Waltrip Earns 15th-Place Finish in Auto Club 500

// Courtesy : Autostock Images //

Fontana, CA – Michael Waltrip earned a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway. The result was impressive since the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota had to start at the back of the field due to an engine change after qualifying. Waltrip’s finish moves the team up one position in the driver and owner points standings to seventh place.
 
“We had a really solid NAPA car all night,” said Waltrip who was forced to start 42nd after experiencing engine failure during his qualifying lap on Friday. “We made a couple of adjustments in the beginning that really made the NAPA Toyota go. Then we made a couple of adjustments at the end that really made it loose and we couldn’t get going again. These cars are so sensitive. For the most part, we ran up in the top 15 for most of the night. I am proud of my team especially since we drove up from last place. By lap 10, I realized I had passed more cars than I did in 2007 or 2008 here at California. I’m really pretty proud of this team. We’ve been able to overcome a lot and it’s great to see progress like this.”  
 
The opening laps of the Auto Club 500 saw Waltrip make a hard charge toward the front of the field. By lap 50, the NAPA driver was in 23rd position after a series of early pit stops on laps 7, 21 and 43. Crew chief Bootie Barker ordered up air pressure changes to help the NAPA Camry as it was loose on entry and tight through the center. The pit crew performed the stops in a blistering fast 13-second pace. 
 
Waltrip’s lap times started to pick up as he was one of the fastest cars on the track. By lap 68, he was in 19th place. The car’s balance was getting better as it had plenty of grip but was loose on entry. Under green-flag conditions, Barker had the crew make air pressure and track bar changes. The service took just 13.5 seconds.
 
Two more green-flap pit stops followed on laps 87 and 124. During this time, Waltrip felt his car going over to the tight side. Despite the new challenge, his lap times were fast so the driver opted to figure out how to drive it versus losing the speed. Unfortunately, the long green-flag runs saw Waltrip go a lap to the leader, Greg Biffle on lap 136. Fortunately for the team, rain brought out the caution on lap 141. The NAPA team was the beneficiary of the Lucky Dog award. During the yellow, Waltrip asked for his car to be loosened up so Barker called for wedge and air pressure changes. When the race restarted on lap 151, Waltrip was 17th and Matt Kenseth was the leader.
 
A tense moment for the team came on lap 188. Waltrip called in to say his engine was running extremely hot. The news came just as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin suffered engine failures. The NAPA team tried to see if trash has clogged up the front grill of their Toyota, but they could not see anything. A break soon came on lap 208 when Kevin Harvick lost an engine causing his car to slam hard into the Turn 1 wall. The yellow provided the NAPA team the chance to come back down pit road. During the service, the team made wedge and more air pressure changes. It was also during that time that the team was also able to breathe a sigh of relief. Trash was on the front grill causing the engine to run hot. Their focus could now shift from a possible engine problem back to getting a strong finish.
 
The final green flag waved on lap 215. Waltrip held on despite battling a very loose handling Toyota Camry to finish 15th place. Kenseth was able to hold off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon for his second-straight victory in 2009. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers.
 
Michael Waltrip Racing once again turned in good performances. Besides Waltrip’s top-15 finish, David Reutimann scored 14th place and Marcos Ambrose finished 21st.
 
Next up for Waltrip and his NAPA Racing team is the Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Broadcast Coverage gets underway Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. It can also be heard on PRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Auto Club 500 Unofficial Race Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/2/data/results_unofficial.html
 
Auto Club 500 Unofficial Driver Points Standings (7th place/+1):
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/data/standings_unofficial.html

Ambrose Leaves California with 22nd-Place Finish in No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry

// Courtesy : Autostock Images //

Fontana, CA (February 22, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose started 14th and finished 22nd in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway Sunday night with his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry.
 
After completing 249 of 250 laps in the second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of the 36-race season, Ambrose is currently 21st in the owner point standings with Las Vegas Motor Speedway next up on the schedule. 

“We had a better car than where we finished, but we’ll take that position and go on to Las Vegas,” Ambrose said. “We just got caught a lap down and never recovered from that.”
Ambrose started the 500-mile race by moving forward into 12th-place. Then rain started to fall on the two-mile D-shaped oval and NASCAR placed the field under caution at Lap 5 for 17 laps. Back under green, Ambrose maintained a top 15 run until he began to experience handling problems.

“The Little Debbie® Toyota was tight late when I got back into the gas,” Ambrose said.

When rain began to fall again and the caution flag waved for a second time, the JTG-Daugherty team pitted the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota on Lap 43. The pit crew took the opportunity to change four tires and make a wedge adjustment. Ambrose restarted in 13th place on Lap 46.

“A few laps later it just wouldn’t turn in the middle,” Ambrose said.

By Lap 73, Ambrose drifted back to 22nd as his car was also loose in and off.

When the frontrunners began green flag pit stops at Lap 84, Ambrose was shown in 15th place when he entered pit road two laps later for four tires and more adjustments.

Ambrose continued his efforts and maintained a top 25 position as he approached Lap 100. Even though leader Jeff Gordon was lurking 15 car lengths behind Ambrose, his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota was turning faster lap times than Gordon.

Within the next 15 laps, Gordon was able to reel in Ambrose and finally make the pass to put him one lap down.

“We made an adjustment and for some reason it hurt the balance of the car and we lost a lap during that time,” Ambrose said. “We just never got it back, and that’s what hurt us--just track position and getting trapped a lap down.”

For the remainder of the 250-lap event, the JTG-Daugherty pit crew serviced the car every chance available to improve the handling. 

“It was tight through the middle,” Ambrose said. “It just would not roll. They made a variety of changes on each pit stop. Before Lap 200, the car was sliding and I still couldn’t turn it. There wasn’t much we could do for the center. Just after Lap 200, it was spinning the right rear tire. The right rear was just giving up.”

Ambrose soldiered on to cross the finish line in 22nd-place and earn $106,473 in winnings for his effort.

“I’m continuing to learn and getting more confident every day,” Ambrose said. “I feel like we have a good foundation heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.”  

Ambrose’s teammates from Michael Waltrip Racing both earned top-15 finishes. Michael Waltrip finished 15th in his No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry and David Reutimann finished 14th behind the wheel of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry. Waltrip is now seventh in the owner point standings and Reutimann is 12th.

Matt Kenseth won his second-consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Jeff Gordon finished second, Kyle Busch finished third, Greg Biffle finished fourth and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.

Live coverage of the Shelby 427 will air on Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Ambrose Starts 14th in No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota at Auto Club Speedway

// Courtesy : Autostock Images //

Fontana, CA. (February 20, 2009) – Today Marcos Ambrose posted a time 39.636 seconds (181.653 mph) in the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry to secure the 14th starting position for the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. The top five starters for the 250-lap event are Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle.  
 
“We had a really solid lap and a good pick up from where we were in practice,” Ambrose said. “We feel good about our car and the weekend ahead. The No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry JTG-Daugherty team did a great job. It feels good to have a solid starting position.”

His teammate David Reutimann had the seventh quickest time (39.541 seconds – 182.089 mph). Michael Waltrip experienced engine woes with his No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry and did not complete a lap. Fortunately, Waltrip is locked into the top 35 owner point standings and is guaranteed a starting position for the 500-mile race. Waltrip will make his 727th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start from the 42nd starting position.
 
After a one and half hour practice today before qualifying, Ambrose was 28th (40.391 seconds – 178.258 mph) out of 48 cars with Jimmie Johnson posting the fastest time of 39.584 seconds (181.892 mph) during that session. Tomorrow the Australian driver and his JTG-Daugherty Racing team have final practice from 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific.
 
On Sunday, Ambrose will make his 13th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start following a strong 17th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. This is Ambrose’s second attempt in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry at the Auto Club Speedway two-mile D-shaped oval. In August of last year, the Australian driver finished 32nd in the 250 lap event.
 
To date, Ambrose’s career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start is seventh (6/22/08) at Infineon Raceway and his career-best finish is third-place at Watkins Glen International (8/10/08).
 
Live coverage of the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, February 22 will air at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.