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NASCAR WCUP: Mission accomplished for Michael Waltrip

27 July 1999

LONG POND, Pa. (July 27, 1999) - Philips Chevrolet driver Michael Waltrip took a very straightforward attitude into Sunday's race at Pocono International Raceway. According to Waltrip, he and his team needed to improve on the performance they posted at Pocono in June. If they accomplished that, the return trip would be a success and the second half of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup season would be headed in a positive direction. Consider it done.

Waltrip started the race from the 16th position, ran as high as seventh and eventually finished 12th in the Pennsylvania 500. It turned out to be a great follow-up to his first trip to Pocono in June, when he was spun into the fence with 52 laps to go and had to settle for the 37th place finish.

Sunday's 200-lap affair was interrupted by a number of caution flags, including two for rain. The absence of more extended green flag runs may have hurt Waltrip, who seemed to be more suited for that scenario.

"I really believe that, overall, this performance was better," said Waltrip. "In the long run, we were clipping people off. The cloudy conditions at the end didn't really play into our hands, but it probably wasn't a great big deal. Just the way we were able to pass people once we got going was good. We were a little off on the short runs, which concerns me. But, we also think we've got a couple ideas why."

Waltrip and the Philips Racing Team enjoys another weekend off this week, and then resumes the 1999 schedule on Aug. 7 with the sixth running of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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