Gatorade Duel #1 - 2/12/09
Michael Waltrip's #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry finished 15th in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway. He raced a back-up car with splitter and bumpstop issues.
"That was sort of a trial run with our new car in those first laps," Mikey said after the race. "It ran pretty good, but it just didn't handle right. We have to measure and try to figure out what we need to do. It's interesting with these cars and the bump stops and the gaps that you can run and your shocks in order to hold your load. Bootie will science it out. We had a great race car yesterday -- you can't worry about the past, but this car just didn't ever run like that one did. We tuned that one and got it really where I wanted it so I know now that the guys have a chance to look at what we did and the thing about what we had for conditions with our car today that they'll be able to make some good adjustments."
Mikey was slated to roll off 16th of 28 drivers in the first Gatorade Duel; however, he started at the rear of the field. He was wrecked in final practice. He had been drafting with Kasey Kahne when Kahne rolled off the throttle. When Mikey slowed, David Stremme slammed into him and turned him into Jamie McMurray's #26. Mikey and Jamie needed to go to their back-up cars.
"All right, buddy, two minutes, two minutes. You got a copy?" spotter Ty Norris asked.
"Ty, I'm on the low antennae," someone who sounded like Bobby Kennedy asked. "Do I sound okay?"
"Yeah, you sound good."
"Hello, ah, spotter, do you got me?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah, I got you, 10-4."
"10-4, Ty."
The call to start engines came at 2:08pm ET.
"All right, bud, here we go," Ty said as cars rolled off pit road a minute later.
"Ty, I see our car well right now," crew chief Bootie Barker said. "No problem at all. I actually see that last green car as well, but wherever you want to turn him loose now."
Ty said he'd let Bootie have him at the UPS box.
Bootie told Mikey he'd be behind Tony Stewart.
"I gotcha. It's all good. I see seven away. I'll be right behind the 14, over."
"10-4."
"Yeah, you're four away, 3, 2, 1. Your lovely group of gentlemen are waving right there now."
"And Arte."
"And Arte."
"All right, pit road speed right there," Ty noted. "What do you have today, bud?"
"Well the most it will show is 44," Mikey replied, "but 46.50 is what my instructions are."
"Stick with 46.50. That will be fine," Bootie replied.
"10-4," Mikey yawned.
"Okay, we need to come in, they said, and put a transponder on our car," Bootie informed the team. He told Mikey to come in.
Somebody said Bootie had two of them.
"He doesn't know either. Ask him. He doesn't know. Just put it on the left. Put it on the left. What do you think, Ron?"
"Come in with it now. They're not going to start. It'll be okay," someone replied.
"You got everything you need, Ron?"
"They're saying one to go when you get here, so hustle."
Bootie noted one on the right. He led Mikey into the box. "Don't slide your tires.
"Get John to look up here, Ron. What the hell are they doing? Yeah, Michael, this is their problem, not ours, so we're okay."
"I'm fine," Mikey said.
Bootie told somebody to get to someone. "He's going to die of a heart attack."
"He said he'd give you mouth to mouth if you needed it," someone said.
"All right, Michael, go ahead."
"46.50. Go slow. They're waiting for you," Ty said. He led Mikey back into line.
"We're good," Mikey said.
"10-4. 26 will be back there with you. There they are right in 4. You can smack her down a little bit."
Martin Truex Jr led the field to the green flag at 2:21pm ET.
"All right, bud. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. All clear there. All clear. Outside, both sides. Both sides. Clear low. Still outside. Clear high. Got the 26 in your mirror."
Truex Jr led the first lap. Mikey was 23rd.
"Clear all clear. Still there inside. The 07. Clear there on the bottom. Both sides, both sides. Still both sides. 26 still with you, still there. Both sides. Clear high, clear high. All clear. Got the 77 with you."
Bill Elliott led going into lap 3, barely ahead of Truex Jr.
"Clear two back to the 77. Got one outside, outside. 26 is the last one. Be clear behind him if you need it. Closing outside, outside. Clear one back. Clear high, 47 slow on the bottom. Back it down. He's all the way on the bottom. Keep digging. You're good. Caution's out, caution's out."
The first caution was on lap 4. Robby Gordon had spun out Kurt Busch.
"I'm listening, Michael," Bootie said.
"I think it's good. I feel the pipes a little bit, but I think it's good."
Bootie said they would come in, since they were in the back anyway, and raise the trackbar.
"That sounds good. Might as well make sure we don't have any rubs. Good plan."
"10-4." Bootie said they'd check out the car and take their time, then said they'd do a stop as normal to see how they're doing.
Mikey read off oil and water temps. "You can raise the track bar two rounds if you want, just for safety."
"You heard the man. Two rounds." He told Mikey not to leave after the adjustments. "7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hit your sign. All right, just stay there, Michael. Don't go." He told the crew to take a look around. "Look at the side walls, Paul, real quick."
"Turn 2, Turn 2."
"Michael, your splitter feel okay? Can you feel it?"
"Yeah, everything feels normal," Mikey replied.
"Turn 3, guys, Turn 3."
"Yeah, we got it. 46.50. You got it. We're fine. Yeah, we got to cut a hole in this. This sucks. Hey Bobby, Bobby Kennedy. Come see me when you get a chance," Bootie requested.
"Okay," Bobby replied.
"Who spun him out, Ty?" Mikey asked.
"The 7. Hey, that 9 up there, I can't believe he saved it. He lost it in the middle of the track but was fine," Ty said.
Mikey was last after his stop.
"Go ahead and pull up around the 2, and the 07 right there."
Truex Jr led the field to the restart on lap 7. Mikey was 27th.
"All right, buddy, get ready. You're going to be coming to the green," Ty said. "Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Top side only. Clear half back. 7's still outside. Got the 2 down there with you. Clear the 7. Still clear, one back. You're all clear, all clear. Still there. Clear."
Mikey was 24th one lap into the run.
"How's the splitter look to y'all?" Mikey asked.
"Fine," Ty replied.
"You ain't wearing it out, Michael. It's just touching," Bootie added.
Jimmie Johnson led lap 9. Mikey was 23rd.
"Still clear one back," Ty said.
Mikey was 22nd on lap 10.
"Still outside. Clear. Still clear two back. Still outside, outside, outside. Inside, the 2 just jumped up outside. Still inside. Still inside on your quarter. Clear up if you want it, clear up. Inside, inside. Three-wide for just a second there. Still there. All clear. Whatever you need. All clear. Clear three back, four back. All clear."
On lap 12, Mikey was 20th.
"Still outside, outside. Still outside, middle lane coming. Three-wide, three-wide. Two-wide. Outside now. Clear low, clear low. Still outside. Still both sides, both sides. Clear low."
Mikey was 16th on lap 13. Truex Jr took back the lead.
"Still clear. Whatever you need. Inside. 77 still outside. Still outside on your corner, still there. Clear two back to the 07. Still out there. Two by two. Keep coming. Coming with a push."
Mikey was 19th on lap 15.
"8's outside. Clear one back to the 09. Inside, inside. Outside's clear. Still inside. Clear there all clear, whatever you need."
Mikey was 20th on lap 16.
"Clear up, two back. One back to the 09. Still down there. Clear now, clear. The 77, the 07 still slow on the bottom. All clear, clear. Clear the 8, all clear. Outside now, outside. Closing up. The 07 and 16 are coming, big push on the outside. Still on your corner, still just a little bit of help. Got one outside. All clear if you need it."
Mikey was 21st on lap 19.
"Outside, the 34, sneaking up with that 19. Clear up, clear up. Got one inside. Still there, 34. Clear, clear. 20's still outside. 07 still outside. No room. Coming outside, outside."
Mikey was 19th on lap 20.
"Clear two back if you need it, either lane. Still clear two back. Still on your corner. 16 still there. Tucked in with you now. Single file. Still outside on your corner. Still there. Outside, outside, outside. 16's right there with you, giving you a shove."
On lap 21, Mikey was 15th with Greg Biffle pushing.
"Clear up behind the 2 if you want it. Clear back one to the 16."
Mikey was 14th on lap 23.
"16 still with you, 9's hung on the bottom by himself. Clear, clear. 16's looking on the bottom, on the bottom. Back in line."
Mikey was 13th on lap 24. Mike Skinner had dropped off the pace.
"Still clear, all clear. Whatever you need. 8's to your corner. Clear clear. The 16's still tucked in there with you. Clear the 21. Got the 16 8 up top with you."
On lap 25, Mikey was 11th.
"Caution's out, caution's out. 23's stalled somewhere."
The second caution was for Mike Skinner on lap 26. SPEED reported he ran out of fuel pressure.
"Michael, I'm listening, when you're ready."
"Uh, the balance is both. It's pushing and loose. It just depends. Maybe a slight air pressure adjustment to free me up somewhere, a half inch somewhere." Mikey requested for a report on wear of air.
Bootie said the 24 was losing right front as well. "Paul, left rear, a half, a half." He said he'd give Mikey a report as soon as he could. "The 14 will be in his pit, and I'll give you a report as soon as I can."
Under yellow, Bill Elliott shot out inexplicably. His rear wheels had locked up. He had a transmission failure and fell out of the race.
"Pit road's still closed, pit road's still closed. The 23's still limping. Okay, pit road's open. 46.50. Watch them checking up, watch them checking up," Ty warned.
"I've got you. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Right here," Bootie guided Mikey to his box.
"All the way, all the way. 46.50 all the way out," it sounded like Bobby said.
"The splitter is wearing pretty good on the left. I think it will be fine," Bootie siad. He thought it came from when Mikey was going low.
The #27 team was borrowing someone from the #78 team, and that person named Kyle got hit. Kirk Shelmerdine had gotten sideways when accelerating out of the pit box and had hit him.
"Going to finish lap 28 right there. They've got a guy down here on pit road. We'll probably restart with 30 to go." Bootie said they were good on fuel.
"Was the right front tire across pit road, or was it just my car?"
Bootie said the 24 had the same problem and that the #07 of Casey Mears went completely to junk. He assessed that nobody could go forty laps on a complete fuel run. "I mean, you had the usual right front problem on the bottom trying to get by people, but it looked better than it did in practice last night, if that will give you a reference. The 1 was leading in clean air, and he said he went tight off, so it just is what it is." He noted a small spot on the tire. "The wear couldn't be better. I don't know anything we could do about it. You're actually wearing your left tire a slight bit more."
Truex Jr led the lap 31 restart with Mikey in 11th.
"Do y'all hear me okay?" Mikey asked.
"Yup, sure do. We all good?" Ty asked. "All right, pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Still clear one back, everybody's rolling. Still clear, all clear. Still one and a half back to the 07. Still clear, all clear. Outside, outside, outside. Got two with him, the 9 and the 16."
"Well that sucks," Mikey said.
"Clear, two back. You got a copy on me, Bootie?"
"Yeah, y'all just talked over each other, that's what it was," Bootie replied.
"Everybody's got help. Two by two."
Mikey was 14th on lap 33.
"Still two by two. Everybody's got help. 8 car's still there on your corner. Both sides, both sides. Got a good run here. Clear high, clear high. Big shove coming from the 16 here. Two by two. The 98's still down there. He doesn't have a lot of help, but he's still down there. There you go, all clear, all clear. Clear one back. Top line's moving, trying to look outside."
Mikey was 11th on lap 36.
"Still looking outside. Outside, inside, both sides. Outside, inside, both sides. Clear one back. Inside, the 2. Still clear all clear."
Mikey was 12th on lap 37.
"Car still down there, still there. Clear clear. One back. Top side's moving."
Jeff Gordon took the lead for lap 39. Mikey was 12th.
"Top side's going to be closing up. You're clear. One back up top. Clear the 98. Still outside, still outside. Closing up. Still outside on your corner, still there."
Mikey was 9th on lap 40.
"Here we go. Going to be three-wide. Back to two-wide. Behind the 9 if you need it, if you need it."
On lap 41, Mikey was 8th.
"Outside's got a lot of help. 17's on the bottom, trying to help. Still outside. Got a good line on the bottom now. Outside, still outside, still there. Clear there, half back to the 17."
"Just too tight on the bottom," Mikey reported.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"Clear the 8, clear the 8. Still clear. Still clear."
On lap 42, Mikey was 12th. He was 11th one lap later.
"Still two by two behind you. 18 to go. One back. Look outside, he's there. Outside. Half back to the 8, half back to the 8. 8's down there, inside. Clear the 8, clear."
Mikey was 12th on lap 45.
"One back to the 8. Got a run. Got the 98 stuffed up behind him. Clear two back still, two back. Outside, 8. Got all the help. Outside. Outside, outside. Line of them."
"Just too tight," Mikey said.
"10-4," Bootie responded.
"Clear up behind the 07, if you want to. Clear two back to the 34."
Mikey was 14th on lap 47.
"13 to go," Ty said.
"10-4, Michael. Hang in there. Get those boys on the bottom. You're doing fine," Bootie encouraged his driver.
Mikey was 16th on lap 48.
The third caution was on lap 49; Martin Truex Jr spun out.
"Spin off of two, spin off of two. Watch it. Okay, it's only one of them."
"All right, Michael, I'm listening."
"It ain't the splitter making it push, so get that out of your brain," Mikey said. He told Bootie the car didn't run like the other car did. "It's down. It's hitting the splitter more than it did yesterday." He said he was hitting the splitter when he did his best turns.
"10-4. Let's do the left front inner liner. There you go." Bootie asked for a round out of the left rear. "We're going to do four, boys, we're going to do four.
"46.50. It'll be 46.50 when pits open."
Mikey said temps were 11:30 on both of them.
"10-4," Bootie replied. "Paul, give me a half on the left front as well. Give me a half. All right, 46.50 at the lien. 46.50." He counted Mikey into the box from nine away. "One lane one lane one lane, all the way all the way all the way. 46.50."
"Am I doing everything I need to do to get the car in the bumps?" Mikey asked.
"You're doing fine, Michael. I just need to look at it from the top of the box to give it a better assessment," Bootie replied. He said Mikey was losing downforce on the left side due to the splitter.
"10-4. It's hit it too hard for everything to be right, but when I say that, that ain't the reason why it ain't handling. That's not what I was saying. I know it's hitting it too hard," Mikey replied.
McMurray led the restart with 8 laps to go. Mikey was 21st.
"One back, one back. All right, keep rolling. 8 to go. 8."
"I think my splitter's messing up," Mikey said.
"Crash anyway. Back it down, back it down. All right, you see it right in front of you. There you go. Go on down, go on down. All right, we had to slide them, Bootie."
"10-4."
The fourth caution was with 7 to go. Mikey reported a big vibration and said he'd flat spotted his tires. Bootie said they were definitely coming in for that.
"Get caught up. With the way things are, it's all screwed up. I can't tell."
Bobby warned Bootie not to get in there too much and screw up the car worse. Bootie called for some packer.
Shelmerdine had been loose, bottling up the field. Everyone got back in line. Then Sam Hornish Jr went up and hit Scott Riggs, who spun. Joey Logano ran into Casey Mears, who went sideways in front of Mikey. The #55 slowed in time.
The #55 went to pit road. Ty warned him the #6 would be in the box.
"I've got you, Michael. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2," Bootie guided Mikey to his box.
"Just tell me if y'all think that spotter is flipping flopping around."
Bobby said Mikey was probably flapping the corner here.
"I see it here," Bootie said. He noted it was flapping on the outside fiber glass. "10-4, Michael, you're right. It's causing that vibration you feel." He said the packer would help him feel the car in the track.
"Okay, you're going to move around the 07 and the 1 for pitting too early. 1 right there. Be coming around to the green. Will be 5 to go," Ty said. He noted people in the transfer spots who would "get desperate here."
McMurray led the restart with 5 to go. Mikey was 23rd.
"All right, bud, five to go. Ready? Green green green. Clear two back to the 6."
Greg Biffle wiggled and went through the grass but went back on track.
"Still outside, the 77. Clear there, clear there."
Mikey was 20th on lap 55.
Ty warned Mikey about Biffle. "Clear high if you want it."
"I can't hardly drive it. It's jumping up and down on the bottom."
"10-4. There's nothing to be gained. Just take care of the car."
"20 outside. Clear, clear. All right, it's clear five back. Still outside."
Tony Stewart led lap 58. Mikey was 17th.
"All right, two to go, two to go," Ty said. Jeff Gordon was leading. "Outside. Clear all clear."
"One to go, Michael. You're on the final lap," Bootie said.
Mikey was 15th going into the last lap.
"Coming to the checkered, coming to the checkered."
"All right, Michael," Bootie said. "Good job. That's 15th. We'll figure out what's under you."
"Yeah, we just hurt it, set it back yesterday. We've got some issues with the bump stop, because something changed during the race. We can't live with that."
"You're right. We'll figure out what it is and will fix it."
Jeff Gordon won, and Mikey was 15th. Marcos Ambrose, in a Michael Waltrip Racing prepared car, finished 13th.
Stay tuned for the next Gatorade Duel with David Reutimann in the Michael Waltrip Racing #00.
|
© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
|
