Michael Waltrip was sixth in the final Daytona 500 practice. Credit: Autostock

Waltrip emerging as a favorite -- again

Two-time winner's Chevy drafts well in practice

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sometimes, drivers lay awake at night worried about the next day's race, the next day's practice.

They toss and turn, wondering what could go wrong, what trouble lurks around the next corner.

But Michael Waltrip will doze right off later Saturday night, getting a good night's rest before the 47th Daytona 500.

Waltrip won Thursday's first 150-miler with a brillant pass on the final lap. Credit: Autostock

He's been sleeping just fine this week, casting aside the anxiety and doubt that can plague other drivers.

Why?

"Because I'm so confident," Waltrip said matter-of-factly Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

And why not? Many in the Nextel Cup garage area consider Waltrip's No. 15 Chevrolet the one to beat in Sunday's Great American race, even more so than Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

And that's fine with Waltrip. He doesn't mind wearing the favorite's target Sunday.

"That's the way I wanted it when I came here," Waltrip said. "And then we qualified, and I thought, 'Oh, no, they're going to forget we're here.' But we were pretty sure we had a fast car for Thursday."

DAYTONA 500 Happy Hour Speeds 5th Practice Speeds 4th Practice Speeds 3rd Practice Speeds 2nd Practice Speeds 1st Practice Speeds Lineup

Many wondered whether Waltrip and DEI had lost a step after qualifying last Sunday, as Waltrip was 33rd and Earnhardt Jr. 39th.

But then the duo stormed through the pack in Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying race, with Waltrip passing Earnhardt Jr. coming off Turn 4 to the checkered flag to grab the victory.

Waltrip wasn't that fast Friday, but in Saturday's Happy Hour he rolled to the sixth-fastest speed at 189.330 mph.

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Earnhardt Jr. led the final practice with a fast lap of 190.416, with Jeremy Mayfield second at 190.271 and Elliott Sadler third at 190.215. Ken Schrader was fourth, with Jamie McMurray fifth as Dodges filled three of the top five spots.

"It was real good Thursday," Waltrip said of his car. "I'm real confident that we'll have a shot to win it. It's a hard race to figure out how to win, for sure.

"I restarted fifth with four laps to go Thursday and never thought I would be able to win - and did. You just never know."

That's a pretty good theme for DEI this week. Who would've guessed Waltrip would be the favorite after qualifying? The surge in speed prompted talk of "sandbagging" by Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr., but Waltrip adamantly denied it.

"We come down here to try to win everything," Waltrip said. "Qualifying was something we wanted to win, and we come up 33rd and 39th.

"We were really surprised and disappointed, but we also knew that judging from testing our cars raced well. And we were right."

And that could mean Waltrip just might race his way into Victory Lane on Sunday.