Waltrip, Owner & Driver

By Audrey Nolan

The NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip is facing a new challenge, to be a driver and an owner for the Toyota team for this season 2007. The question is how is he going to put it all together, can he still drive a race car? He has a lot of things to think about on these days, and especially what will happen when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 55 NAPA Camry.

Waltrip had a bad time when he was a Nextel Cup Driver, but the worse was season 2006. His average finish was 30.8 thanks to 12 races when he was 35th or worse. He finished better than 20th only three times. It was a very difficult time for him, he was making the transition of leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of season 2005, and when the time 2006 season started he was a driver in limbo. The deal with Toyota of making him a team owner for season 2007 was very shocking for him.

He spend season 2006 trying to put everything together, his three-car team for 2007, lining up sponsors, hiring drivers, crew chiefs, managers, etc. So every weekend that he went out it was terrible.

Waltrip spent 15 full seasons in Cup -- 462 starts -- without earning a points-race victory. His only win was The Winston all-star race in 1996. But he wasn't racing that bad every week. Waltrip had 82 top-10s in those years. Four times he finished in the top 15 in the standings before a NASCAR legend gave him the chance of a lifetime.

When victory finally came in NASCAR's biggest event, Waltrip couldn't celebrate. He won the 2001 Daytona 500 seconds after his new team owner -- Dale Earnhardt -- lost his life in Turn 4. That horrible day was a turning point in Waltrip's career and life. He won the Pepsi 400 in 2002, the Daytona 500 again in 2003, and also had a victory at Talladega that season.

The driver and owner from 1994-99 Ricky Rudd said "He definitely needs to surround himself with great people and he needs to delegate," Rudd said. "If he tries to do it all himself, his performance is going to suffer."I learned a lot from being an owner. That experience gave me a lot of respect for every member on a team, but it also made me appreciate sitting back and just driving."

At the age of 43, Waltrip heads a business that could eventually rank him with the top team owners in NASCAR. All the pieces are in place, what he needs is to put his heart and soul and of course be a great driver.

About the Author:

Audrey Nolan is a high-ranking writer on sports for the online betting industry. You can also find more of her work at www.instantactionsports.com.
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