Jack problem keeps quiet Waltrip from win

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Michael Waltrip is hardly ever a man of few words, but things were different immediately after the EA Sports 500 on Sunday.

	Michael Waltrip had reason to be upset after his car fell off the jack in the pits Sunday. Credit: Autostock

At Talladega Superspeedway, Waltrip was cruising as he and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. were at the front of the field, when Wallace's No. 15 Chevy pulled in for its final pit stop.

In the middle of the two-tire stop, the car fell off the jack, and as the other cars screamed away, Waltrip's crew frantically tried to fix its crisis. A good 10 seconds elapsed.

"I don't know what happened," Waltrip said. "It fell for some reason."

With 38 laps remaining in the race, Waltrip dropped from second to eighth. He spent the rest of the race making up ground.

Waltrip, who finished second at Talladega in April, oozed frustration as he walked quickly to his hauler.

"I'm real disappointed," he said. And then, nothing.

He appeared to search for some words, tossed his bottled water to the ground, then went inside his trailer to sort out his emotions and get a few minutes alone.

Later, Waltrip praised the effort of his team, saying it was the most prepared group in the garage.

"We had it going on today," he said.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc., has had it going at both restrictor-plate tracks. With his win, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won four plate races and Waltrip two in the past two seasons.

As the race unfolded, Earnhardt and Waltrip were both strong, but unable to work together. They tried several times to hook up, but Earnhardt said he had better luck running with Ryan Newman's Ford.

Still, it looked like the No 15 would be the one to challenge the No. 8 at the end.

Kurt Busch, who finished fourth in a Ford, said Waltrip had one of the strongest cars on the track.

"There were things you could do and things you could hurt yourself with," he said. "But it was a matter of trying to keep the 15 behind you."