Michael Waltrip misses third race in a row

Posted by DarthDilbert at 3/18/2007 12:29:00 AM

I have been a fan of Michael's for a long time now going back to when he drove the #30 Country Time Lemonade Pontiac for Chuck Rider. Dale Earnhardt's belief in him to drive the #15 NAPA Chevy was realized in the races he won for DEI. However, when Michael announced his plans for the #55, I wasn't confident at all. I saw it as a bad mistake that should have been handled much differently. Kenny Wallace has suggested many times that for Toyota to create so many new teams was a bad mistake in that they should have recruited current teams to move from Chevrolet, Dodge, or Ford over to Toyota.

This year twenty-seven different drivers for thirty-seven teams haven't qualified for the first four races. Last year during thirty-six races, fifty-three different drivers for thirty-seven teams didn't qualify. Michael Waltrip missed three races last year: Allstate 400 At The Brickyard (6 August), Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (9 September), and Ford 400 (19 November). He would have missed the Coca-Cola 600, but he purchased Derrike Cope's ride in the #74 Dodge. I can't see blaming the qualifying problem this year entirely on Toyota as Dave Blaney, from here in Ohio, has been the class of the field with an average start of 24th. Whatever the problem at Michael Waltrip Racing, it needs to be resolved as soon as possible; not only for Michael, but for David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett (his two drivers), the many folks he has working for him, and his sponsors who I doubt will allow this to go on all year long.

ESPN