CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Michael Waltrip heads to Talladega Superspeedway for his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of 2015.
The two-time Daytona 500 champion owns 779 Sprint Cup starts and finished 26th driving the No. 55 Toyota in the 2015 Daytona 500.
In 2012, Waltrip nearly won the October Talladega race before a last lap wreck took him out of contention. In 57 starts at Talladega, Waltrip owns one win (September 2003), eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. He has also led 233 laps. The May 3 and Oct. 25 Talladega races are the only remaining races Waltrip is scheduled to drive this season.
MWR announced Tuesday David Ragan will drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine for the remainder of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, beginning May 9 at Kansas Speedway.
WALTRIP: “Heading to Talladega I am honored to get to drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota. The car is capable of winning the race and that makes me smile. Having gotten a win there before, plus memories of running up front and drafting with my teammate Dale Jr. (Earnhardt) back in the day has made Talladega special to me. When I was a kid Talladega was one of the closest NASCAR tracks to Kentucky. Me and my buddies would load up and go down there a lot and watch my brother race. So to head down there with a team led by Billy Scott (crew chief) I know we will have a fast car and have a chance to run up front. It’s just a great feeling to have!”
MICHAEL WALTRIP
· BIRTHDAY BOY: Waltrip will celebrate his birthday on Thursday, April 30.
· PART-TIMER: Since beginning a part time schedule in 2010, Waltrip has worked as a team owner and television commentator in NASCAR.
· BEST-SELLER: Waltrip’s best-selling book “In the Blink of an Eye” marked the 10th anniversary of his 2001 Daytona 500 victory. After hitting the shelves in January 2011, it soared to fourth and spent 11 weeks on The New York Times Best-Seller list.
· DANCING WITH THE STARS: Waltrip advanced to the seventh round of competition in the hit ABC television show Dancing with the Stars in the fall of 2014. More than 12 million viewers’ watched Waltrip and partner Emma Slater dance for eight consecutive weeks in the fall of 2014.
· STATS: Waltrip owns four Sprint Cup, 11 XFINITY and one Camping World Truck Series victory. He’s led 1,409 laps in Sprint Cup competition. The two-time Daytona 500 champion has started 779 Sprint Cup races, 279 XFINITY races and nine truck events.
· Display Visit: Waltrip will visit the Aaron’s display in the sponsor midway Sunday at 9:05 a.m. CT.
CREW CHIEF BILLY SCOTT: Scott began racing motorcycles as a 5-year-old and stock cars when he turned 15. He worked in the truck series as a mechanic before he returned to college to obtain an engineering degree. After graduating in 2005 Scott worked at Robert Yates Racing and began as an engineer at MWR in 2008. The 36-year-old served exclusively as the No. 55 team’s lead engineer before taking over crew chief duties in 2014.
· AARON’S: The Atlanta-based company, with more than 2,100 stores across the country, helps customers own the life they want. Aaron’s carries only the best brand names in furniture, electronics, and appliances with a variety of flexible payment options. It’s really easy to “Own It” at Aaron’s with customers who are now pre-approved for up to $2,500 in merchandise – no credit needed.
