Feb
15
Michael Waltrip: Lightning Rod for Controversy or Just Really Tall Man?
February 15, 2007 | Posted by VroomDude
Even I am starting to feel a bit bad for Michael Waltrip, as he’s suddenly developing a knack for putting himself in no-win situations.
The good news is that on Thursday he raced his way into the Daytona 500, finishing eighth; the bad news is many people believe he shouldn’t have even been on the track after someone on his team was caught cheating by NASCAR. He claims that he considered not even running on Thursday, but not only did he decide to, he managed to run well enough to qualify for the Daytona 500.
On the bright side, all three of Michael Waltrip Racing’s (MWR) cars will make the Daytona 500, as Boris Said’s finish in the first Gatorade Duel was good enough to have the ripple effect of guaranteeing MWR driver David Reutimann a spot in the Daytona 500, based on his qualifying speed last Sunday. Dale Jarrett (the third MWR driver) struggled in the Duel on Thursday but gets into the 500 based on his past champion provisional.
On the not so bright side, what would normally be a cause for celebration for MWR is in actuality pretty glum, and only serves to point out the current black eye the team has. How should Mike Bliss feel right now, watching all three MWR cars in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, as he barely missed making the race in his Duel when he was nosed out by Boris Said at the finish?
The results would normally have been a nice boost for Toyota, but now it only serves to fuel talk of their rocky entry into NASCAR, with some people suggesting that it was a poor choice to go with Michael Waltrip Racing, based on recent events. I think that’s a stretch but it’s hard to argue that Toyota is also in a difficult spot now, through absolutely no action or fault of their own.
Let’s not even discuss the firestorm that’d erupt if Mikey somehow managed to win the whole thing on Sunday.