Learning from the Best

By Trevor Bayne

Instead of learning from behind the wheel this past weekend in Daytona, I learned from watching one of the best restrictor-plate racers in history, Michael Waltrip.
I believe he told me that he has four wins combined at Daytona and Talladega, which is incredible.
Sometimes going to the race track and not being able to drive a race car can be a little frustrating or even boring. However, this past weekend watching Michael and learning from him was actually pretty enjoyable.
For those of you who don’t know Michael on a personal level, he likes to have a good time behind the wheel of a race car. He likes to joke, but he also likes to have a car that performs well on the race track. Sometime you think he is really mad on the radio, and the next second he is cracking a joke. I think he is one of the reasons that everyone who works at Michael Waltrip Racing enjoys their job.
I spent most of my time while at the race track on top of the spotters stand. I learned a lot on how cars can work together and move quickly through the field. I also learned when not to draft and how one mistake can wreck a bunch of cars quickly.
I think one of the most important things I learned from watching Michael was how he adjusted his drafting techniques after he received a little front fender damage early in the NASCAR Nationwide race.
I know going to the race track and watching instead of driving is something that a rookie like me must do, but trust me, I would much rather be behind the wheel of a race car.
Also, some of you might already know, but I received some big news this past week. When I first signed on to drive for MWR I was only scheduled to run eight races in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine. However, I guess I caught the eyes of a few people and Aaron’s, Michael and Gary Bechtel have agreed to put me in the race car for four additional races. That brings my total up to 12.
For all of my fans I will be in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. Wish me luck!!!!!

So Far this Year

By Trevor Bayne

First let me take a second to introduce myself. My name is Trevor Bayne and I am 18 from Knoxville, Tenn. I have been asked by the wonderful folks from www.onpitroad.com to write a weekly blog about what’s going on in my life. So here it goes.
Let me start off by giving you all the low down on my life so far this year.
Well the past couple of months have been kind of crazy for me. At the end of last season, I thought my future was set. I was going to drive the full NASCAR Nationwide schedule with Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, when the economy took a nose dive, DEI was unable to fund a full-time team and I was left without a ride for the 2009 season.
However, as luck would have it, I happened to meet a man by the name of Gary Bechtel in Daytona. Some of you guys might know the name; he used to own Diamond Ridge Motorsports in the early 1990’s.
Meeting Mr. Bechtel has definitely been one of the highlights of my year so far. He was very instrumental in helping me get the Nationwide ride with Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 99 machine. I owe that man a bunch!
So far, I have driven three races in the No. 99 car and have learned so much from Jerry Baxter (crew chief) and the rest of the Nationwide guys. Let me tell you, those guys love to have fun. They are the reason why people started racing in the first place, for fun, and they remind me of that every day. Being around those guys has been a blast. I think it helps that we have been able to get some solid finishes too.
My first race with them was at Nashville Superspeedway and I was able to grab the outside pole. However, we were caught up in a wreck and finished 28th. My other two races, Kentucky and Milwaukee, I started in the top 10 and finished 12th. I mean not bad, but you know we always want to do better.
My next race will be the July 11 race at Chicigoland Speedway. This race was actually added to my original schedule after Michael came to Milwaukee and saw that I could get the job done.
Well this weekend I will be in Daytona learning all I can from Michael while he drives the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream machine at the World Center of Racing.
For all my fans you can follow me on Facebook or go to www.trevorbayne.com to get all the latest news.

Garage Notes

By Racin’ Roger

Around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage

All eyes were looking for Jeremy Mayfield to show up at Daytona, in fact there were spurious reports of Mayfield sightings. He was NOT there folks. My sources have said that although Mayfield is eagerly trying to make Chicago, he has no money and is hitting walls trying to find sponsorship. It’s now no secret that he is actively courting buyers of his team and equipment.

The 64 team of Larry Gunselman showed up as a late entry with the sponsorship of Fred’s Discount Stores, but the rained out qualifying sent the team home with empty pockets. They are already making plans to be at Chicagoland this weekend.

Three days after a spectacular last lap crash, Kyle Busch is still not talking to the press. Even the teams post race press release, normally carry a couple of Kyle quotes, carried only crew Chief Steve Addington’s comments.

As expected, Tuesday Michael Waltrip Racing announced the signing of Martin Truex Jr. as the driver of the #56 NAPA Toyota for 2010, with Michael going part time.

Nationwide garage

McDonald Motorsports has signed Michael McDowell to drive the 81 car at Chicago and Gateway. McDowell’s regular ride, the JTG 47 team has exhausted sponsorship for the season. McDowell remains in the top 10 in points and is searching for a way to stay in the series for the balance of the season.

Reports of trouble between Phoenix Racing’s owner James Finch and driver Mike Bliss. Monday the team announced Bliss’ departure, only to announce he is back on Tuesday.

Braun Racing has parted ways with Burney Lamar in the 32 car. He was replaced at Daytona by Brian Vickers, who will be joined by a combination of David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson and Brian Ickler wheeling the car through the rest of the season. A driver announcement for the Road Course in Montreal and the Phoenix race will be announced at a later date.

ML Racing returns to the Series at Chicago with driver Shelby Howard after missing the last two weeks.

The new Nationwide car will be a fixture for 5 races in 2010, and a lot of the smaller teams are pretty unhappy. Having to build at least 2 completely different cars for 5 races will put a lot of pressure on teams with shoe string budgets. Many wonder if Daytona, which normally pulls a bevy of contenders, will actually have a full field for the season opener.

Waltrip announcement a media fanfare

By Joe Dunn

It was leaked out over a week ago, Michael Waltrip Racing would hold a press conference on July 7th with a BIG announcement. Speed TV even cleared time, pre-empting scheduled programming for this BIG story announcing Martin Truex Jr as the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for 2010. The second part of the announcement was that Michael will drive part time next year, at least five races in the 55.

Now, I have seen a few midweek team announcement get this much attention, like in May of 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Jr formally announced his signing with Hendrick Motorsports. That indeed was an event worth the live TV time, after all there were a lot of rumors, but no confirmation at all. That 2007 event also hinged on the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver. Until it was announced it was speculated that Junior would go with HMS, but the details announced that day set the future path of not only Earnhardt Jr but also his JR Motorsports.

Later, in 2007 was the BIG Budweiser announcement, on their move to the Evernham Racing team of Kasey Kahne. Kahne had been a Chase contending driver, on the rise in NASCAR and his link to Budweiser, one of the oldest sponsors in NASCAR was an event worthy of the TV time. And, in 2008, it was the announcement of 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart signing on as a partner and driver at Haas CNC Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing. Those were all major announcements pertaining to top drivers, and neither Michael Waltrip or Martin Truex Jr qualify for that rating.

So what made the MWR announcement something so worthy of live TV? Was in the fact that Truex has a single win in the Cup series after 6 years and 135 races? Not to dismiss Martin as a driver, I have enjoyed watching him race since the first time I saw him show up at Dover with the hauler that had the ‘ Got Crabs?’ logo on it. He has won two Nationwide series championships, but that was 4 and 5 years ago. He moved to Cup as the ‘sidekick’ to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He looked his best in 2007, thanks mostly to Juniors crash and burn year with DEI.

Maybe the coverage is because Michael is a big star, nope, here is a guy that after 25 years and 742 races has registered 4 wins, all at Super Speedways and all driving for DEI when DEI was the Restrictor Plate king. So why did this announcement really get the live TV time? My only guess is that Speed, which uses Michael as a commentator for the NASCAR Camping World truck Series felt obligated to throw Mikey and NAPA ‘the bone’. After all, the fact that Truex was signing with MWR has been well known for weeks. Hey, we even knew a few days ago that Martin would be sporting the 56, the number his dad sported in 7 NASCAR Nationwide Series races between 1993 and 1998.

Will Truex be the Top Dawg at MWR in 2010? Martin’s talent truly is much better than his record shows. The equipment at DEI for the past several years was not championship quality and the Earnhardt- Childress race engines have not been setting the world afire, but that does not in itself spell championship contender in a MWR car. Look for David Reutimann to again be the ‘franchise’ driver for MWR in 2010. David may not make the Chase this year, but he is a lot closer than Michael could hope for.

My thoughts on the 2010 season for MWR, Look for Reutimann to make the Chase, Truex will come close but after a year of adjusting, 2011 will be his year. Marcus Ambrose in the 47 car should finish in the top 15 or better in 2010. And the farewell driver, Mikey in the ole 55 NAPA Toyota, look for him to be an also ran. Michael is a great pitch man, and has far exceeded everyone's expectations as an owner, but I fear that like his brother Darrell’s farewell tour in 2000 that resulted in two top twenty finishes, 2010 will be a further embarrassment to Michael and his team.

Low Budget Sprint Cup teams strive to stay in the game

By Joe Dunn


In the shadow of the media blitz about Jeremy Mayfield and his temporary win in court on Tuesday, other small budget NASCAR Sprint Cup teams scramble behind the scenes to get their team to the track. Larry Gunselman and his team are a good example of one of those teams that is celebrating their own good fortune this week … they landed a sponsor for the race.

Gunselman Motorsports has secured a major sponsor with Fred’s Hometown Discount Stores for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. The Fred’s Inc. logo will adorn the hood and quarter panels of Mike Wallace’s No. 64 Toyota. “Decals are being applied at this very moment and our team is very excited to have Fred’s back on the car, this time, as a major sponsor and partner,” said Larry Gunselman, team owner. “With backing from Fred’s and with veteran racer and speedway specialist, Mike Wallace, behind the wheel, our team is going to attempt to do what Brad Keselowski did in Talladega, our team is going to do every thing in our power to win this weekend!” Fred’s Inc. http://www.fredsinc.com/ is headquartered in Memphis, TN and owns more than 600 stores and 300 pharmacies, which operate in 15 Southeastern states.

Gunselman Motorsports reports that they have been deluged with email from Mike Wallace fans wanting assurance that Gunselman Motorsports is fully committed to Wallace for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. In an effort to quell rumors, Larry Gunselman, team owner of the No. 64 Sprint Cup Team, went on record this afternoon stating that, “ The major sponsorship deal with Fred’s would not be a reality without Mike Wallace. Frankly, he was instrumental in helping our team put the deal together and his speedway record speaks for itself. I have not entertained the idea of putting any other driver in, because frankly, it was the not only Mike’s record, but his reputation as a speedway driver, that helped our team close the deal with Fred’s.

Gunselman, of Snohomish, WA who has been around Nascar for nearly 20 years, dating back to his first run in the NASCAR Camping World West Series (actually, it was the NASCAR Winston West Series back then) On September 30, 1990. Larry showed up at Tri-City Raceway in West Richland, WA with his own Pontiac and managed an 11th place finish. After 9 years, Larry had competed in 52 Winston West and 2 Winston Cup races.

The 64 team started the 2009 season with 3 drivers listed, Gunselman and the two Bodine brothers that started with him at Mach 1, Geoff and Todd. With a lack of sponsorship, the relationship with the Bodine’s faded and Gunselman Motorsports got hooked up with Michael Wallace as the current driver. Mike brings a wealth of experience to the team, having competed in a combined 633 races in Nascar’s top three series, since 1990, with 8 wins, 56 top 5’s and 130 top 10’s.

In 2004, Larry Gunselman founded Mach 1 Motorsports, an underfunded Cup team that made 26 of the 34 races on the schedule and finished 39th in points. Six different drivers drove the 98 car in 2004, including Geoff and Todd Bodine, Gunselman, Chad Chaffin, Derrick Cope and Randy Lajoie. The team dissolved at the end of the year but Gunselman remained in Nascar as a driver. Between 1996 and 2008 Larry competed in 115 races in Nascar’s top three series.

Judge rules in favor of Mayfield

By Joe Dunn

Jeremy Mayfield let out a big sigh Tuesday afternoon as US District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled in his favor, granting a temporary injunction against NASCAR’s suspension of Mayfield. Shana Mayfield broke out in tears as the judge rendered his decision. The ruling clears the way for the owner of the team to be changed back to Jeremy.

"The truth came out. That's what it's all about," Mayfield said after the decision was announced. He indicated that it may be too late for him to get his team to Daytona in time for the Thursday morning deadline for ‘post entries’ for the Coke Zero 400. However, he did hint that it would be enough time for him to serve as the driver for another team, the most likely in that case would be the 64 car of Larry Gunselmann.
The Gunselmann team shares the same shop with Mayfield Motorsports in one of the Stavola Brothers shops.


Although NASCAR said at first that they had no intention of filing an appeal, spokesman Ramsey Posten later said that they were still considering their actions. Posten also said that Mayfield would be subject to regular drug test and they would beginning this week at Daytona should Mayfield be there. The judges ruling also gave way for NASCAR to take hair samples from Mayfield as well as extensive and regular drug testing.

In his announcing decision, Judge Mullen stated that the damage to Mayfield from the suspension far outweighed any damage that NASCAR could validate. He said there was credence to Mayfield’s claim that if he were under the influence of methamphetamines, his crew members and others would have noticed. Mayfield had his crew members sign affidavits saying they did not see any evidence that Mayfield had used drugs. The judge also found that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.

Kyle Busch Screws Up Again

By Joe Dunn



When it comes to Kyle Busch, nobody can take away his incredible driving talents and his no fear style. But at the same time, he obviously has one of the worst reputations as a self centered brat, who is having too much fun with his Bad Boy image. So when he publicly apologized for his involvement in the wreck at Sunday’s Lennox 301, it shocked a lot of folks.

The big crash on a lap 174 restart ended the day for Martin Truex and David Ragan as well as ruining a possible good finish for Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton. The first replays showed Busch turning Truex and the finger pointing and blaming began. As the media pursued Kyle for the expected, ‘not my fault’, his response was quite different.

“I have to apologize to all those guys,” Busch said. “We got bottled up there in turn one – especially Martin and Jeff Burton and those guys. I meant nothing of that. The 88 (Earnhardt) spun his tires on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the 42 (Montoya) and I got together a little bit. That pinched me with the 1 (Truex, Jr.) and I spun the 1 out and it was just mayhem from there.”

But after reviewing the incident, I have to throw the Black Flag at Kyle’s apology. No, not because I don’t believe it was sincere, if it weren’t, he would not have said it. I do, because he did not cause that wreck, and his apology let’s the other driver’s responsible off the hook. A look at the replay shows the sequence that happened and how it really unfolded. Nobody is denying that Dale Earnhardt Jr triggered the whole thing by spinning his tires on the restart, although Junior has not commented on that.

It is what followed the mistake by Earnhardt, that led to the wreck. Truex, who is obviously aware of the mistake that Junior is known for from his time as a teammate at DEI, backed off to avoid hitting the 88 car. Martin fully expected Junior to regain his composure and control of his car and he prepared for the second restart by Earnhardt. But the 88 car did not react quickly and Truex rammed his former teammate. Again, Truex had to back out of it in hopes that the 88 would finally get traction and move out of the way.

Leading up to all of this, Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya were side by side looking for a way to get around the mess created by the 88 car. During the maneuvering, Truex started moving down the track and Busch’s reaction was to go high in an attempt to pass the 1 car. At the same time Montoya was looking for room and started moving down, which blocked Kyle’s attempt to get around Truex. All would have been some normal ‘racin is rubbing’ had Truex not been forced to back off the second time. It appears that the fault of this one falls not on the guy who apologized and took responsibility, but rather on the two cars in front of him.

So, in the aftermath, it is Kyle Busch who once again takes the heat that he does not deserve apologized. “I hate it for all those guys because I know they’ve got ‘Chase’ contentions too. We were just battling for every spot out there today. Restarts are hectic, man. Everybody is fighting for every inch that’s out there because it’s so hard to pass with these cars.” And not a peep from the two guys that have zero chance of making the Chase, Earnhardt (19th) and Truex (24th) that really caused this wreck.

Kyle Busch is a spoiled brat, used to getting his way, and I have had my issues with Kyle in the past. It is frustrating covering races when you rush to the media center after a race to catch the Q and A’s with the second and third place drivers, only to learn that after finishing second, Kyle skips the appearance because he is having a tantrum. But this week, Kyle publicly fell on his sword for something that was not his fault. Perhaps by now he has finally seen the replays and understands that he did not owe the ‘sorry’, but it’s too late, he already assumed the blame. So another week goes by with another Kyle Busch Screw Up.