Every NASCAR fan eagerly awaits the coming of Speedweeks, whether the off-season is a time you cherish (wow, I can do stuff on the weekends now!) or a time you agonize (uhg, I miss racing!). There is excitement for a brand new season where anything can happen; the slate is wiped clean. It doesn't take long for storylines to run rampant, though.
Michael Waltrip, my longtime favorite driver, is now cutting back to a part-time schedule. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I'll miss him terribly and it makes me sad because racing is such a huge passion of his and he didn't get to accomplish all he'd hoped for. But on the other hand, he couldn't keep up with his teammates, David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose (I think most Michael Waltrip Racing fans consider Marcos a teammate). Michael stated at the beginning of last year that he would step back if he couldn't compete, and he held true to his word. I respect that greatly.
Now Martin Truex Jr. is in Michael's old ride, flying the same familiar NAPA colors. Honestly I was thrilled when he signed with MWR, as Martin has been one of my favorites since he started driving for Chance 2 several years ago. He was unhappy at DEI/EGR and ended up following the many former DEI employees to MWR. Michael gave him the #56 - which I think is wonderful since I love identity - and welcomed him with open arms.
Instead of keeping the #55 that he's driven for four years, Michael switched to the #51. I was upset about this at first and had suspicions that it was because he could be racing Billy Ballew's #51 truck in the Camping World Truck Series. I also felt like my #55 gear was useless - and I don't have much money for treats anymore. But Michael later stated that the #51 is to honor his time with Dale Earnhardt, so my irritation turned to understanding.
Because of some rule changes over the off-season, Michael became eligible for the Bud Shootout, and I was excited! Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the Shootout was all it was hyped up to be, especially since the practices were so wild. The drivers certainly didn't take many risks and Michael was in the back of the field despite having a good car (he did say he was having a hard time getting anywhere). Michael spun out by himself once but saved it. It wasn't meant to be, however, as late in the race Ryan Newman plowed into him on the backstretch. The end result was a wrecked NAPA Toyota and a furious Michael. Not much was made of this rather blatant act by Newman...and that was aggravating. Kevin Harvick won with no challengers under caution. Kind of an anticlimax.
But what can you do but move on! Hopefully the rest of the action leading up to the Daytona 500 will be better.
Michael Waltrip, my longtime favorite driver, is now cutting back to a part-time schedule. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I'll miss him terribly and it makes me sad because racing is such a huge passion of his and he didn't get to accomplish all he'd hoped for. But on the other hand, he couldn't keep up with his teammates, David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose (I think most Michael Waltrip Racing fans consider Marcos a teammate). Michael stated at the beginning of last year that he would step back if he couldn't compete, and he held true to his word. I respect that greatly.
Now Martin Truex Jr. is in Michael's old ride, flying the same familiar NAPA colors. Honestly I was thrilled when he signed with MWR, as Martin has been one of my favorites since he started driving for Chance 2 several years ago. He was unhappy at DEI/EGR and ended up following the many former DEI employees to MWR. Michael gave him the #56 - which I think is wonderful since I love identity - and welcomed him with open arms.
Instead of keeping the #55 that he's driven for four years, Michael switched to the #51. I was upset about this at first and had suspicions that it was because he could be racing Billy Ballew's #51 truck in the Camping World Truck Series. I also felt like my #55 gear was useless - and I don't have much money for treats anymore. But Michael later stated that the #51 is to honor his time with Dale Earnhardt, so my irritation turned to understanding.
Because of some rule changes over the off-season, Michael became eligible for the Bud Shootout, and I was excited! Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the Shootout was all it was hyped up to be, especially since the practices were so wild. The drivers certainly didn't take many risks and Michael was in the back of the field despite having a good car (he did say he was having a hard time getting anywhere). Michael spun out by himself once but saved it. It wasn't meant to be, however, as late in the race Ryan Newman plowed into him on the backstretch. The end result was a wrecked NAPA Toyota and a furious Michael. Not much was made of this rather blatant act by Newman...and that was aggravating. Kevin Harvick won with no challengers under caution. Kind of an anticlimax.
But what can you do but move on! Hopefully the rest of the action leading up to the Daytona 500 will be better.