Stewart and Gordon Win, Waltrip Redeems himself
Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon won Thursday’s 150-mile qualifiers, but it was Michael Waltrip who went from villain to hero.
On the verge of packing up and going home following the strong penalties imposed by NASCAR after his team was caught cheating during qualifying, Waltrip instead wheeled out a backup car and took to the track.
Driving an untested car. Starting in the back of the field. Still slumping under the weight of one of the worst weeks of his NASCAR life.
Waltrip’s prospects weren’t good.
But there he went, showing that he hasn’t lost his superspeedway prowess despite no longer having the power and know-how he enjoyed at DEI. There Waltrip drove, with the help of some pit strategy, to the front of the field, and suddenly a storybook ending – or at least a chapter – seemed to be writing itself.
Then he spun out his old teammate and drafting buddy Dale Earnhardt Jr., slightly damaging his own car in the process, knocking fan-favorite Junior off the lead lap.
Convicted cheater (or, to be fair, owner/driver for the convicted team) Waltrip became two-time Daytona 500 winner Waltrip, mastering the draft and driving to an eighth-place finish in his Duel to lead all drivers who had yet to secure a spot.
Till the next Pit Stop…..
NASCAR, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Daytona 500
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