Chat Transcript: Michael Waltrip

Michael Waltrip: Good morning everyone! Thank you for getting up and chatting with me today on NASCAR.com.

Question from: racerchic83 How was this win different from your other Daytona 500 win? I know that it was your first win and it was bittersweet because of Earnhardt's death, but how is it different now?

	Michael Waltrip is getting used to holding up the Daytona 500 winner's tropht. Credit: Autostock

Michael Waltrip: We just had the best time celebrating the Daytona 500 win. We came to New York City, and we also did the induction ceremony at Daytona USA. It has just been so cool. One of my favorite things we did was the induction ceremony at Daytona USA because our crew got to participate in it. There were a lot of fans there and it was just really special to just drive the NAPA Chevy back into the Daytona USA. After the race on Sunday night, me, Dale Jr. and a bunch of our friends all went over to Teresa's place and had a little celebratory wine and champagne and capped a wonderful day.

Question from: BadBowtieDEI How hard is it racing Busch and Winston Cup all in the same weekend?

Michael Waltrip: It is not hard at all. The thing that is difficult is we had such a bad race on Saturday and we thought we had a chance to win, but got wrecked. You deal with the disappointment on Saturday and then have to focus on Sunday. It is not physically demanding, but it can be mentally hard. I am about used to it by now!

Question from: faninca I understand from your announcement during Speedweeks that you will be fielding a truck in the Truck Series. What factors drove your decision and when is your intended start date?

Michael Waltrip: Just because DW wanted to run a few races is why we wanted to do it. Martinsville in April will be our first race. There is a chance I may run a race or two in the Truck Series myself! We feel good about our effort that we will be able to put together. I won a Busch race and a Cup race, so I would like to win one of those Truck ones. It will be Tide as the sponsor when DW drives the car, but I don't know who it will be when I drive it.

Question from: Waltrip_Wizard15 Congratulations Mikey on your second Daytona 500! My question is, what do think about this new thing with autographs in the garage?

	The car was signed by Waltrip and DEI crew members.

Michael Waltrip: I think it is great. If you get into the garage, you can still get an autograph. The policy isn't directed towards autographs in the garage, it is directed towards access in the garage. It is access in the garage while we are practicing our cars. It got out of control and it needed to be addressed. The experience at Daytona was very positive and we were able to concentrate on our cars during practice hours. The amount of people it affects is only a couple hundred people over the weekend, in a sport that thousands of people show up every weekend.

Question from: olet3 My question is during the last rain delay, while you and Buffy was waiting it out, what was going through your mind?

Michael Waltrip: We were just enjoying the rain falling on our heads! That was a great feeling and we were just so thankful we got into the position to win the race. It just felt so perfect, so good. We were just thankful.

Question from: pudger Hey Mikey, is your relationship with Dale Jr. the same now as it was when ya'll were first teammates?

Michael Waltrip: I think it is better now. I think that it is better because we understand each other better more and we have respect for each other's abilities, and we both have the same goals. It is whatever is best for DEI, which is more important than what is important for each of us as individuals.

Question from: nutsformikey I heard you and DEI say that you expect to run better at non-restricted plate tracks this year. What have your team and the rest of DEI done to insure you run better this year at the other tracks?

Michael Waltrip: We have a new car, that is the biggest deal. The effort is constantly being improved, whether it is the equipment, personnel or the engineering side. We try to do more and do better in our preparations than ever before. Pre-season testing indicates that we are better and we should perform that way.

Question from: billy53 Michael, what do you think about Toyota joining NASCAR?

Michael Waltrip: It wasn't surprising. Everybody wants to be a part of the NASCAR family because of the immense popularity. I don't think anyone is surprised. You just appreciate it when a major company like Toyota wants to be part of our sport. That is a good time in these days of tough economic times.

Question from: Leslie Congratulations on your second Daytona win! The new commercials with Teresa, Dale Jr. and Steve are adorable! Do you have writers that write these commercials or are some of the ideas your own?

Michael Waltrip: The NAPA creative folks write those and they deserve all the credit. They are very fun to work with because the great ideas that they have. I am thankful that I work with such a great group on those commercials.

Question from: Gators24 Michael, what do you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a driver?

Michael Waltrip: Well, we seem to have Daytona figured out! Haha I am struggling a little bit on the shorter tracks, so I think that pretty much sums it up! I don't feel like that is because of lack of ability on my part or DEI's part. I think that we will change that this year and make it so we are successful everywhere.

Question from: DuPont24 Mikey, how do you feel about the new fuel cells at the superspeedways?

Michael Waltrip: I don't think there is really much of a story there. The only negative is that we go to pit road more often, which means that there are more chances for an accident on pit road. They are fine. I am all right with them! They are OK with me!

VIDEO CLIPS Victory Lane Play video Jimmie Johnson settles for third Play video Michael Waltrip passes Johnson for the lead Play video Dale Earnhardt Jr. loses three laps to battery problems Play video Earnhardt Jr. leads after the first rain delay Play video Watch the Ryan Newman crash in slow motion Play video Ryan Newman is interviewed after his spectacular crash Play video Green flag Play video

Question from: mullensd The question I have is everyone kept talking about Jimmie Johnson or Dale Jr. maybe giving you a run, but what about Kevin Harvick? Do you think that he would have also given you a good run if the race would have continued?

Michael Waltrip: I don't know about Harvick. We ran about 100 some laps and I didn't see too much of him. Maybe he would have shown up later on. You just never know. I was just dealing with Dale Jr. mostly, and Tony Stewart a lot, so those are the guys I was watching.

Question from: KWish Are you going to be on Letterman or any other show like that? If so, when?

Michael Waltrip: We read the Top-10 list on Letterman Monday night after the Daytona 500. That was kind of fun. We just finished Regis & Kelly a minute ago, and we rang the bell at the stock market yesterday. We will be on SPEED tonight doing a QVC-type show selling our stuff, so Buffy and I will be on. Please check it out!

Question from: ia_deircrfan I read on DEI's website how your jackman did such a great job avoiding disaster on one of your stops after your foot started to slip off of the brake too early. But, after you had this same problem last year at Talladega and during a Busch race, is there anything that can be done to keep this from happening in the future?

Michael Waltrip: Yeah, I guess I keep my foot on the brake some more!! That wasn't any big deal at Daytona however. They finished changing the tires, and we were just waiting on the gas. It gets your attention when things like that happen and you need to make sure that nothing goes out of time and you don't miss one beat.

Question from: Racecarchick My question for you is with the common templates that are now used in NASCAR, do you feel that any manufactures have an advantage? Or are they all just about the same?

Michael Waltrip: I think they are the same, and that is a wonderful thing. Each car has their own style and characteristics, but we hope to have cars matched up aero-wise so we don't have to constantly hear about rules changes, which is a real pain in the neck.

Question from: Yaymikey Hi, Michael! I heard that you and some of the other drivers, like Mike Skinner and Dale Jarrett, like to compete against one another in golf. How does everyone usually fare?

Michael Waltrip: Oh, we just enjoy the game! I can't really figure out who is the best. Skinner and Jarrett are both better than me, but we really seldom play AGAINST each other. We just play.

Question from: WardFan22 Mike, we all know you love music and going to concerts. Did you get to see anyone play during the offseason?

Michael Waltrip: No, I guess I didn't! We didn't really do anything like that this year. We didn't go to a New Year's Eve show or anything. We just kind of took it easy.

Question from: MikeysTheMan The media doesn't seem to be very kind to you. What our your thoughts on this and do you pretty much just ignore it all?

Michael Waltrip: I don't pay any attention to what the media does. I just figure that they don't really have much to say that matters a whole lot to me. We are just doing our gig and try to be positive and not worry about people that don't have the same agenda as our team.

	Michael Waltrip says enjoying time with his family is very important. Credit: Autostock

Question from: fifteenfan Michael, I grew up in Evansville IN, just across the river from Owensboro KY. When you were just starting out, where in the Owensboro area would you go to race?

Michael Waltrip: A little town, I guess it was East of Owensboro called Whitesville. It is where the Kentucky Speedway was located. It was a quarter-mile track. It is where DW started, and it is where the Greens and Mayfield started. A lot of guys out there today got their start at that little track.

Question from: LittleE1 My question to you is what do you do on your down time?

Michael Waltrip: Well, we try to hang out at home. We live on 100 acres, so we mow the grass and goof off with the horses and kick the ball around. We just try to enjoy our time at home as best we can.

Question from: COSweetie Mikey, what was the first thought that came into your head after taking the lead when the first raindrops started to fall?

Michael Waltrip: Just couldn't believe it! I was just thinking that sometimes it seems as if that never works out that way. You aren't in the lead right when you need to be, and when I was, I was just really, really surprised that it started and shocked that it continued. When I heard over the radio that it was official, I just totally felt like I got hit over the head with something. I couldn't believe it. I was just thankful that we had such a great day and it all worked out when we were out in front when it was all over.

Question from: DEI_FAN Mike, congratulations on the win! How do you feel about the team this year? Do you feel that DEI will make a good run for the team title this season?

Michael Waltrip: We need to do better than we did last year. We didn't get in the top-10 in points and that was very disappointing and unacceptable with the standards DEI has set. That will have to happen this year, and if it doesn't, I don't know what we will do! It wont be good. Haha

Question from: jlesko111 Hey Mikey, I am curious to find out your opinion on all this fuss about Winston Cup Drivers in the Busch Series races?

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Michael Waltrip: Oh I didn't know there was a fuss about that any more! People over time have tried to make a big deal over it. It pretty much has been decided that it is a good deal. It is good that those drivers get to compete against drivers like Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. It means if they win they beat the best, and if it wasn't for 8-10 Cup drivers racing Busch, they wont have enough cars. I think people are thankful that Cup drivers are racing Busch and I don't think there is any issue there. I don't think the fuss is there any more, but there was some in the past.

NASCAR_Host3 Michael, our time is up. Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share? :)

Michael Waltrip: Thanks for all the support for the victory at Daytona. We signed autographs during the offseason and always had a lot of fans showing up. I hope everyone will tune in to Speed Channel tonight from 7-9pm as our victory t-shirt will be available, so you can order that. Thanks to all the fans for making racing what it is!