Martin Truex Jr. Wins The Pole at Dover International Speedway

Michael Waltrip Racing Qualifying Report - DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

• Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - Qualified FIRST, Pole Position
• David Reutimann, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - Qualified 13th, Starts Inside Row Seven
Summary
Martin Truex Jr. won the Coors Light Pole Award with a time of 22.88 sec/157.315 mph on Friday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. The pole award is the fifth career pole for Treux Jr. and the first of the year for Michael Waltrip Racing. Truex Jr. last won a pole award at Phoenix last fall. Sunday night will be the third consecutive race that MWR has a Camry starting from a top-five position. (Reutimann 2nd at Richmond, 4th at Darlington).
Reutimann, who won the pole award at Dover last spring, was 13th fastest with a lap of 23.02 sec/156.406 mph. Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota will start Sunday afternoon’s race on the inside of row seven.

Sunday afternoon’s running of the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk and Milkshakes gets underway on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM Satellite Radio 128 starting at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Friday Recap
• Truex Jr. won the Coors Light Pole Award with a time of 22.88.
• It was the fifth career pole for Truex Jr. (Last, Phoenix-2, 2009)
• Truex Jr. also scored Michael Waltrip Racing it’s fifth Cup Series pole award. (Reutimann 3, Waltrip 1, Truex Jr. 1)
• Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson round out the top-five.
• JTG-Daugherty Racing driver Marcos Ambrose qualified the No. 47 Toyota 26th
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Pole Winner
“We left some out there. We were a little worried because the track keeps getting hotter. We were a little tight in three and four and I was a little nervous whether we should have put scuffs on it. We went with fresh Goodyears. It was a great lap for our NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. We’ve been struggling a little bit in qualifying lately. We came here with a really good plan. We stuck to it and it worked out. The NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota was really good in race trim. We’ve been really good in races lately. I love coming to Dover so I hope this is a great start to this weekend.”
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Qualified: 4th, Second Row
“The Aaron’s Dream Machine was pretty good in practice, but for some reason our qualifying lap was very tight and the worst the car has been all day. It’s pretty disappointing that we couldn’t even back up our practice times. We have some work to do, but we’ll get better before the race.”

TireMonkey.com & Michael Waltrip Racing Announce New Sponsorship of Martin Truex’s No. 56 Toyota

DOVER, Del. – Sponsor decals from the likes of NAPA, Goodyear and Bass Pro Shops have hugged Martin Truex’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS car all season. Soon, however, a monkey will rock the Toyota Camry’s rocker panel as the newest edition to the Michael Waltrip Racing team.

On May 14, two days before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Autism Speaks 400 race, Truex and Waltrip will unveil the iconic TireMonkey.com monkey’s placement on the blue and yellow car’s lower-quarter panel.
The marriage of Waltrip’s renowned racing team with the ever-expanding Edenton, N.C.-based online tire retailer promises to benefit NASCAR fans and tire consumers alike, said Tully Ryan, TireMonkey.com CEO.
"Our goal as a company is to bring consumers, installers and distributors together to improve the online tire buying experience, and we hope our presence on the No. 56 car will motivate the entire tire industry to root for Martin Truex and Michael Waltrip Racing," Ryan said. “Like Michael Waltrip Racing, we are a young, growing company, and this partnership will help us reach a whole new demographic of NASCAR fans. We hope this relationship grows in the coming years.”
Although TireMonkey.com currently sponsors celebrated NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Mario Gosselin, this will be the company’s first official sponsorship of a Sprint Cup team, and Truex said he is honored the monkeys chose Michael Waltrip Racing.

"We're glad TireMonkey.com saw the value in Michael Waltrip Racing," Truex said. "We're building a ton of momentum here and feel like TireMonkey.com will serve as a really cool partner as we continue ramping up. I’d like to have TireMonkey.com visit victory lane with us."

Michael Waltrip Racing fields full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for Truex and David Reutimann as well as a K&N Pro Series entry for Ryan Truex. Along with Gary and Blake Bechtel, Michael Waltrip Racing, co-owns Diamond-Waltrip Racing, which fields a full-time Nationwide entry for Trevor Bayne.

TireMonkey.com boasts a revolutionary business model harnessing, complementing and supporting a supply chain of more than 100 tire distributors and 2,000 local tire dealers located across the U.S. and Canada. Through the innovative TireMonkey.com Web site, customers select discount name brand tires and choose the preferred neighborhood installer where they will be delivered -- in most cases, by the next day. Recent market research indicates TireMonkey.com customers value the Web site’s competitive pricing, convenience and user-friendly interface.

Waltrip Brothers Charity Championship & Dinner Rescheduled to Oct. 27 & 28

Dear Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship Supporters,


As you may have heard, Nashville, Tenn., is recovering from a record flood which devastated Music City and its surrounding communities one week ago causing an estimated $1 billion plus in damages and taking 30 lives.

Gaylord Springs Golf Links, the site of our June 3, 2010 Charity Golf tournament was also flooded and is experiencing the destruction first hand. The course is still assessing damages, but anticipates it will be August before reopening. This obviously affects our June tournament; therefore, we are rescheduling the Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship Golf Tournament for Thursday, October 28, 2010.

While the Hutton Hotel did not suffer any flood damage, many of their employees and merchants lost their homes and businesses. For this reason, we are also rescheduling the Waltrip Brothers’ Champion’s Dinner for Wednesday, October 27, 2010.

We are sensitive to what has happened and loyal to the efforts of Gaylord Springs’ and Hutton Hotel employees and vendors who have put in hours of preparation to make our inaugural event first-class. We want to honor their hard work by keeping our business with both the Gaylord Springs Golf Links and the Hutton Hotel.

We hope this does not change your commitment to The Waltrip Brothers’ Charitable Fund and that you are able to join us October 27th & 28th and help us rejoice with the community in their transformation.

The Waltrip Brothers’ Charitable Fund will give a donation to the Red Cross immediately. We will also be adding the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to our event beneficiaries which include: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Motor Racing Outreach.

Tennessee’s state capitol has several months of clean up ahead of them. We ask you to join us in praying for the community. If you feel compelled to give separately from our event, you can help the victims of the Tennessee flood, by donating to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund or by calling 1800 RED CROSS.

Should you have any questions, please contact Brooke Hondros at events@waltripbrothers.com or visit our website www.waltripbrothers.com.

Sincerely,

Thanks,


Darrell and Michael Waltrip

David Reutimann - Dover International Speedway Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann gained six spots the last three weeks. Key to that surge is consecutive top five qualifying runs. That trend should continue this weekend at Dover International Speedway where the 40-year-old Florida native is the defending pole sitter. In 2010, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver has proven to be one of the fastest of the 43 cars on the track nearly every weekend. Mechanical issues encountered when running in the top six this season prematurely ended three races. Reutimann finished all 38 races in 2009.

QUOTES

ON WINNING THE POLE AWARD LAST YEAR AT DOVER: “Dover is definitely a place where you hold your breath because you’re really in the gas a lot, you drive down in the corners deep then let the thing roll before getting back to the gas. So it’s a really, really intense racetrack. Qualifying is not one of the more enjoyable things that you’ll do during the course of the weekend. It’s definitely a place that will keep your attention the whole time.”

WHY IS DOVER IS A “MEAN” RACETRACK? “There are just a lot of transitions getting into the corners and on the exit of the corners which are pretty violent. You go from almost falling down a hill getting into the corners then the car lands, loads up then you drive up the other side. It kind of spits you out the other side. It’s a pretty intense racetrack that takes a lot of getting used to because it’s really a different feel compared to a lot of other places that we go.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE STARTING TO GET YOUR SEASON BACK ON TRACK AFTER A SLOW START? “I certainly hope so. At least we’ve been able to finish the last few races and have some pretty decent runs. I don’t think we were as good as we wanted to be in Richmond and last week at Darlington we just got caught on pit road at the wrong time and that cost us some track position when the caution came out. It is what it is. I think things are going better. Things haven’t really gone bad for us. We’ve had good speed on the racetrack and we’ve been racing well, but we just haven’t been able to get those finishes that we need – sometimes that’s half the battle. I feel like we are starting to gain on it a little bit. At least we’re moving in the right direction and we’ll be able to continue to do that.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• In the last three races, Reutimann has moved from 30th in points up to 24th in points, collected 10 bonus points for leading laps in two of the three races (five laps at Talladega and three at Darlington), recorded two top-five qualifying efforts (second at Richmond and fourth at Darlington) and has three top-15 finishes.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in seven of the eight races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in six of the eight. In his three DNFs (Did Not Finish), Reutimann was racing in the top-five of all three races at the time he radioed of the issue leading him to retire from the race. (5th at Atlanta, 2nd at Bristol, 5th at Atlanta).

• Aaron’s, sponsor of the No. 00, will give away an autographed hat to a lucky race fan through Facebook and Twitter following any top-10 finish. Follow Aarons on Twitter (@AaronsSports) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/AaronsSports).

• Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide No. 00 Toyota Camry diecast cars available for purchase at any Aaron's store nationwide. Aaron’s stores throughout Alabama will host the Alabama National Championship show car and also have championship/racecar t-shirts and championship 9" plush Lucky Dogs for sale.

• Steve Hallam, executive vice president and director of competition at Michael Waltrip Racing, will receive a degree of Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Huddersfield in England on July 12. The university has a globally respected automotive engineering department. Hallam, who worked in Formula 1 from 1982 to 2008 with Lotus and then McLaren, joined MWR in 2009.

Martin Truex Jr. Dover Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — The “Monster Mile” of Dover International Speedway doesn’t scare nearby Mayetta, N.J. native Martin Truex Jr. who earned his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory as well as two Nationwide wins on the concrete oval. The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver carries the momentum of four straight weeks of impressive runs with his new Michael Waltrip Racing team. Truex wouldn’t be surprised if this weekend produces another solid run bumping him up from 13th-place in the championship point standings.

QUOTES

Truex Jr. on Dover: “I have always enjoyed going to Dover. I usually run well and I love it. I have been fortunate enough to have visited victory lane there in the Cup and Nationwide Series. It is just a special place for me. I am hoping this weekend will be a great one. I think it’s one of the toughest tracks we race. I think that’s why there are so many mixed feelings from the drivers about Dover. It’s one of those places where if you have a bad day, it’s usually really, really, bad and difficult. At most tracks, if you are having a difficult time and are a little off, you can usually work through it. That’s not the case with Dover. It’s a place where if the car is just not right, it’s really, really difficult to fix it. When your stuff is right, it is a lot of fun and you can do a lot with it. It’s also one of those places where it is hard to get a feel for what you need, but at the same time, even when you know what you need, sometimes it is very hard to get it. Hopefully we will be able to get it because if we do, we’ll race for the win.”

Crew chief Pat Tryson on the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS team: “The biggest thing about this NAPA AUTO PARTS team is we continue to make progress. We had one of the fastest cars at Darlington and didn’t quite get the finish we deserved after having a transmission problem. But we left Darlington with enough points to continue to move up in the standings. If we keep running like we’ve been, I believe we will be in really good shape. Now we’re off to Dover, a track that both Martin and I enjoy. It’s a place where we both know how to win and I am expecting another good run from this NAPA AUTO PARTS team. I think we’ve got a real good shot at a win if everything falls into place.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The driver of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota will be competing in his 164th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Dover. This will be Truex’s ninth race at the one-mile concrete oval. His best start is fifth (Sept. 23, 2007) and best finish is first (June 4, 2007). During his career, Truex has earned one top–five, three top-10 and seven top-25 finishes. His average start is 21st and his average finish is 15th. He has led 216 laps in competition.

• Truex has scored the ninth most points of all drivers in the last eight Dover Sprint Cup races.

• TRUEX BUYS DOVER TICKETS FOR KIDS: Truex and his foundation are hosting over 50 kids and family members on Sunday at Dover. The kids are from Ocean County, N.J. and are representing organizations such as Oceans of Love and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Truex will be meeting his guests prior to the Autism Speaks 400. They will be sitting together in the Family Section of the grandstands cheering Martin on to a victory!

• TUNE IN TO TRUEX: Martin will be a guest on Friday night’s edition of Trackside on SPEED. It airs at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasting live from the SPEED stage at Dover International Speedway.

• HELP MARTIN: The first annual Catwalk for a Cause: A Celebration of Fashion benefiting the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation takes place May 18 at River Run Country Club in Davidson, N.C.

For more information on Truex’s foundation: http://www.martintruexjrfoundation.org/

Trevor Bayne Dover Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver Trevor Bayne welcomes new associate sponsor Hershey Milk & Milkshakes this weekend when he makes his first Nationwide Series start on the “Monster Mile” at Dover International Speedway. The familiar Hershey Milk & Milkshakes logo will adorn the rear quarter-panels of the No. 99 Toyota Camry and the company will donate $99 to the Autism Speaks Foundation for every lap Bayne completes in Saturday’s race. The youngest fulltime NASCAR Nationwide Series driver has jumped from 17th to 11th in the championship point standings in the last four weeks by grabbing two consecutive top-15 finishes. Bayne owns one start on the concrete oval in the NASCAR K&N Pro Cup East Series when he started third and finished 21st.


TREVOR BAYNE ON HERSHEY MILK AND MILKSHAKES: “I am really excited to have Hershey Milk and Milkshakes on the car this weekend. I did a few things with them during Daytona so it’s really cool they are coming back on board at Dover. It’s also awesome they are going to donate money to Autism Speaks for every lap I complete. Hopefully, I finish every lap so they will donate $19,800 to the foundation.”

ON DOVER: “The good thing about Dover is that I have been there before. I don’t have a ton of experience there but I do have some track time. For us to be successful this weekend we have to be able to get to the throttle hard and fast up off the corners. I remember in the East Series cars we were almost wide open during qualifying and I don’t think the Nationwide Series cars will be far off that. One thing Martin (Truex Jr.) told me was to make sure you get to the throttle wide open. If you have to get to the gas easy and wait on the car a little off the corners you will get your butt kicked at Dover.”

MOMENTUM AFTER A SOLID RUN AT DOVER: “I think we gained a lot of momentum this weekend. For the past couple of months I think we have been over thinking everything. Jerry Baxter has been in the sport for a long time and he knows what he is doing and I think I have done pretty well behind the wheel. At Darlington we decided to go back to the basics. I focused on driving the race car and Jerry concentrated on making the adjustments. I think that strategy really helped a lot. I never felt like we were chasing our tails. Our car was really strong during the race and we made adjustments to keep up with the track. We didn’t get the finish we deserved but we gained a lot of momentum and confidence for this weekend at Dover.”

PREPARING FOR NEW RACE TRACKS: “The biggest thing is to find someone you can rely on that will give you information you can use. I have some really great teammates at MWR. In the past couple of weeks Martin (Truex Jr.) has really given me some good advice. I also try and bounce around the Nationwide Series garage and ask other drivers. I normally go and talk to some of the guys that ran well at that track in the past. I think talking to some of the veterans of the sport helps me gain their respect on and off the race track.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Crew chief Jerry Baxter led Scott Speed to two top-10 finishes in 2009 at Dover. Last season with five different drivers (Bayne, Patrick Carpentier, David Reutimann, Speed and Michael Waltrip) Baxter grabbed 10 top-10 finishes.

• Bayne is the fourth highest series-only regular in the driver point standings. He is only two points behind Tony Raines and Jason Leffler, and just 359 points away from Justin Allgaier.

• Bayne owns 25 NNS starts. He has a pole (Indianapolis), three top-10s (Indianapolis, Richmond and Las Vegas), 11 top-15s and has led 34 laps. His average starting spot is 12th and a finishing spot of 18th.

• Bayne will sign autographs 8 -9 a.m. Saturday at the NASCAR trackside merchandise trailer in Dover’s FanZone.