Waltrip finishes 34th with mechanical failure

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Darrell Waltrip's much-hyped return to racing was cut short by mechanical problems during the Craftsman Truck Series Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

Waltrip, a former 11-time winner at Martinsville, rallied back from a lap 4 spin only to register a DNF because of rear end problems. Melling Racing owns the No. 17 Duck Head Dodge that Waltrip drove in the event.

"I don't know what happened with the truck," Waltrip said. "It was an awesome truck and everything was going great.

"I got knocked around and spun out early, but the Truck was going to win the race. I'm disappointed, but mission was somewhat accomplished."

After contact with Morgan Shepherd on lap 4, Waltrip spun to the inside of the track but didn't make contact with the wall. He returned to action in 35th spot, but worked his way back up to the top-15 before being sent to pit road to check on a fluid leak.

On lap 102, Waltrip was forced to park the truck for good, but he left the door open to run some more truck races later in the year.

"I had a good day," Waltrip said. "I passed a lot of trucks out there and had a lot of fun.

"Richmond and IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park) are a couple of places I'd feel comfortable racing."