Michael McDowell

"I'm here not (in the media center) because of the thunder you hear outside," Waltrip said, who jumped four positions to 28th in the owner points standings. "I'm here because of strategy and the opportune caution that gave me track position. If the rain didn't come and we were able to restart, I was faster than Kurt – I feel like I could have beaten him.

"I passed a bunch of guys to get into position to get to Kurt (Busch) and race him," Waltrip continued. "I really wished there were a few more laps and I wish we could have went back to green. As bad as I need those 170 points, I'm very cognizant of the difference between first and second -- it's huge. To get a win for our team would have been very rewarding. We got a break there at the end with our strategy -- pitting and getting enough gas. We had a really strong car."

Waltrip came from the rear of the field after an engine change to finish second, McDowell started the event 38th.

"Michael had a good car and we struggled early on," McDowell said. "It was really tight and we kept freeing it up and we actually got it pretty competitive. We were caught a lap down early in the race and that hurt us."

As leader Kevin Harvick passed McDowell on Lap 38 to place him a lap down, the Michael Waltrip Racing team was hoping for a caution to make adjustments. At Lap 71 under green, McDowell entered pit road.

RADIO: Michael was a guest Wednesday morning on Sirius Satellite Radio - The Morning Drive w/Steve Post and Nate Ryan. <Listen here>

On the restart at Lap 90, McDowell was 38th and moving forward, but still having problems with handling.

"The car became tighter and tighter as the race went on and it was shoving the nose in dirty air," McDowell said.

The Champion Mortgage team pitted again at Lap 140 under caution as McDowell was shown 36th.

"They pulled out a spring rubber and tried a wedge adjustment," McDowell said. "It was still chattering the right front tire. Making track bar adjustments instead of wedge seemed to be more effective during the race. 14 laps later we came back in for another track bar adjustment to still try to free it up more."

At Lap 206, McDowell brought his Champion Mortgage to pit road for last time. On the restart four laps later, that is when McDowell's day ended.

"It's unfortunate we were not able to finish," McDowell said. "We barely held on to a top-35 spot in the points. We gained four spots after our finish at Sonoma and fell that many after this race. We're hoping to make up some ground at Daytona. Michael Waltrip Racing has a good package for superspeedways."

David Reutimann also collected a respectable finish crossing the finish line in 19th-place with his #44 UPS Toyota. Kurt Busch won the event.

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travel to Daytona International Speedway Live coverage of the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola on TNT will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and MRN Radio at 7:15 p.m. ET.

No. 00 team sees steady improvement with each session

LOUDON, N.H. (June 28, 2008) – Practice 3 for Sunday's LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was an improvement for Michael McDowell and the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 00 Champion Mortgage Toyota crew.

Teammates David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip were 23rd and 30th respectively

Qualifying Resumes at NHMS Following Rainfall

LOUDON, N.H. (June 27, 2008) – After 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers (out of 45) attempted qualifying laps, rain began to fall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway just prior to 4 p.m. ET. An hour and 45 minutes later, qualifying resumed.

"The track cooled down and times picked up for those guys who qualified after it rained, ... Luckily, we're locked in the show so we're just trying to work on our race cars..."

Team Owner Michael Waltrip will start 36th (engine change in practice-will drop him to the rear of field at start of race) behind the wheel of the #55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota while Reutimann will roll off 29th in the #44 UPS Toyota for the 301-lap event.

On Saturday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has two more practices. The first session is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. and final practice is 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. ET.

Live coverage of the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on TNT will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET and MRN Radio at 1:15 p.m. ET.

QUALIFYING UPDATE
WASHED OUT

Qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 halted by rain

LOUDON, NH. (June 27, 2008) - A summer thunderstorm has halted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Two Raybestos Rookies were among the 24 cars that made qualifying runs before the rain delay: Regan Smith and Michael McDowell.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 00 CHAMPION MORTGAGE TOYOTA:
"We didn't make a qualifying run in practice at all, just worked on our race trim. Luckily we're locked in the show so we're just trying to work on our race cars and we knew we were going to hurt a little bit in qualifying. It's just the way it goes."

WHAT IS SO CHALLENGING ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE?
"You've got to have your cars right. We're just working at it right now trying to get our cars better. We spent a lot of time in race runs in the Champion Mortgage Toyota so hopefully that'll pay off."

LOUDON PREVIEW
McD HEADS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Cup Race is Meaningful for McDowell and his #00 Champion Mortgage Team

LOUDON, NH. (June 24, 2008) – Coming off last week's top-rookie finish on the road course at Sonoma, Michael McDowell and the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 00 Champion Mortgage Toyota crew are heading up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301.

Michael McDowell aims to top his best career finish this weekend as he enters New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time with his #00 Champion Mortgage Toyota Camry.

Michael McDowell

"The only racing experience I have at New Hampshire is racing a simulator at home," McDowell said. "We almost had a top-20 finish last weekend at Infineon Raceway. We scored points, which gave us a little breathing room in the top-35. Finishing hasn't been a problem for us and we've got to keep that going. We need more performance on track and we will be fine. We have a unique situation because both Bill Pappas (crew chief) and I are new to the sport with a new car. He's won a lot of championships in IRL, but in this deal we are trying to deliver results and at the same time understand what we need to do better at an accelerated pace. I went straight from ARCA to Cup, so being able to qualify, finish the race and keep this car in the top-35 is an accomplishment in itself. Getting through the growing pains is what we are doing now. This weekend we look to build on that."

McDowell may be new to the New England area, but he is quite familiar with the track's history and this weekend he will carry a special decal to honor the family who formerly owned New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"The Bahre family is special to Michael Waltrip and Michael Waltrip Racing and this weekend we have a special decal on my Champion Mortgage Toyota," McDowell said. "It's to honor the family and all they have done for Waltrip's career and racing in general. Before Bob, Dick Bahre and the family literally built New Hampshire, Dick gave Michael his first shot as a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series over two decades ago. That's something Waltrip has never forgotten."

As Bahre is meaningful to Waltrip's career, Waltrip is significant to McDowell's profession.

"Michael took a chance on me just as Rob Finlay did," McDowell said. "Both of them have been vitally important in my progression to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level. Just as Michael still thanks the Bahre's after 20 plus years, I want to be in the position to do the same. I appreciate the people who have helped me along the way."

As McDowell prepares for his first visit to the 1.058-mile oval, two of his crew members are ready for their homecoming. Greg Osborne (car chief and rear tire changer) is from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire and Troy Prince (rear tire carrier) is from York, Maine.

"I won my very first Cup race with Joe Nemechek in 1999 at New Hampshire, which really meant something because I'm from there," Osborne said. "After that, I went to Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) to work with Michael Waltrip and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team. It was an incredible feeling to win our first Daytona 500. I was with him for four years and won a total of four races together before moving to the #8 car with Dale Earnhardt Jr."

Prince has similar memories, but one sticks out above all the rest.

"Sure winning the Daytona 500 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. was cool, but that is not my most memorable moment," Prince said. "When I was working for the Wood Brothers in 2000 walking through the garage, Big E (Dale Earnhardt) came up to me at Bristol and pinched me on the neck. I didn't even know him. When he did that to me, I felt like I was part of the NASCAR family. Growing up, he was my idol. For him to acknowledge me, I knew I belonged."

Both Osborne and Prince left DEI to help build Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007.

"Ty Norris talked to me about a vision shaping up, which intrigued me because I watched what Ray Evernham did from the ground up," Prince said. "When I went to DEI and won all those races it was great, but they would have won the races with or without me because they were an established team. When Michael Waltrip Racing got ready to open up, it was an opportunity to be a part of something special. They allowed me to do what I wanted to do and just work solely on speedway cars, wind tunnel development, and still carry tires. When we do capture our first Cup win, it will mean so much more to me because I was here from the beginning."

Osborne remembers the first year.

"Our on track performance didn't show all the improvements that we had made and how we built three Cup teams from scratch," Osborne said. "Sure, we struggled and it was a bigger undertaking than anyone has done before. In some ways it made us stronger. This year is easier in so many ways and most people don't understand that. We haven't really had the pressure every week of worrying whether or not we will be here Saturday or Sunday. Now, we can focus on our race package on Friday and our inspection process. We don't have to spend Friday and Saturday morning converting our car from qualifying trim to race trim."

Both Osborne and Prince have won NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races with the likes of the Earnhardts and Waltrip. They have seen and experienced a lot in this sport and have confidence in their latest driver.

"I really like Michael McDowell because he is confident and thinks he can do it," Osborne said. "I would rather have someone that thinks he can do it than have someone come in that says, 'well I don't know if I can do this.' He has confidence. I also like him because he takes time to talk to the guys whether it is at the track or at the shop or fishing on the lake. A little thing like going with us to lunch goes a long way. His attitude is good and he's an all around good person."

"I think McDowell is a very smart race car driver," Prince said. "Right now, he is trying to understand the new car. He is trying to figure it all out. A lot of these tracks, he's never been to before. I have worked with rookies in the past and he has torn up far less equipment than any other rookie that I have ever worked with in my career. He's doing a really good job. We're all looking forward to seeing him race at New Hampshire and delivering a strong finish in front of our hometown crowd."

Michael McDowell

On Friday morning, Michael will participate in aperson/live interview at NHMS on with WGIR Clear Channel at 7:20 a.m.

Sunday at 11:22 a.m., Troy Prince (No. 00 Champion Mortgage Rear Tire Carrier, also from the area) will be interviewed by WINE/WPUT (Danbury, Connecticut) live from the NHMS media center.