| | | | | | LONG TIME | Waltrip making 700th Cup start at Dodge Challenger 500 | |
| | By SceneDaily Staff Michael Waltrip is scheduled to make his 700th career Cup series start this weekend, but that’s not necessarily the number he’ll be thinking about.
Waltrip has made 699 starts since making his Cup debut for Dick Bahre at Charlotte in May 1985. But he’s only won four times over that span, and that bothers him.
“It’s not something I am necessarily going to celebrate,” Waltrip said of his 700th start. “I would have liked to have had more than four Sprint Cup victories by now. At the same time, I am thankful to be able to show up every week and do what I love to do.
“So I think I have mixed emotions because I will be a little bit sad about not putting up more numbers than I have, but glad that I have the ability to do what I do.”
Waltrip is 14th on the all-time starts list and has made 41 starts at Darlington Raceway, site of Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 500. Waltrip is one of the few active drivers who drove after Darlington was repaved in the mid-1990s.
“I think the last time Darlington was paved was in 1995,” Waltrip said. “I remember that because I was in the Pennzoil car. We wrecked almost every other lap. The same thing will basically happen on Saturday night. You are going to see a lot of cautions because of all of the grip. In the past, it was all about self-preservation. Now that’s no longer the case. Guys will be going for it.”
| | Posted May 07, 2008 , 8:07 pm EST
Last Updated May 07, 2008 , 8:08 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
