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NASCAR WCUP: Desire wins out for Michael Waltrip

29 June 1999

 SONOMA, Calif. (June 29, 1999) - For several weeks, Philips Chevrolet
driver Michael Waltrip has been looking for a sign-any sign-that his luck
would turn around in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  Sunday at Sears
Point Raceway, Waltrip may have gotten that sign-and then some-as he drove
to a well-earned 10th place finish in the series' first road course event of
the year.

  Waltrip, who started 11th, overcame one setback after another on Sunday,
fighting his way back from as far down as 31st position.  His troubles began
early and returned often during the 112-lap race.

 Beginning with the drop of the green flag, Waltrip discovered he could not
shift into second gear, making it very difficult to turn good lap times with
only his top two gears available.  He faded to 16th during the opening
stages of the race as he worked with the problem, and eventually figured out
a way to overcome it.  With that issue addressed, Waltrip's lap times
improved.  But, as quick as optimism returned, it disappeared as Waltrip
reported he was out of fuel.  What deepened the concern was the fact he had
run out unexpectedly more than 10 laps early, and he was sitting more than a
mile from pit road.

 But, once again, he managed to overcome, this time thanks to fellow
competitor Kyle Petty, who gave him new life by offering up a push all the
way back to the pits.  When he arrived, his Mattei Motorsports crew filled
his tank, and also sourced out the cause of the poor mileage.  The culprit:
a broken overflow valve, which allowed fuel to pour freely out of the tank
as he circled the 1.949 mile circuit.  The fix:  a shop rag and some duct
tape.

 As the race went through its middle stages, Waltrip settled in and slowly
worked toward the front.  It appeared his tumultuous afternoon had calmed.
But with 19 laps left, the craziness resurfaced when Waltrip "flat-spotted"
a set of tires maneuvering around one of several late-race incidents.  He
came to pit road for a fresh set of tires, and returned to the lineup in
22nd position.  As the field prepared for the lap 98 restart, the call went
to Waltrip from crew chief Bobby Kennedy:  "Take no prisoners."

 Waltrip answered the challenge and quickly reeled in three spots.  But,
once again, trouble struck in front of him as Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek
got together in turn 11.  Waltrip again suffered flat-spotted tires after
locking up the brakes to avoid the crash.  But, with only nine laps
remaining and 30 cars still on the lead lap, coming to pit road for a tire
change was not an option.  The team decided to gamble, and Waltrip sharpened
his focus on a charge to the front.

 With five laps to go, Waltrip restarted in 15th position and quickly gained
two more spots.  Then, another incident on the racetrack, and again, Waltrip
dodged a bullet as his car made contact with a tire from one of the
protective barriers that had spilled onto the racecourse.  But, he escaped
with minimal damage and lined up for the lap 109 restart in 11th position.

With the help of a late race spin in the final three laps, he picked up one
more crucial spot, and went on to pick up his first top 10 since March 14.

 "That was tough," said Waltrip.  "But, when you think about how this day
could have turned out, it's pretty satisfying.  I really appreciate how hard
this Philips team worked today.  They did what they do best, and helped us
get a good finish."

 With their third top 10 finish of 1999 under their belt, the team now takes
momentum and optimism back to Daytona for Saturday night's running of the
Pepsi 400.  Daytona provided Waltrip and his mates with their best finish of
the season back in February, when they placed fifth in the Daytona 500.

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