When Michael Waltrip announced last fall that Martin Truex Jr. would take over for him behind the wheel of the Michael Waltrip Racing NAPA-sponsored full-time Sprint Cup Series entry, he also announced that he’d scale back his driving duties, opting to compete on a part-time basis as a driver in 2010. But has he already climbed out of the cockpit of a Cup car for good?
When Waltrip made the announcement to go part-time racing, the only races he specifically mentioned running were the Daytona 500 and the Budweiser Shootout, a non-points paying all-star-type event held at Daytona International Speedway a week prior to the 500. With those races now in the history books, Waltrip still doesn’t have definite plans to compete again in 2010.
“That’s the only Cup races I have planned,” Waltrip said not too long ago. “I’m okay with that.”
Waltrip’s record at tracks that run non-restricted races is less that stellar anyway, at least when it comes to the Sprint Cup Series. In a Cup career that started back in 1985, he only managed four Cup wins, three of those coming at Daytona. And two of those three were Daytona 500 victories (2001 and 2003). The one other career win came at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s one other restrictor plate track.
While all Waltrip’s points-paying wins have come at restrictor plate tracks, it probably is worth mentioning that he does have a non-points paying win to his credit that came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1996. That year he claimed victory in NASCAR’s all-star race that at that time was called The Winston.
While he doesn’t have definite plans to race again, Waltrip did mention recently that he’d like to race again this year. Where else? At Talladega Superspeedway in the Aaron’s 499 in April. It would be another restrictor plate event, the one kind of race he seems to actually be good at. Earlier this month, Waltrip said that he was working on securing a sponsorship deal to climb behind the wheel at Talladega.
While not finding success at most of the tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, Waltrip seems to be content to just be seen as a restrictor plate threat behind the wheel.
“When I think about California and Vegas, I just haven’t performed at the level that makes me say, ‘I’m going to go out there and do the same thing,’” he said. “I don’t miss that, I’m okay with that.”
Besides Waltrip’s pretty much moved on to a double-duty career of broadcasting and team ownership—working in the broadcast booth for SPEED TV during Camping World Truck Series events and running Michael Waltrip Racing, which fields entries in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.
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