Jimmie Johnson may have won the pole for the 50th Daytona 500, but Michael Waltrip claimed he was the happiest driver at Daytona Int’l Speedway Sunday.
It was one year ago that Waltrip’s team was labeled as “Cheaters” after an illegal additive was discovered in his intake manifold. The jelled substance that some believed was a solid-based rocket fuel was meant to give a steroid-sized boost of horsepower to Waltrip’s Toyota engine.
NASCAR found the substance and disqualified Waltrip’s time, meaning he had to start last in one of the Daytona Duels qualifying races.
Waltrip was able to drive his way into the 2007 Daytona 500 starting lineup, but the shame and disgrace that was placed on his team had far-reaching effects.
After failing to qualify for 10 races last season, it would have been easy for Waltrip to have given up. But on Sunday, his perseverance paid off as he was the second-fastest qualifier in Sunday’s Daytona 500 time trials.
His Toyota lapped the 2.5-mile high-banked oval at 186.734 miles per hour and is locked into the front row for next Sunday’s 500.
After tears of shame last year, Waltrip admitted to being misty-eyed again on Sunday.
“I’m still very emotional for obviously drastic reasons,” Waltrip said. “That Wednesday night last year was the first time I accepted we had done something illegal. Up to that time, I thought every test they would find out it was a mistake. We made them part of the controversy by what happened and I explained to them that someone had tampered with our fuel. I came in here and that’s who I was.
“I’m happy, but I still want to try to be able to get through that and get to a point in 2007 where it was questionable if you were my banker whether we were going to survive.”
In addition to solidifying his position in the starting lineup as an owner/driver, Waltrip’s two other cars fared much better than last year. David Reutimann was the fourth-fastest driver at 186.463 mph and is in prime position to at least make the race based on his qualification speed.
Dale Jarrett didn’t fare as well at 21st, but can still make the lineup by racing his way in during the Daytona Duels or by advancing into the lineup with a champion’s provisional.
Waltrip’s impressive comeback earned praise from team owner Rick Hendrick, who in a period of 18 hours won the Budweiser Shootout with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the Daytona 500 pole with Johnson.
“I certainly do sympathize for him,” Johnson said. “He started up three race teams in a short period of time. Now, he has three cars guaranteed with such a short field. They have done an impressive job, to say the least.”
As the Hendrick Motorsports trio of Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and Hendrick were still discussing their accomplishments, Waltrip sat in the corner of the room enjoying his own special moment.
“I love Mr. Hendrick, I respect him, I try to live my life where other people say things to me like they do when he leaves the room, but there is no way they are happier than me,” Waltrip said. “I’m first in happiness.
“They knew what they were going to do today, but I woke up in a fog.”
Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 winner. He knows the unique demands required to win the Daytona 500 or any race on a restrictor-plate track.
“This is one of the most intense jobs you’ll ever face,” Waltrip said of restrictor-plate racing. “I was 11th in last night’s race and three rows wide. You have to work on your car. You have to make sure driving the car is almost reactionary because you have to spend more time looking out the mirror than driving your race car. Try driving a car 200 miles an hour while looking backwards. I’ve never believed restrictor-plate racing was easy and it was all your cars. Now that everybody has fast cars it’s as crazy as anything you’ll ever do.
“Having said all that, I can’t wait for next Sunday.”