Waltrip still glowing from Daytona 500 win
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
January 25, 2002
4:30 PM EST (2130 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Winston Cup drivers are nothing if not the epitome of confidence, and Michael Waltrip has certainly portrayed that air throughout his career. Forget about his 0-for-whatever winless streak -- coming into the 2001 season Waltrip could walk the walk and talk the talk.
 | |
Michael Waltrip in Victory Lane following his Daytona 500 win.
|
|
|
And as the dawn of Speedweeks approaches, Waltrip remains aglow as the one-year anniversay of his stunning Daytona 500 victory draws near.
Waltrip spent several days in Daytona this week, attending a dinner meeting of a local charitable group, the 10-year-old Cold Tailpipe Society, in addition to testing his own NASCAR Busch Series cars. For a man who has a keen appreciation of the sport’s history, it was ironic that Marvin Panch, winner of the 1961 Daytona 500, also attended the Cold Tailpipe Society meeting.
It gave Waltrip a moment’s pause to reflect on the past year and what it’s meant to his career -- and to him.
“It seems like it’s been a year,” Waltrip said of the 340-odd days since his Daytona win. “It was something I worked for more than 15 years of my career to accomplish, and at times it seemed like it was getting further away rather than closer.
“I really have appreciated being the Daytona 500 champion -- being part of that crowd, that company. The names of the people that are on that trophy and the significance of that event is something that I am real proud of.”
As he did at the Cold Tailpipe meeting, Waltrip has noticed the public’s reaction more than the reaction he's received from his competitors.
 | |
Waltrip finished 24th in points in 2001.
|
|
|
“The biggest thing I noticed was that a lot of people knew I won that race,” he said. “In the garage area with my peers it was the same -- no different. I think everybody knew I was gonna win the race eventually -- there wasn’t any way I couldn’t, as good as I had been at times over my career here.
“In walking down the street or doing appearances everyone is aware that we’ve won the Daytona 500 so that’s been neat and it seems to have brought a lot of people joy. That makes me happy.”
It’s good that Waltrip has that cherished memory. However, for some race fans, the only memory of the 2001 Daytona 500 is a tragic one -- when Waltrip's car owner, mentor and friend Dale Earnhardt was killed on the race’s final turn.
In one of those indecipherable quirks of racing, Waltrip endured a truly miserable year in 2001, save for his 500 victory, a return trip to Daytona to finish second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Pepsi 400 and a runner-up finish in the November race at Homestead.
But along with his team being new before the season, Waltrip had to work with no less than three crew chiefs. Finally, in the fall he hooked up with Richard “Slugger” Labbe.
“I think we really believe we can do good things together,” Waltrip said of himself and Labbe, who had a rough initial outing as a crew chief with Robert Yates. “Our Homestead deal last fall was big to us. We could have easily won that race -- we ran second and almost did win it.
 | |
Waltrip is optimistic that he can repeat as Daytona champ.
|
|
|
“That race was significant because a lot of the tracks we go to are a lot like that track. When you run good at Homestead there are over half the other tracks that are somewhat like that so you can do a lot of good at a lot of different places.
“We’re thankful for the team’s attitude. Our goal right now and the only thing we’re thinking about is repeating as the Daytona 500 champion. We’re not worried about anything else and we’re putting all our eggs in that one basket and concentrating on that alone.
“Still, we feel like we’re so far ahead of where we were a year ago and we’ll do well at Rockingham and Las Vegas and the other places coming up early in the schedule.”
First Waltrip and his Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team have to come back to Daytona, where his winning car will sit in DAYTONA USA, outside the track’s Turn 4, until the day of the race. That knowledge only adds to Waltrip’s experience, even though his team will have to use a back-up car while his other car is on display.
“We don’t got to use it -- it’s the one we want to use,” Waltrip said firmly. “When they took that car last February I knew DEI would build me a better one to replace it so it didn’t bother me in the least.”
And sure enough, Waltrip came back in July and finished second to Earnhardt Jr. in the reverse of their one-two Daytona 500 finish.
“That’s a good feeling that people walk in there every day and see my car sitting there,” Waltrip said. “I’m real proud of that and I recall very specifically the emotions I had preparing for that race last year and those will be back and will be a part of my preparation this year, I believe.
“Dale Jr. and I are pretty optimistic that we’ll be a part of the story as we return here this time around.”
| 
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}