Waltrip Gives Lessons At Martinsville Speedway

MARTINSVILLE, VA (April 2, 2003) – When Darrell Waltrip used to walk into the pits at Martinsville Speedway, everyone took notice. Little has changed several years into his retirement as a fulltime driver and move into the FOX broadcast booth. Waltrip was back in the infield and behind the wheel at Martinsville Speedway Tuesday, and you had better believe everyone noticed. Fans around the infield entrance were buzzing over Waltrip’s arrival and several drivers, young and old, were hoping for an audience with the 11-time Martinsville Speedway winner. Waltrip made the trip to prep for the Advance Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville, and it wasn’t his on-camera work he was honing. For the second straight year Waltrip will be attempting to make the Advance Auto Parts 250, which will be held the day before the Virginia 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. Last year Waltrip qualified 17th for the event and wound up 34th after losing an engine. “It’s exciting for me to do this, to have the opportunity to get out there with these guys any time,” said Waltrip. Waltrip wasn’t in a Craftsman Truck Series truck Wednesday; there’s no testing in that series. Through an odd arrangement, Waltrip was in a Busch Grand National car owned by Winston Cup team owner Andy Petree. Petree also dabbles in the truck series as a driver. He, too was looking for Martinsville seat time, so he brought a Busch car to Martinsville and on Wednesday shared driving duties with Waltrip. Waltrip’s first run was quickly short-circuited Wednesday. Two laps into it, the engine exploded and he was sidelined for a couple hours while a new power plant was installed. While that work was being done, a couple of young drivers, like NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Carl Edwards picked Waltrip’s brain about the intricacies of Martinsville. A little later Kyle Petty asked Waltrip to take a laps in his Winston Cup car to get a little extra input. By 1 p.m., he was back in Petree’s car, logging valuable laps in preparation for the Advance Auto Parts 250. “This is a lot of fun, but it’s also great for my other job. Just walking back into the garage like this helps me know what they are doing, if they are doing the same things they were doing when I was racing. It helps me know if things have changed.” And getting behind the wheel is even more valuable to Waltrip and his job with FOX. “How can I talk about the track if I’ve not been on it. How can I talk about what’s been done to the track if I’ve not been on it,” said Waltrip. But as important as these forays into the truck series may be to Waltrip’s current fulltime job, he likes to be thought of as a driver first. “The guys told me today it was like a flashback, seeing me in the Tide uniform,” said Waltrip, who will be sponsored by Tide, his longtime Winston Cup sponsor, in the Advance Auto Parts 250. “Days like to day give me an opportunity to come back and I want to come back in here as a driver first as long as I can.” There were also eight Winston Cup teams on hand Wednesday closing out the two-day test session. Rookie Casey Mears posted the best time of the day, 20.45 seconds. He was followed by Jack Sprague (20.48), Ricky Craven (20.56), Joe Nemechek (20.59), Tony Raines (20.68), David Hyder in Petty’s car (20.75), Greg Biffle (20.73), and Steve Park (21.12). All times were provided by teams. MW Pole Day for the NASCAR Winston Cup cars will kick off the Virginia 500/Advance Auto Parts 250 weekend. It is scheduled for April 11, along with qualifying for the Advance Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. The Advance Auto Parts 250 is set for Saturday, April 12, while the Virginia 500 is scheduled for Sunday, April 13. Good seats remain for both the Virginia 500 and Advance Auto Parts 250. Virginia 500 tickets may be purchased by calling 1-877-RACE-TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com. Advance Auto Parts 250 tickets may be purchased by calling 1-877-RACE-TIX. Story Courtesy NASCAR