NASCAR WCUP: Michael Waltrip looking to continue successful trend at Bristol
8 April 1999
HARRISBURG, N.C.- Philips Chevrolet driver Michael Waltrip takes his 10th place Winston Cup ranking to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, looking to duplicate some of the past success he has enjoyed at the high-banked Tennessee-oval. Waltrip, who has one top five and three top 10s in his last five spring starts at Bristol, placed ninth in the spring there last year, and would welcome another strong run in 1999 to bolster his spot among the elite in NASCAR's premier series.
Michael Waltrip on...
...surviving 500 laps at Bristol:
"First of all, you have to take care of yourself. You have to be smart and not let somebody take you out. Drive your car and keep it safe. That's the first job - taking care of your space.
"Then, the second thing is to be very aware of what is going on up ahead of you. If you're down in the middle of one and two, and they get together coming off of two, you totally depend on your spotter. You want to know about it immediately so that you don't run over someone in front of you, but also, so you can get your hand up and keep someone else from running over you. There are other places on the track where you can see, and when that's the case, even though you're driving down the back straightaway, you're looking over into three and four to see if everything is OK. No matter where you are on the racetrack, you have to know what's going on in front of you. That's the only way to last all day at Bristol."
...his confidence at Bristol Motor Speedway:
"Recent history has proven that we're competitive there. I've won a Busch Series race there, and had a number of top 10s there in Winston Cup cars. It's just a place that is fun for me to drive. Everywhere this year has been a little more fun to drive just because of the way we've performed, so I hope that carries over to this weekend. I feel like I have an understanding of what it takes to run well at Bristol - things like what you need in the set-up and the line you need to run for qualifying and for the race. Bristol is just a place that's been good to me."
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