20th, Dale was 29th and lapped, and Mikey was 30th and lapped. "Still lined up outside here. Three-wide, two-wide. Clear all around, behind that 28. Clear all around. Still clear." David was 15th one lap into the run. "20 car coming outside. Not there yet. Outside - the 20. Outside. Got one following him, 6 car behind him. Clear behind the 6 by five. Clear all around. Still out there, three-wide, two-wide. Still outside. Clear by half to the 44. Clear all around, clear all around." Mikey was 29th on lap 140, having passed Dale. Clear by half back to the 29. Still down there, still... Still inside. Still inside. Three-wide, you're on the outside. Still inside, still inside. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by two." On lap 142, Mikey was back to 31st. Dale was 28th, and David was 14th. "Still inside," Mark continued. "Clear, clear all around. 31 got a run up on top. Outside, outside. Clear behind the 31 by four." Mikey was 30th on lap 143, having passed Dave Blaney. "Outside, outside. Inside. You're in the middle. Clear high. Still outside. Outside, you're in the middle. Clear high. Still inside. Clear all around, clear all around. Looking outside, outside. 96." "MOTHERFUCKER!!!" Mikey exclaimed. "41 still outside. Clear behind the 4..." "I don't... I don't know what to say." "10-4," Paul replied. "Still outside, still out there," Mark said. "Clear behind him. Clear all around. Back outside. Clear by one back to the 45. Clear all around, clear all around." Mikey was 35th by lap 146. He dropped another spot one lap later. He said whatever was done to the car was worse than the start. "I just, I don't know. This is crazy. I can't even speak." "Clear by five on the 78," Mark said. David was 15th, and Dale was 28th. "Did you put ten rounds in it like I asked?" Mikey inquired. "I put a lot in it. I put three rounds in, and I dropped the trackbar," Paul replied. "I think y'all are going the wrong way like Daytona or something. I can't even go straight." "We definitely went in the right direction." "Got one below you here. Keep it gassed up. Keep it. Caution's out, caution's out," Mark guided. Lap 150 saw the ninth caution. The #55 had lost a tire and had hit the wall in Turn 2. Mark told Mikey to slow down. "Left front for sure is flat." "I got four tires, four tires as quick as you can." He said he was on his innerliners and would be good. Paul told the crew just to put the tires on and they'd come back for gas. He pit before the leaders did. "Pace car in the middle here," Mark noted. "Pace car off of four." "Okay, go go go go go. You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay, you're going to be okay." "Go a little bit harder, Mike. We'll worry about that penalty. A little bit more, a little bit more. A little more. Good job there. We'll catch up now," Mark said. A crew member told the team to get the barribond ready. "The rear bar is good as it is. Take up those quarters, make sure it's good." "Bobby, have them do something to this, or I'm going to wreck again." "Tail of the field here off of 2," Mark noted. "Okay, 4800 when you get here. 48." Paul guided the #55 to the box. Robby Gordon had stayed out to lead, and Ryan Newman took the top spot when they pit. Meanwhile, Mikey's team worked on the car. "Okay, wrap it up, guys. Wrap it up. Go go go. You're good," Bobby said. "Okay, Mike, when you get back to where you need to go, just haul butt," Mark told his driver. Racing resumed on lap 153. Mikey was sent to the tail end of the longest line for the restart. Newman led, Mikey was 37th and lapped, Dale was 28th and lapped, and David was 20th. Dale was up to 26th one lap into the run. On lap 154, Matt Kenseth rode high around Newman and took the lead. Shortly after he lost the top spot, Ryan Newman scuffed the wall. Johnson was back in the lead on lap 158. "Leader just now coming off of 4," Mark warned. "41.50, last two laps," Paul said. "Is there any smoke, Mark?" Mikey asked on lap 157. "No, Mike, I don't see any," Mark replied. "Feels so loose, you can't drive it." "Okay," Paul replied. "42 flat." On lap 159, David was 24th. Dale was 26th and lapped while Mikey was lapped in 37th. "41.90." Lap 161 saw Carl Edwards take the lead. "42.20." "Still there at your quarter panel. Clear him, clear. Clear all around." "42.25. "42.60." "Clear all around. Leader just coming off of 4," Mark noted. Mikey was 36th on lap 165. David was 24th, and Dale was 30th. "Whatever you did last time, it's the best it's been in a while, and it's still terrible," Mikey reported. "Okay, 10-4." "44's slow there in the middle of the race track," Mark observed. "Caution's out, caution's out." The tenth caution was on lap 167. The innerliner of Dale's right rear tire came off the car and rolled away. "Whatever you did last time, do it some more," Mikey told his team. "10-4," Paul replied. "If you got any room at all, but whatever you did, it looks like you went way down on the trackbar, keep going," Mikey said. Paul said he'd actually gone up on the trackbar. "Whatever you did, do it more, but it was a lot better," Mikey said. "I don't know what it did when it spun out, but it was just crazy. Now it's just back to bad." Leaders pit under caution, and Gordon was the first back on track. "Okay, we'll stop this time. It will also be one to go," Mark told his driver. "Okay, 4800, 4800." "Five, four, three, two, one. All right, right on your sign," Paul guided. "Work on the right rear, work on the right rear. Sit here when you're done. Go work on the right rear." "Pace car in the middle of one and two." "Let it fall off or tape it up... Get a razor blade." "Pace car off of two." "If you get it secure, leave the barribond off. That stuff just flaps. Okay, you're good to go." "48, 48." "All right, Mike, when you get there, just hammer it down. The rear of the field is just in turn three. Tail of the field in the middle of three and four. Pace car is off. Aaand green flag's out. Green flag." Racing resumed on lap 171 with Gordon leading. David was 24th, and Dale and Mikey were 35th and 36th respectively, both lapped. Dale gained a spot one lap into the run. "Clear, clear all around," Mark said. "Clear the 78. Clear all around." David was 23rd and Mikey was 35th on lap 173. Dale was still 34th. "41.50," Paul gave off lap times. "Still down there. Clear, clear," Mark said. "Looking back inside. Still clear, still clear." Dale and Mikey passed Kyle Petty, moving them to 33rd and 34th by lap 175. David was up to 21st. "Clear by three," Mark continued. "Clear high, clear high." On lap 177, Mikey passed Dale for 33rd. "Still there, still there. Clear, clear. Still out there. Clear high, clear high." Passing Dario Franchitti moved the #55 into 32nd on lap 178. "Inside, inside," Mark warned. "Still inside. 1 car inside. Still there. Clear, clear. 34 car in the middle there struggling." Edwards went to the lead on lap 179. Two laps later, Mikey was up to 31st, having passed Andretti's #34. "Clear," Mark said. "42.70, last couple laps," Paul noted. Meanwhile, Kyle Petty's #45 went to the garage on lap 182. "42.60." "Still clear by four back to the 19." "42.30. "42.40." "Still clear by four on the 19. 19 lined up outside with the 22. Outside. Clear behind the 19 if you need it. Clear the 22. 19 outside, outside. Still out there. Clear behind him if you need it. 19 still there. Clear behind him." Mikey was 30th on lap 185 after passing Dave Blaney's #22. Dale was 34th, and David was 19th. "Clear behind him. Clear by five, back to the 34." "42.75. "42.50." "Clear by eight on the 34." "42.40." "Clear high, clear high." "The leader's about fourteen seconds behind us. We're gaining on people in front of us. 42.60," Paul said. "42.60." "Clear by ten to the 34." "42.80." "Clear right there. Coming back outside. You're outside, outside. Clear right there, clear by one. Clear all the way out, clear all around. Clear all around." "42.70, last two laps." "Leader at the line... now." "42.60." Paul said they could probably go until lap 206 before pitting. "Clear by two," Mark continued. "Looking back inside, quarter panel. Back inside. Clear all around, lined up with you. Clear all around, clear by two." By lap 198, Dale lost a second lap. He was 33rd, David was 23rd, and Mikey was 30th. "Still out there. Still outside, still out there." On lap 201, Mikey passed JJ Yeley for 29th. "Clear by half. Clear high, clear high." "We're getting closer to those pit stops. As soon as those leaders come, we're going to come also," Paul told his driver. "42.70." "Clear by five, back to the 96." "43 flat." "Leader now." "42.80. "42.80." Lead lap cars began pitting on lap 206. One lap later, Mikey got around Regan Smith for 28th. "Clear, clear," Mark said as leaders continued to make stops. "Right there at your bumper cover. Clear all around, clear all around. Leader is fifteen cars back." "Two or three more laps, two or three more laps. Won't be long," Paul said. Mikey was 27th on lap 209 when Paul Menard pit. "Still out there. Still out there. Clear all around." "Okay, pit this time, pit this time around," Paul said. "Clear all around. 00 knows we're coming. 4800 when you get here. 48." Mikey pit at the same time Edwards did, on lap 210. "Y'all are going to have to tighten up. I beat the leader in, man!" Mikey yelled. Sorenson was given a speeding penalty. Stops cycled on lap 211, and Edwards was back in the lead. Andretti went to the garage. "00 looking outside, outside, outside. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear all around." David was 24th and lapped. Mikey and Dale were 28th and 33rd respectively, both two laps down. David was the first driver one lap down; Mikey was the first two laps down. "Looking inside, inside. 24 car. Clear all around, clear all around," Mark said. "Clear by five on the 96." "41.70. The last two laps. We're good to go on fuel the rest of the race," Paul told his driver. "41.90." Earnhardt Jr pit with 34 laps to go. He was 34 laps down and could not gain a position. The team changed the tires. They used their misfortunes as a test session and sent the #88 back on track. "Clear by two, back to the 48," Mark said. "Looking inside, inside. He's by himself. Lined back up behind you. Looking inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear by eight, back to the 18 car." "15 car three seconds ahead of us, he is for position," Paul noted. "Still clear by eight on the 18. Still not catching him. Got one up in the wall up high here. He's still moving. Caution's out, caution's out." The eleventh caution was on lap 221 when Jeremy Mayfield's #70 hit the wall. Scott Riggs received the free pass. "Um, I don't know how many's on my lap, but if two tires will work, I can get them, but if we need four," Mikey stated. "I'm just tired of waiting for that rear tire, man. We gotta do something." Paul said they didn't need adjustments. "I think we can still do four and beat them all out. We got five cars on our lap, and we've been better than every one of them. Maybe six cars on our lap." "Okay, pits are open this time. We'll wait one more." "Who hit the wall, Mark?" "Uh, I believe it was the 6 car," the spotter replied. "Okay, we'll stop this time. 4800, 48." "Five, four, three, two, one. Right on your sign, right on your sign," Paul directed. "All the way, all the way. Got one coming in, coming in right beside you." "Good job, y'all," Mikey praised his team. "We got them, all but one." "10-4, 10-4. Our cars are 15, 40, 44, 22, and I think there may be another one. 01, 96. Our cars," Paul replied. "Mike, 00 right behind you is asking if they can get in front of us," Mark relayed the message. "Yeah, I'll try to work it out," Mikey answered. "I don't want that... yeah, tell them to do it right now. That way the 96 don't jump in there with them." "Okay, it will be one to go this time. One to go." "00 is the first car one down, by the way." Johnson led the restart with 26 laps to go. David was 23rd, Mikey was 28th, and Dale was 33rd. "Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green." Jeff Gordon immediately dove inside for the lead. "Still lined up outside," Mark observed. "Clear high if you need it, clear by three. Clear all around, clear all around. Two-by-two behind you. Still outside, still outside. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. You've got help. Two-wide, no help. Still out there, still out there. Clear high, clear high. Got one coming outside - 18. Outside. Got another coming with him - 1 car. 83 outside. Still out there, still out there. Clear high, clear high. Clear by one, back to the 21. Back outside. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Two-wide. Clear, clear all around, clear all around. Coming back outside, outside. Got them lined up on the top here, still outside. Lead lap cars lined up on the outside. Still out there, still there. Got three of them lined up. Clear by three behind that 9 car, if you want it. 31 coming outside. Still clear by half. Got a run outside - 31. Clear right there by two. Looking outside, outside. Three-wide, you're in the middle, you're in the middle. Four-wide, three-wide, you're in the middle. Clear low. Still outside. Still outside, still out there. Got another one coming - 16 outside. Clear behind him, clear all around, clear all around. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by six." By lap 231, David was 23rd, Mikey was 28th, and Dale was 30th. Johnson continued to lead. "Looking good out back for your position," Paul said. "Got a car looking inside, inside," Mark warned. "38 car still inside. Quarter panel, he's there inside, inside. Clear by ten behind him if you need it. Still clear by eight. Still clear by six, back to the 07." "42.60, last two laps." "Looking inside. Not there yet. Still clear, still clear all around. 07 looking inside, inside. By himself. Clear by eight, back to the 7 car. 15 to go. 15." Edwards took the lead with 14 laps left in the race. David was 23rd, Mikey was 28th, and Dale was 29th. "Clear by one on the 7," Mark said as Johnson and Edwards went side-by-side again for the lead. "Looking inside, looking inside. Clear by eight, back to the 44. That is for position. Still out there, still there. Still outside, still out there. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear by six, back to the 44. 12 to go this time. 12." "43.20." Jamie McMurray got sideways and scuffed the rear of his car into the wall. He lost a few positions but kept going. Had the caution come out, David would have received the free pass. "42.50." "Clear by five, back to the 66. Ten to go this time, ten." "42.50." "Still out there, still there. Staying the same behind you there. Nine to go." "42.80. "42.90." "Looking inside, inside. Clear, clear. Clear by four. Seven to go this time, seven. 15 car half a straightaway in front of you. He's the only car in front of you on our lap. Clear by six on the 44. Clear, clear. Five to go this time, five. Clear by seven, back to the 44." "43 flat." "Still clear by six. Four to go this time." "33.10." "Clear by eight. Three to go this time. Still the same behind you. Two to go this time. Two. Still out there. Clear right there. Still clear, still clear by two. Coming to the white. Got a spin behind us, spin behind us. No caution, no caution. Caution's out." The yellow flag waved for Dale's spin. The race finished under caution. "Well, we learned a lot today. Had an oil line come off and crash, but we learned a lot," Mikey said after the yellow and checkered flags. I can drive it now." "Aaand coming to the checkered here," Mark replied. "Good job today." "I told you that 99 car was pretty good when it tested." "10-4 on that." "Hey, Mark, what happened to the 44?" Paul asked. "I didn't see him go by." "He spun out off of 4." "Did he hit anything?" Mark said he had got into the back a little bit. "I think he got in the back there a lot," Mikey replied. "Did I take the checkered?" "Yes, you did." "To the garage stall, Michael," a crewmember said. Edwards had won the race. David finished 23rd (1 lap down), Mikey was 28th (2 down), and Dale was three laps down in 33rd. Next week's Sprint Cup race will take place in Las Vegas. Coverage of the UAW-Dodge 400 begins Sunday at 3:30pm ET on FOX. Be sure to also watch the Nationwide Series' Sam's Town 300, which begins the day before at 4:00pm on ESPN2. ----------------- DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finished: 23rd How did the handling of your car change from last night to today? "We danced around a little bit of a problem that we had that the car didn't like. When we finally got the adjustment that addressed the situation, which was really, really loose in then the car was too tight. We had to go back and start undoing the stuff that we had done to make it tighter. That definitely hurt us and there at the end we had a good car. We were within and tenth of two of the leaders, but by then it was too little, too late. You can't make up that much of a deficit. The car just wasn't that happy today. Early on we had lots of yellows and we could make those adjustments, but then when we had the long green flags that got us behind a little."