Monticello — Michael Waltrip is going to scale back his 2010 racing schedule and
concentrate more on his role as team owner. Replacing him will be Martin
Truex Jr.
Waltrip will keep his No. 55, and race in at least four races‹maybe as
many as 12. Truex will be in the No. 56.
Truex said the future of Michael Waltrip Racing was much more solid than
that of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, his current team.
"There is not a lot in question here," said Truex. "They have all their
ducks in a row. They know what they're doing. They know where they're
headed. That's comfortable for me. I feel like their cars on the race track
are running great, and we're just really starting to see what they're
capable of on the track."
Truex is 24th in points, while his teammate Juan Montoya is 11th .
"I am running with Montoya, but I'm not finishing (with him)," Truex
said. "It's not necessarily that I'm not happy with the performance over
there or they're not doing the things or making good cars because we've had
good cars and run well. Š I know what I can do. People out there know what I
can do.
"People in this sport know what they're seeing. If I was running 35th
every weekend or 25th every weekend they might say, ŒHe ain't got it no
more, he's washed up.' But I don't. When my car is fast, I lead laps, and I
run up front. It's as simple as that. I know what I can do when my stuff is
right."
"I never seen any of it coming [with Ganassi]," Truex said. "The plan
when I re-signed was to go back to four cars, get some teammates in there
that run well, and we could get in there and be competitive together.
"Chip has been great to work with, and what he has to work with really
has helped us there. This year would have been a lot tougher without that.
But that wasn't the way we were supposed to head. I got promised a lot of
things that just disappeared. A lot of things changed, and that's just how
it goes."
Weekend Racing: The Sprint Cup teams are idle this weekend in
preparation for next weekend's race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The
Nationwide Series goes to Gateway International Speedway,a 1.25-mile
facility just across the river from St. Louis, MO. The Camping World Trucks
are at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway.
Sat., July 18, Camping World Trucks Built Ford Tough 225, race 12 of 25;
Starting time: 6:30 p.m. (EDT); TV: Speed Channel.
Sat., July 18, Nationwide Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250, race 19
of 35; Starting time: 9 p.m. (EDT); TV: ESPN2.
Racing Trivia Question: Why is Indianapolis Motor Speedway often
referred to as "The Brickyard?"
Last Week's Question: When was the first NASCAR race held at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Answer. Aug. 6, 1994. The winner was Jeff
Gordon.
You may contact the Racing Reporter at: hodgesnews@earthlink.net.