Chevy Notes-Chicagoland-Michael Waltrip

CHEVROLET/TEAM MONTE CARLO NOTES AND QUOTES
TROPICANA 400
CHICAGOLAND
JOLIET, ILL.
NO. 18 OF 36 EVENTS
NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2002

PAGE 1

A CONVERSATION WITH LAST WEEK¹S WINNER, MICHAEL WALTRIP, NO. 15 NAPA
CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

WHO IS MICHAEL WALTRIP TO THE FANS?  "Michael Waltrip¹s just a guy,
fun-loving and kind of entertaining, but they want to see a winner."

HOW BIG WAS YOUR WIN LAST WEEK?  "You can¹t take your win for granted.  Your
next win might be your last win or you might never get to your next win, so
I can¹t imagine not being overcome with joy by winning and never taking
winning for granted.  I can never imagine that happening because it¹s so
difficult to be successful at what you do."

WHAT WILL MAKE IT TOUGH TO WIN HERE?  "The track itself and the
characteristic of the track is not what makes it tough to win any week, it¹s
the competition.  All those guys that insist on going so darned fast, you¹ve
got to go a little faster than all of them to win.  We can go anywhere and
you would see a wild, crazy and competitive race and it will be hard to win
because of the competition, the guys that I race against."

HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO?  "It¹s all I¹ve ever
known.  When I was born my brother (Darrell) was 16 and he was off to the
races at that age.  I watched him and admired him from a distance and he was
my hero when I was a kid.  I wanted to be just like my brother."

ARE YOU AN ATHLETE?  "People are entitled to whatever they want to believe.
I know what I have to do to be successful in this race car and it¹s an
athletic fete, for sure.  I just was fortunate enough to be talented at what
I was watching my brother do.  It¹s great that it worked out that way; I
might have been wasting a lot of time saying that¹s what I want to be, but
when I got behind the wheel I had the ability.  I just thank God for that.
He blessed me with the ability to drive race cars."

HOW CLOSE IS THE LINE BETWEEN VICTORY AND TERROR?  "It¹s that way anytime
you have competition.  Anytime you¹re pushing the envelope as hard as you
can to be successful at anything at life it¹s easy to go from hero to zero
in a second.  Just part of it."

WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE WHEN YOU¹RE NOT ON THE TRACK?  "A Chevrolet
Avalanche.  Those things are cool.  ŒAvalanch-ay¹ (with French accent).
It¹s a truck and a car, both."

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO ROLL IT OVER?  "No.  I don¹t think I can.  I¹ve got
low-profile tires on it."

YOUNG DRIVERS VS. VETERAN DRIVERS?  "Much has been made by y¹all.  To me
it¹s not an issue. It¹s dumb to keep beating it to death.  That¹s what I
think about it.  And I¹m not old or young.  I¹m just an innocent bystander
looking at you people (media) trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.
It¹s just embarrassing to me that so much time is spent on discussing it.
How do you feel about me now?"

ARE THE YOUNG GUYS PUSHING THE LIMITS MORE THAN WHEN THE VETERANS STARTED?
"I¹m saying you have to do what you have to do to be successful today.
Can¹t worry (about) how it used to be."

ARE THE CARS MORE POWERFUL THAN THEY USED TO BE?  "The cars are different
and the competition is more intense and so, like I said, it¹s not the point.
It¹s a dumb question."

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