M. Waltrip hoping for "break out" weekend
23 September 1999
For more information: Al Larsen Mattei Motorsports (704) 455-1777 [ext. 11] alarsen@matteimotorsports.com www.matteimotorsports.com Michael Waltrip hoping Dover provides "break-out" run on Sunday HARRISBURG, N.C. (Sept. 22, 1999) - With four straight disappointments at the racetrack, it's fair to say that Philips Chevrolet driver Michael Waltrip would probably like to put the month of September behind him. But, with the final race of the month scheduled for Dover Downs this Sunday, Waltrip is not quite ready to look ahead to October. Waltrip has enjoyed plenty of success at Dover in the past, including his first Winston Cup pole and two Busch Series wins, and heads into this weekend's 400-mile event with a full load of confidence. Michael Waltrip at Dover (career)... Starts: 27 Poles: 1 Top 5s: 2 Top 10s: 7 Ave. start: 21.55 Ave. finish: 19.07 Winnings: $432,355 Best start: Pole ('91) Best finish: 5th ('90, '91) 1999 (race 1): 42nd Michael Waltrip on... ...Dover Downs: "I love Dover. I always feel like I'm going to have a car that can run in the top 10 at Dover, and I think we definitely had that in the spring before we broke. I feel like on this trip here, our performance will be better than it was in the spring, so it makes me very confident about going there. I really expect to qualify up front on Friday, and I expect to race up front on Sunday." ...what Joe Nemechek's win meant to Winston Cup: "One of the biggest upsets ever in Winston Cup racing came on Sunday. Joe Nemechek has been good at times, but he has lacked the consistency to put him on top of the list of people that might break through and win a race. That's what made Joe's win surprising and special. It's not because of a lack of ability on Joe's part or on the part of his team, but just because of where they have been. They broke out, and broke out big. That excites me as a driver, and it's just good for our sport." "I really feel like this Philips team has the capability to do what Joe did. It's kind of hard sometimes to get everybody to buy into that, but I feel that way. I know it didn't matter whether or not anyone was buying into it with Joe when they threw the checkered flag on Sunday." - 30 - Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of US$ 33.9 billion in 1998. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, color picture tubes for televisions and monitors, and one-chip TV products. Its 227.600 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, medical systems, business electronics, and IT services (Origin). Philips is quoted on the NYSE, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.news.philips.com