CORNELIUS, N.C. — Whether he is in the broadcast booth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway commentating on Friday’s truck series race or preparing for Monday’s second round of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars in Los Angeles, two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip is quick to point out his priority is making Michael Waltrip Racing a championship contender.
MWR—in its eighth season of fielding fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup teams— is focused on using this season’s final nine races to get back in victory lane then returning to the Chase in 2015. MWR’s two fulltime Sprint Cup cars piloted by Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers own seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 2014. Waltrip says continued improvement and working with Toyota will be key in reaching the 2015 goals.
MWR FOUNDER & CO-OWNER MICHAEL WALTRIP: “I look at our race teams and see a lot of progress over the summer. We did not start the season off in a Chase way. We didn’t get our arms around the new rules as quickly as we’d like to and we just didn’t perform early in the season. Over the summer, we really improved our cars and we really improved our setups to the point where (Clint) Bowyer had a real shot at winning in Richmond. We’ve had a couple strong runs. If we were in the Chase, I don’t think you’d be talking about us being champions, and that’s what the Chase is all about, being a champion. So, we would have tiptoed into the Chase, but we know that over these next weeks, if we continue to improve our cars and continue to improve the engines, we can build momentum and be ready to be championship contenders in 2015. The racing team is the most important thing in the world to me. All my eggs are totally in that basket. I go dancing and I go do TV to try to make that world more important for not only our team, but NASCAR in general. Mentally, I’m in a great place because I believe in what we’re doing. I believe in our cars, our people and I believe in Toyota. We’ll get all this better. Maybe we can be a lot like Brad (Keselowski) and miss the Chase this year and race for a championship next year.”
TOYOTA: “We have a wonderful relationship with the folks from Toyota. There wouldn’t be a Michael Waltrip Racing if it weren’t for Toyota. Back in 2005, they came to me and said, ‘We want you to start a NASCAR Sprint Cup team, we’re going to go Sprint Cup racing.’ And, we’ve been partners ever since. They realize that the engines have been a little bit off in the power department. They don’t need me preaching to them. They know a lot more about building an engine than I do. They also understand the significance of having enough power under the hood to compete with Hendrick and Penske. We’ve had some very constructive conversations. Our drivers have provided them with amazing feedback. I’m so proud of Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer for their constructive help towards what the engines feel like at specific points on the race track. This one has more power, well it doesn’t feel good at this RPM, it feels better at that. We’re total partners and I wouldn’t be racing without them and we know we’re with the right manufacturer. We believe they will have the best engines in 2015 and beyond and we’re going to help them by providing feedback so they can get there.”
NOTES:
· CHASSIS Primary: 805 finished 21st at Bristol in March, 14th at Kansas & 21st at NHMS. Backup: 812 finished 13th at Richmond Sept. 6.
· DANCING WITH THE STARS: Michael Waltrip and his partner Emma Slater made it past the first round of the multi-award-winning series Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night. Waltrip and Slater danced the Cha-Cha on Monday’s show. The pair earned a score of 25 from the judges. That paired with votes from fans was enough to advance the duo to the next round which airs Monday, Sept. 22 at 8 pm ET on ABC. Fans can vote for Waltrip and Slater by calling 1-800-VOTE4-09, “liking” Dancing with the Stars Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dancingwiththestars) or going to www.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars. Voting begins Monday at 8 pm ET and ends Tuesday 11 am ET. One couple will be eliminated on a live results show, Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 8 pm ET on ABC. You can follow the couple’s progress on their respective Twitter accounts www.twitter.com/mw55, www.twitter.com/emmaslaterdance as well as Instagram and www.instagram.com/emmaslaterdance
myAFIBSTORY.com: Michael Waltrip and Janssen will partner to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation (AFib) during the month of September. Waltrip’s No. 66 Toyota will carry a special paint scheme during the Oct. 19 Sprint Cup race in Talladega. Fans can place their picture on his car at www.myafibstory.com. Janssen will also donate $1 to the American Heart Association for every picture uploaded.
· CREW CHIEF BILLY SCOTT: No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Crew Chief Billy 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 the last two seasons
· AARON’S RACING REWARDS: Join Aaron’s Racing Rewards and take advantage of exclusive member benefits such as at-track discounts from Michael Waltrip Racing and FanVision. Become a member by Sept. 26 and you’ll be automatically entered in our Racing Rewards Sweepstakes where the grand prize is a $5,000 shopping spree at Aaron’s! Visit www.aarons.com/racingrewards for more information.
· AARON’S INC: Aaron’s joined MWR in 2000 serving as a primary sponsor in Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races. The Atlanta-based company, with more than 2,130 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 without needing credit. Visit Aarons.com to find a store near you.
No. 55 CREW:
Billy Scott Crew Chief
Ryan Langley Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall Front Tire Carrier
Shannon Myers Rear Tire Changer
Blake Haugland Rear Tire Carrier
Wes Evans Jack Man
Jeff Kerr Gas Man
Steve Channing Car Chief
David Cropps Interior Mechanic
Roman Pemberton Spotter
Brandon Pope Race Engineer
Joe Bisson 2nd Engineer
Jeremy Sharpley Shock Specialist
Jacen Johns Front Mechanic
Joe Zanolini Rear Mechanic
Kevin White Tire Specialist
Denny Chandler Engine Tuner
Tim Bruce Engine Engineer
Glenn Shano Truck Driver
Al Nelson 2nd Truck Driver
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@brianlvickers
@mw55
@mwrteam
@aaronssports
@aaronsinc
@toyotaracing
MWR FANTERN: Each week MWR offers fans a chance to become an official MWR Fantern. This person will get the opportunity to be an “intern” on race day helping the pit crews with set-up activities, attending driver appearances and getting full access to the pit and garage areas. Fans can write in a submission to webmaster@michaelwaltrip.com or share a video on our social channels explaining why they should be the Fantern at the race of their choosing during the 2014 season.
