NASCAR WCUP: No Bull Five excitement heats up for Richmond this weekend

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

SAVANNAH, Tenn. - Neither rain, fog nor closed airports could keep 2001 Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip from his appointment Tuesday - a lunch date with one very lucky NASCAR Winston Cup Series fan.

Waltrip, the driver of the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet, is one of five NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 million-dollar bonus at this weekend's running of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway. As a part of the Winston No Bull 5's "They Win, You Win" fan sweepstakes, one eligible driver makes a surprise appearance at a party hosted for one of the five eligible fans.

Savannah, Tenn. resident Doris DeBerry and 24 of her closest friends converged on her hometown's best-known restaurant, Big Jack's Family Steak House, and anxiously awaited the arrival of the "mystery" driver.

Little did they know that Waltrip had changed his travel itinerary three times that morning because of fogged-in or waterlogged airports in Hickory and Statesville, N.C. Waltrip was finally able to clear safe passage out of Winston-Salem, N.C., and after an impromptu drive from Statesville to the Piedmont Triad, Waltrip was on his way by 11:15 a.m.

"I was so excited when Michael Waltrip walked in," DeBerry said. "He gave me a big hug and I was so happy I asked for another one. I'm paired up with Ward Burton for the million dollars at Richmond, but now I'm also a big Michael Waltrip fan. I think I'll be rooting for both of them at Richmond now."

Waltrip's appearance in Savannah brought a rousing ovation from DeBerry's friends at the luncheon.

"There's a lot of people here today that are really excited Michael Waltrip is here," DeBerry said. "They're joking with him, getting pictures and autographs. A lot of the people here are people I work with or people in my family that are big NASCAR fans. Michael is a really nice person."

A 53-year-old nursing home employee, DeBerry said she would continue her career as a nurse if lucky enough to win the million-dollar bonus at Richmond. She added that she would buy two ski boats for close friends if she won the bonus.

"It was a little bit difficult getting to a plane, but once we got that conquered, everything has been wonderful," Waltrip said. "I get excited just seeing Doris this excited. It's always a treat getting to meet fans of the sport, especially when you have an opportunity like this to really make a difference in their lives."

Through the Winston No Bull 5 program, drivers become eligible to win the $1 million Winston No Bull 5 bonus by finishing in the top-five at the previous Winston No Bull 5 event. The five races comprising the Winston No Bull 5 in 2001 are, in chronological order: the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas; the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C.; the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Fla.; the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 (Sept. 8) at Richmond, Va.; and the EA Sports 500 at Talladega, Ala. (Oct. 21).

If a qualified driver wins a Winston No Bull 5 event, one fan will also win a million-dollar bonus check as part of Winston's "They Win, You Win" sweepstakes. Five fans are eligible at each Winston No Bull 5 event. They are selected at random through a nationwide sweepstakes program, and then each is paired, at random, with one of the eligible Winston No Bull 5 drivers. If an eligible driver wins the Winston No Bull 5 bonus, then the fan paired with that driver will also win a $1 million check from Winston.

Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Ward Burton, Elliott Sadler and Pepsi 400 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. are each eligible for the million-dollar Winston No Bull 5 bonus on the Richmond, Va. ¾-mile bullring.

The following fans are qualified for the Winston No Bull 5 "They Win, You Win" fan sweepstakes at Richmond International Raceway. The fans were paired with the drivers through a go-kart race at NASCAR Speedpark in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001. The finishing order determined the pairing.

* DeBerry is paired with Burton.
* Sharon Bauer from Peoria, Ill., is paired with Sadler.
* Eric Wolf from Peotone, Ill., is paired with Labonte.
* Allen Fitch from Hamptonville, N.C., is paired with Waltrip.
* Joseph Brennan from Eufaula, Ala., is paired with Earnhardt, Jr.

Text provided by Rob Goodman

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