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NASCAR WCUP: Dover a welcome stop on the schedule for Philips driver Michael Waltrip

3 June 1999

HARRISBURG, N.C. - A lot of drivers look at an afternoon at Dover Downs with apprehension, knowing they are in for a long, tough day. But, Philips Chevrolet driver Michael Waltrip is not one of them. Over the course of his career, Waltrip has found the best in the high-banked one-mile oval, while allowing it to bring out the best in him.

Michael Waltrip at Dover (spring races)...

Starts:  13
Poles:  1
Top 5s:  0
Top 10s:  3
Ave. start:  19.31
Ave. finish:  18.31
Winnings:  $197,280
Best start:  Pole ('91)
Best finish:  7th ('97, '94)
1998:  14th

Michael Waltrip on...

...why he likes Dover:

"All-in-all, Dover has been a pleasant experience for me over the years. I've had a lot of good runs at Dover. I won my first Busch race at Dover, I won my first Winston Cup pole at Dover and I've had some top five finishes up there. I've just always looked forward to Dover, even when it was 500 miles.

"With it being concrete, it used to be really tough. But now that place has gotten pretty cool with the way the concrete has smoothed out from the rubber on our race cars grinding on it a little bit over the years. The groove has widened out. There is plenty of room to race and it's not as rough as it used. I know they've worked on the track over the years with some grinders, but I think our cars have smoothed it out a lot."

...the physical demands of 400 miles at Dover:

"I think I'm fortunate that I grew up in the sport running the '500 miles of Dover,' so now the '400 miles at Dover' seems refreshing. You go there now, and it's just different. It's not that bad anymore."

...the advantages of being in good physical condition at Dover:

"Dover is definitely a place where your conditioning can come into play, but for the most part, all the guys you race against take their physical fitness seriously. I'm happy that I'm in as good of shape as I'm in, but I figure there are about 40 other guys that are pretty sure that place won't get them down, either."

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