Michael Waltrip Racing drivers finished the 52nd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway as follows:
MWR Race Results
- David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota - Finished fifth.
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota - Finished and sixth.
- Michael Waltrip, No. 51 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota - Finished 18th.
NSCS RACE NOTES:
- Jamie McMurray won the 52nd annual Daytona 500 over Dale Earnhardt Jr. who drove from 10th to second in the final two laps.
- Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Reutimann rounded out the top five.
- Race ended after two attempted green-white-checkered finishes and ended on lap 207.
- NASCAR red flagged the race for and parked the cars on pit lane around the lap 123-mark for an hour and 46 minutes to repair about an 18-inch hole between turns one and two.
- A second red flag with about 40 laps remaining to repair the hole lasted 46 minutes.
- The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now travels to Fontana Speedway for Sunday’s 500-mile race.
MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING NSCS DRIVER NOTES AND QUOTES:
Michael Waltrip, No. 51 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
- Started 43rd and finished 18th.
- Waltrip dodged many accidents throughout the day suffering minor cosmetic damage on the front valence.
- The team worked on handling throughout the race.
- Waltrip reported his Toyota was tight and bouncing in the corners.
- Sunday marked two-time Daytona 500 winner’s 24th and possibly final Daytona 500.
- Waltrip hosted a pre-race hospitality event Sunday for 300 of the 500 Michael Waltrip Celebration ticket holders.
WALTRIP QUOTE: “I was just so proud of my race team today. There at the end I have to admit it was hard to pay attention to what I was doing when Martin and David were up there battling for the victory. I couldn’t be more proud. As good as they were today I think California will be even better. We kind of struggled today. The car was tight and it bounced the front end. But Bobby Kennedy and those guys just kept working and working and we were our best at the end of the race when it really counted. I enjoy driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota today and thank everyone involved with our team.”
David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
- Started 20th and finished fifth.
- Best career Daytona 500 finish as well as first top-10 on the restrictor plate track.
- Restarted in the top-10 on the final restart and worked his way to fifth in a frantic final two laps.
- Aaron’s team came very close to running out of fuel but Reutimann conserved just enough to finish.
- Raced in 20th at halfway mark.
- Capt. Johnathan Hillstrand of the Alaskan fishing boat Time Bandit from the Discovery Channel’s reality television show “Deadliest Catch” attended Sunday’s race and told Reutimann that Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie, predicted Reutimann would win the Daytona 500 shortly before Harris died on Feb. 9. Reutimann’s Toyota carried C-post decal Sunday in honor of Harris.
- Sunday marked Reutimann’s 100th career start.
REUTIMANN QUOTE: “It was an up and down day. We weren’t the best we didn’t feel like at various times, but all in all the car drove good and the guys made good pit stops. We just kind of got up there when it counted. Our car liked the outside so we just kept pounding away on it. Low and behold in the end the bottom seemed to be better for us in that last little bit. It ended up working out. The guys did a good job with good pit stops and it’s a good way to start the season. Those restarts were just killing us toward the end and we couldn’t do anything right and I couldn’t get in the right line and things kept getting messed up. Thankfully we got the Aaron’s Dream Machine where it needed to be when it counted and it ended up working out pretty well and I had a good run coming to the start-finish. I’m real proud of my guys. I have to thank Aaron’s, Tums and Best Western, Toyota and Toyota Racing Development because we had some good horsepower today. Top-five is a good way to start the season out.”
Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
- Started 14th and finished sixth.
- Ran in the top 10 throughout the race and posted best career Daytona 500 finish.
- Led with laps 148, 149 and lap 150 to collect five bonus points.
- Restarted second on the first green-white-checkered finish and briefly held the lead before Kevin Harvick nudged him high on the track dropping him a few spots.
- Told team the pit crew’s multiple 12-second stops are “what dreams are made of.”
- Sunday marked Truex’s and Crew Chief Pat Tryson’s first points race with Michael Waltrip Racing.
TRUEX JR. QUOTE: “It was wild, wild, wild. I had a lot of fun today with the NAPA Toyota. I’m proud of the team. The pit stops were amazing for our first race together. If I had to rate it, I would say it was an A++. I had a lot of fun. As for the multiple green-white-checkered finishes, it was what I expected. There were a bunch of tore up cars, but I am sure the fans got their money’s worth. There at the end there was a storm brewing all day and it seemed like every time we took a break our car got even better. It was a lot of fun and a really good race. I thought everyone did an excellent job. We raced super hard up front. The guys used their heads, but never crossed the line. That’s the most fun I have ever had in Daytona.”
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