Catchfence

Michael Waltrip Racing

What is the update on Tony Cardamone who was injured last Saturday night at Charlotte?

“After a visit to his doctor yesterday, he was diagnosed with a hair-line fracture of his ankle and has torn ligaments. He won’t be able to jack the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota for the remainder of the season. I called Tony Saturday night after the race and asked him how he was. All he wanted to talk about was the messed up pit stop. The NAPA team was running good up to that point. We were fast and on the lead lap. We had a chance to get a good finish. He hated that he fell. I had to remind him that his ankle was broken and to get over it. I just love his type of attitude and it’s the attitude all my NAPA guys have. They are awesome.”

What are your thoughts on The Chase going into this weekend’s race?

“At Charlotte, Jimmy Johnson won the first, second and third practices. He won qualifying and then the race. He currently has the biggest lead that anyone has ever had at this point in the Chase which is 90 points. But I do not think he is guaranteed the championship.

“The last time we were at Martinsville, we saw one of the best drivers in the world, Kyle Busch, wipe out Scott Speed. The same thing can happen this weekend. The next two of the five races – Martinsville and Talladega – can change the face of this championship. Nothing can be taken for granted.”

How difficult is it to pit in a curved pit stall at Martinsville?

“It’s a challenge, but it is just another dynamic we have to deal with. Drivers are used to dodging cars and getting into the box in a straight line. At Martinsville, you have to be turning, dodging cars and getting into your box. It is more difficult. I think if the folks at Martinsville saw what Bristol did first – making two pit roads become one – I think Martinsville would have done the same thing.”

What additional challenges do you face at Martinsville?

“At Martinsville, I always like to say it is controlled chaos. What we ask our cars to do and how we ask them to do it is not natural. We are always on the edge for 500 laps and working our brakes a lot harder which isn’t easy so I am glad I’ve got NAPA’s Adaptive One Brake Pads paint scheme on my Toyota for this weekend. It’s appropriate for this place. Another new element to consider is this will be the first race at Martinsville where we will have double-file restarts. It’s going to be a shootout on Sunday.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will start in his 754th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when he competes in the Tums Fast Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va.

• The No. 55 Toyota Camry will once again have the NAPA Adaptive One Brake Pads paint scheme. Adaptive One Brake Pads are designed to reduce noise and brake dust without sacrificing the ‘stop-on-a-dime’ braking power.

• He will start in his 47th race at the .526-mile track. His best Martinsville start is seventh, three times (Sept. 25, 1988, Sept. 23, 1990 and April 24, 1994), and best finish is third (April 9, 2000). Waltrip has completed 21,323 of 22,866 laps (93.3%) at the track and has led a total of 17 laps in competition.

• During his career at Martinsville, Waltrip has earned one top-five and five top-10 finishes. His average start is 25th and average finish is 21st.

• Earlier this season, Waltrip rallied back from being down a lap – three times — to race his way onto the lead lap to finish 13th in the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500.

• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the NAPA team is 33rd in the owner points standings and is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s race.

- Michael Waltrip Racing, Press Release