Waltrip-Jasper Racing
Encyclopedia
Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC, doing business as Michael Waltrip Racing ("MWR"), is a professional stock car racing
team focused on the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series. The company is as a 50–50 partnership between Robert "Rob" Kauffman, the 44-year-old founder and managing partner of Fortress Investment Group
, and Michael Waltrip
, who first established the team in 1996. The team was the first full-time three-car team to field Toyota Camrys when Toyota entered Sprint Cup racing in 2007, and is now one of two three-car teams under the Toyota banner (along with Joe Gibbs Racing
), while occasionally fielding a four-car lineup.
Currently, MWR fields the, the #15 5-hour Energy
Toyota Camry
for Clint Bowyer
, the #55 Aaron's Rent Toyota Camry
for co-owner Waltrip and Mark Martin
, and the #56 NAPA Auto Parts
Toyota Camry
for Martin Truex, Jr.. In addition, MWR had a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
until 2011 to field the #47 Kroger
Toyota Camry for Bobby Labonte
.
In addition, MWR partnered with Diamond Ridge Motorsports
to run the #99 Aaron's Rent Out! Pet Care Toyota Camry
in the Nationwide Series in 2010. In 2011 Waltrip teamed up with rally driver Travis Pastrana
to form Pastrana-Waltrip Racing a two year venture for Pastrana to transition into NASCAR. That team is a continuation of Diamond-Waltrip Racing and will field the #99 Toyota with new sponsorship from Boost Mobile
starting in 2012.
In addition, MWR fields the #00 NAPA Auto Parts
Toyota Camry
for Brett Moffitt, who replaced two time champion Ryan Truex
.
. The car was the #98 Aaron's
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
driven by Kenny Wallace
. Wallace qualified 27th and finished 21st. Following that first race, Waltrip sold the #98 and its owner points to Innovative Motorsports
.
After that, MWR fielded one Winston or Nextel Cup
series car, the #00, on an intermittant basis through 2005. In 2006, MWR, in partnership with Bill Davis Racing
, added a second car, Waltrip's #55, but neither car had manufacturer support.
In 2006, MWR signed an agreement with Toyota to field multiple Toyota Camry
s in the Nextel Cup series for 2007. Waltrip was then able to add a third car driven by Dale Jarrett
to his team for 2007, along with new sponsors. However, the MWR cars experienced a disastrous 2007 season, with the three teams failing to qualify for 39 races between them while winning only one pole with no top-5 finishes. Waltrip was forced to add Rob Kauffmann as a 50% partner in MWR to get the financing to improve the operation. After the season, major sponsors Burger King
and Domino's Pizza
pulled out. Also after the season, an ugly controversy emerged with Jack Roush
of Roush Fenway Racing, who accused MWR of stealing one of his team's sway bars after a September 2007 race. While Waltrip and some other drivers, such as Jeff Gordon
, argued that parts are often inadvertently swapped during post-race inspection, Roush held a lengthy news conference in March 2008 to accuse "the non-descript Toyota team" (MWR) of deliberately stealing the bar and threatened legal action. However, Roush, who had previously accused Toyota teams of being "ankle-biting Chihuahuas" and brought up Pearl Harbor
in his effort to keep Toyota out of NASCAR, did not pursue such a lawsuit.
For 2008, MWR once again added Aaron's as a sponsor and ran competitively, but again managed only one pole and just one top-5 finish, and UPS
withdrew as a sponsor after Jarrett retired and transferred its sponsorship to MWR's archrivals Roush Fenway. In 2009, MWR was forced to form a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
to have sponsorship for its third car. However, during this season, MWR finally achieved success as a Sprint Cup team, including winning a race and placing two cars in the top six two weeks later. Both of those cars ended up in the top 20 for the year. For 2010, MWR has added Martin Truex Jr.
as a full-time Sprint Cup driver. Michael Waltrip has also continued as a part-time driver in 2010, which brings MWR up to the maximum four cars per team when he competes.
despite wrecking in the qualifying race. However, for Talladega
, Bristol
, Michigan
& Sonoma
, Waltrip opted to drive for Prism Motorsports in the #55, under the technical alliance between the teams. Waltrip also ran the fall Talladega
race under the MWR banner in the #55.
In 2011, Waltrip drove the #15 at Daytona and Talladega under the MWR banner.
The #15 will race full time in Sprint Cup in 2012 as Clint Bowyer
joins the team from Richard Childress Racing
. Bowyer will run with 5-Hour Energy
as his sponsor.
What is currently the #55 for MWR was founded as the #00 car in 2002. The first race for the #00 was at the Tropicana 400, with Jerry Nadeau
driving. Nadeau qualified 34th but finished 37th after suffering a steering failure. MWR attempted another race that season, the NAPA 500 with Buckshot Jones
driving with sponsorship from Charter Pipeline, but he failed to qualify. Jones ran the EA Sports 500 the following season, where he started sixteenth and led nineteen laps before being relegated to 40th due to a crash. He attempted Atlanta again, but failed to qualify. Mike Skinner
closed out the year for MWR at the Ford 400
, qualifying 17th, but finishing 39th after a wreck.
In 2004, Kenny Wallace returned to MWR in the #00. Running four races for the team, his best finish was a 22nd at Homestead-Miami Speedway
. Wallace ran two races in 2005, finishing 27th at Darlington Raceway
. Johnny Benson
ran a pair of races that season as well, but did not finish higher than 42nd. David Reutimann
, who drove for Waltrip's brother Darrell
in the Craftsman Truck Series
, made his Cup debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway
that season, qualifying 26th and finishing 22nd. In 2006, the #00 ran under two separate entries. The first ran with listed owners Mike and Bonnie Anderson under the name MBA Racing. It campaigned Ford Fusions with Hermie Sadler
driving. He made only three starts, with his best finish 40th at the Daytona 500
. The other was the MWR car with Waltrip as the listed owner. Bill Elliott
drove the Monte Carlo in five races in 2006 with sponsorship from Burger King
.
David Reutimann was tapped to drive the #00 Toyota Camry
in 2007, with full-time primary sponsorship from Burger King and Dominos Pizza. He competed for the Rookie of the Year
title as well as the Nextel Cup championship. However, the team struggled to qualify for races, as did other Toyota teams, making only 26 of 36 races in the season. Reutimann experienced one of the hardest crashes ever recorded at the 2007 Auto Club 500
at California Speedway
. Because of the struggles, the team finished 39th in points and had a best finish of 13th. Sponsors Burger King and Dominos then pulled their sponsorship for 2008.
Reutimann opened 2008 in the #00 with backing from Aaron's. After the first five races Reutimann moved to MWR's #44 UPS
Toyota and Michael McDowell
took over the #00. However, McDowell struggled to keep the car in the Top 35 in owner points, which is necessary for automatic qualification into each race, and was replaced near the end of the season by Mike Skinner in an effort to reclaim a Top 35 spot. In October 2008, MWR transferred its third team to the #47 Toyota of JTG Daugherty Racing
, driven by Marcos Ambrose
, and discontinued the #00 team for the balance of the season.
In 2009, the #00 was once again driven by Reutimann with Aaron's sponsorship for the entire 2009 season. This became Reutimann and MWR's breakthrough season, as Reutimann won a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600
on May 25, 2009, giving Michael Waltrip Racing its first victory in a Sprint Cup race, which was considered vindication for a team that had struggled for years. After a strong start to the season, Reutimann ranked among the top-12 drivers (who qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup) after finishing third at the Pocono 500
in race #14. He was caught by an early wreck at Daytona in race #18 that dropped him to 14th, however, and he narrowly finished outside the Chase. He also won his second pole at Texas Motor Speedway
in April and his third pole at Dover International Speedway
in the race after his first victory.
For 2010, Reutimann and the #00 team returned with minimal changes. On July 10, they won the Lifelock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
, for MWR's 2nd Sprint Cup win.
On November 4, 2011, MWR announced that Reutimann would not return as driver of the #00 for 2012. The car will be renumbered to #55 in honor of the year Aaron's was founded (1955), and Mark Martin
was signed to drive it for 25 races in 2012 and 2013. Team owner Waltrip will run five events in the new #55, including the Budweiser Shootout
, Aaron's 499
, Coke Zero 400
, Quaker State 400
, and Good Sam Club 500. The remaining eight races will be split among several drivers, but they have not been named yet.
The #56 car began running in Sprint Cup in 2006 as a partnership between Bill Davis Racing
and Michael Waltrip Racing running the #55 Dodge
. The partnership allowed Bill Davis to return his second team to full-time status while Michael Waltrip and his sponsor NAPA Auto Parts would have a car to race while expanding Michael Waltrip Racing. The agreement allowed for the transfer of owner points from BDR to MWR following the season. Soon afterwards, Jasper Motorsports
closed down, and Waltrip purchased that team's owners points to be guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races of the 2006 season, with former Jasper owner Doug Bawel being listed as owner. Davis and Waltrip ran the 2006
season without manufacturer support, although running Dodge Chargers
, due to a bitter lawsuit between Daimler-Chrysler and Davis. In a dismal 2006 season, the team failed to register a finish higher than 14th and finished 37th in the points.
Michael Waltrip Racing switched to the then-new Toyota Camry for the 2007 season with sponsor NAPA Auto Parts in the Nextel Cup Series. It was a dismal first year for the #55 Toyota Camry
in NASCAR
top series competition, as Waltrip's team faced stiff penalties
for using illegal fuel additives during qualifying for the Daytona 500
. The team rebounded to qualify 15th via the Gatorade Duels, but finished 30th, leaving Daytona with negative driver and owner points (the team's finish in the Daytona 500 earned them 73 points, but the 100 point penalty they received from NASCAR left them last in the standings at −27 points). Waltrip proceeded to fail to qualify for 11 consecutive races before qualifying for his second race at Dover International Speedway
on June 2. Making just his third start of the season at Michigan International Speedway
on June 18, Waltrip posted the team's first top-10 finish and Toyota's third by finishing 10th and leading a lap. In order to take advantage of the champions provisional, Terry Labonte
drove the #55 in 2007 at Infineon, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen. Waltrip gave Toyota its second pole in Cup competition at Talladega
on October 7 and grabbed another top-10 finish at Lowe's
the following week, bringing his team barely inside the top 43 in points by the end of the season.
Waltrip continued to run the #55 during 2008 and 2009. The car qualified in the Top 35 in owner points for 2008, and Waltrip recorded his best finish as a Sprint Cup owner with a second place in the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
in June. In 2009, Waltrip started the season with a seventh place finish in the 2009 Daytona 500
. However, because Waltrip consistently qualified and finished behind both of his teammates (Reutimann and Ambrose) during the first half of 2009, he began to discuss retirement as a driver, stating that, as his team's owner, he would make himself retire as a driver if he was no longer competitive.
In 2010, Martin Truex, Jr. replaced Waltrip as the driver for this team, renumbered as #56. Waltrip drove an additional NAPA Auto Parts
Toyota Camry
in the Daytona 500. The #56 team used the #55's owner's points for 2010.
The #47 car succeeded the #44 at MWR. The #44 debuted under the MWR banner at the 2007 Daytona 500
. Veteran driver Dale Jarrett
drove the #44 UPS
Toyota
in 2007
, licensing the number from Petty Enterprises
. Prior to the start of the season, NASCAR changed the rules regarding the provisional starting spot for past NEXTEL/Sprint Cup champions, limiting past champions to use the provisional only six times. Jarrett, who qualified for only two of the first nine races on speed, used his last champions provisional at Talladega in April 2007. After Jarrett's depletion of provisionals, crew chief Matt Borland was released from Michael Waltrip Racing, with Jason Burdett replacing Borland., but the car was unable to crack the top 35 in owners points during the 2007 season.
Jarrett drove the #44 for the first five races of the 2008
season as the well as the Budweiser Shootout
and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
before retiring from racing. David Reutimann
took over after that and drove the car for the remainder of the year. Under Reutimann, the car easily finished in the Top 35 for owner points, and Reutimann won his first pole (and MWR's second) in the last race of the season, at Homestead. However, prior to the end of the 2008 season, UPS withdrew its sponsorship for the 2009 season, becoming the third major sponsor to abandon MWR during its two years of struggling under the Toyota banner. As a result, the number 44 was returned to Petty Enterprises
at the end of the 2008 season.
MWR reached a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
prior to the end of the 2008 season. Under that agreement, Australian Marcos Ambrose
drove the third MWR Camry, renumbered to #47 and sponsored by Little Debbie
/Kingsford Charcoal/Clorox
, as part of the MWR team in 2009. Rob Kauffman of MWR is the listed owner of this team, which permitted the team to use the 2008 owner points from the #44 to qualify for 2009 races at the start of the year. Although JTG Daugherty Racing maintains operations separate from MWR for its other functions, it has imbedded its Sprint Cup team personnel into MWR. At the Kobalt Tools 500 in March, Ambrose's gas man chased a runaway tire into the grass alongside the track, forcing a caution flag and earning him a four-race suspension, along with season-long probation for himself and his crew chief. In early April, one commentator stated that "no one, not even Reutimann, has been a bigger, more pleasant surprise this season than Ambrose, who's running close to the front just about every week." Ambrose finished 18th in Sprint Cup points in 2009, but MWR and JTG Daugherty reviewed the terms of the alliance before renewing it. Ultimately, the alliance was renewed for 2010, with sponsorship shifting to Kroger
. Ambrose has since left the team and been replaced by Bobby Labonte
. On October 23, JTG Daugerty announced that they would be moving out of the MWR shop into owner Tad Geschickter's shop in Harrisburg in order to improve performance beyond the MWR cars.
Waltrip made his debut as a car owner in 1996
driving the #12 MW Windows Ford Thunderbird
. He ran thirteen races that season, winning the pole at Richmond International Raceway
and posting three top-five finishes. The next season, MWR switched to the #21 with sponsorship from Band-Aid
and had three fourth place finishes, and had six top-ten finishes the following season. In 1998
, Waltrip fielded a second car, the #14 Rhodes Furniture
Ford for Patty Moise
full-time. Moise made 19 starts and a best finish of tenth at Bristol Motor Speedway
, finishing 37th in points.
In 1999, Waltrip got his first career win as an owner/driver at the All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300. The next year, he switched to the #7 as well as driving the #99 car with Aarons sponsorship for three races, his best finish coming at Michigan International Speedway
, where he placed second. Ted Christopher
drove the #99 at Memphis Motorsports Park
with sponsorship from LesCare Kitchens, qualifying 29th and finishing 28th. MWR switched to the #99 full-time in 2001
, as Waltrip drove twelve races, his best finish third at the Aaron's 312. Waltrip also fielded the 99 for three races for Shawna Robinson
, who had a 19th at Talladega Superspeedway
, and Kerry Earnhardt, whose best finish was a 20th at Kentucky Speedway
.
Waltrip had sole driving duties in 2002, running nineteen races and winning at Michigan International Speedway
. The following season, he won at Bristol Motor Speedway
. After making 31 starts in 2004 and winning at Nashville Superspeedway
, Waltrip had only four top-tens in 2005
. In 2006, Waltrip partnered with FitzBradshaw Racing
to pick up FitzBradshaw's #40 car's owner's points. He drove a majority of the races in 2006, with his brother Darrell
and David Reutimann
driving additional races using Evernham
engines.
David Reutimann drove the #99 Aaron's Toyota Camry
for Waltrip in 2007. He won his first career Nationwide Series race with the team at Memphis Motorsports Park
in October, and finished second in points. In the latter part of 2007, MWR also fielded a second car with Michael McDowell to prepare him for a possible Sprint Cup career.
In 2009, the #99 Toyota carried split by Michael Waltrip with sponsorship from Aaron's and Best Western
, Trevor Bayne
, and Scott Speed
with sponsorship from Red Bull Energy Drink
. For 2010 the team was co-purchased by former Diamond Ridge Motorsports
owner Gary Betchel to form Diamond-Waltrip Racing to field development driver Trevor Bayne
in the #99 full time for 2010, though they had limited sponsorship. Trevor Bayne
left the team before the Kansas Speedway
race in September. Martin Truex Jr.
is the replacement driver for the rest of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
. Also, the team fielded the #00 NAPA Auto Parts/OUT! Pet Care Toyota for Ryan Truex
and Truex Jr. on a limited basis in 2010. Travis Pastrana
announced his intent to drive 7 races in 2011 with Boost Mobile
, with Ryan Truex
intending to run the remaining schedule minus the superspeedways. However, Pastrana was injured at X Games XVII
and sat out the rest of 2011, stating that he would run the Nationwide Series in 2012. Truex's bid for Rookie of the Year was cut short when a lack of sponsorship forced the team to shut down briefly. The #99 team returned for some races in 2011, with Cole Whitt
driving at Charlotte and Patrick Carpentier
driving his final race at Montreal.
season, Waltrip became a co-owner with his brother Darrell's Craftsman Truck Series team
. The #00 ran a full-time schedule in 2007
with NEXTEL Cup rookie A.J. Allmendinger, Waltrip development driver Josh Wise
, and Justin Labonte
splitting driving duties. Aaron's
and Red Bull
Energy Drink sponsored numerous events with the team.
Allmendinger posted the highest finish of the three drivers, finishing 2nd at Quaker Steak and Lube 200
in May. He went on to post another top 10 finish. Josh Wise had two top 10 finishes, while Justin Labonte finished a season best 12th.
Three races prior to the end of the season, the team was sold to The Racer's Group
and no longer operates with Waltrip Racing.
but also driven by Terry Labonte
at the Daytona 500
and Michael McDowell
at the Aaron's 499
, with one-race sponsorship also provided by Aaron's for the 2009 Coca-Cola 600
. MWR provided Prism with cars, engines and technical support. Prism became notorious as a start and park
operation, only running a full race when the team had full sponsorship for the race, but the team has qualified for almost every race of the 2009 Sprint Cup season using the MWR equipment, sometimes beating out fully sponsored teams.
For 2010, Prism added a second car provided by MWR, the #55, driven by former MWR Sprint Cup driver Michael McDowell. As of the start of the season, Prism had no sponsorship for either car. Prism co-owner Phil Parsons credited MWR with "allow[ing] us to purchase the cars and equipment we needed to grow our program." Although Blaney failed to qualify for the Daytona 500
, McDowell succeeded in qualifying for the starting field, using Michael Waltrip's old #55 car. For Talledega
, Michael Waltrip himself will drive the #55 car for Prism, with Aaron's providing sponsorship. So far during 2010, with the exception of Blaney at Daytona, both Prism cars have qualified for every race.
was an existing NASCAR Nationwide Series team that entered into Sprint Cup racing through a technical alliance with MWR beginning with two races during the 2008 season, with MWR supplying the #13 Toyota Camry
and technical support for Germain and driver Max Papis
. Papis had previously driven for MWR vice president Cal Wells in the CART series.
In 2009, Germain Racing attempted to run a limited schedule in the Sprint Cup Series with Papis and sponsor GEICO
. The team qualified for 15 races in 21 attempts. Germain planned to run full time in 2010, but it might be required to start and park
some unscheduled events due to its limited sponsorship from GEICO and lack of additional sponsorship. In the first event of the 2010 season, Papis qualified for the Daytona 500
, and since then, the #13 Toyota Camry has qualified for four of the first five races.
. Running the under the moniker of Diamond-Waltrip Racing, Bechtel's team ran the #99 Toyota for MWR drivers Trevor Bayne, Ryan Truex, And Martin Truex Jr. and received technical support, equipment, owner's points, and employees from Waltrip.
and president of Jasper Motorsports
, Doug Bawel, announced the forming of Waltrip-Jasper Racing. Waltrip-Jasper Racing fielded the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Car in the 2006 Nextel Cup Series, driven by Waltrip. Bawel, as the listed owner of the No. 77 that he fielded with Roger Penske
in 2005, had a guaranteed starting spot in the first five races of 2006 by virtue of finishing 34th in the 2005 owner points. This enabled Waltrip to make the first five races in 2006 without qualifying on time.
The Waltrip-Jasper partnership ceased at the end of the 2006 season.
was officially announced on February 10, 2007. The partnership was limited to the #00 car, driven by David Reutimann
. Cal Wells
was listed as the owner and the 2006 owner points for the #32 was be transferred to the #00 for the 2007 season. The partnership included the purchase of all equipment and personnel at PPI Motorsports
, as the former #32 pit crew became the #00 pit crew.
The Waltrip-PPI partnership ceased at the end of the 2007 season, with Cal Wells moving to a management position at Waltrip Racing.
Wells was the E.V.P. and COO. Cal Wells has a rich racing history and his motorsports experience spans over 30 years. Wells has achieved quite a bit in his career and his business savvy has allowed him to become
an owner himself in a variety of racing series. In his current role Wells is in charge of overseeing day-to-day operations for three NSCS teams and one NNS team at Michael Waltrip Racing. However he was terminated from his position in July 2011. Staff members of MWR formally reporting to Wells will now report to part owner Rob Kauffmann. Some have speculated Wells termination may mean behind the scenes finical woes, similar to Richard Petty Motor sports at the end of the 2010 season.
Ty Norris
Norris is the E.V.P. of Business Development and is also the General Manager. Ty Norris’ career in NASCAR
spans the course of 15 years and includes some of the sport’s most recognizable names – Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and RJ Reynolds. Over the past few years, Norris has applied his industry knowledge to help grow Michael Waltrip Racing and negotiate key partnerships with sponsors, such as, NAPA Auto Parts, Aaron’s and TUMS
.
Larry Johns
Larry Johns is the E.V.P. and CFO. As Chief Financial Officer Larry Johns is primarily responsible for managing the 250-employee company’s cash flow as well as communicating the team’s strategic direction for execution from the shop floor to the racetrack. Johns previously served as CFO of PPI Motorsports, LLC and prior to that owned his own business for almost a decade.
Steve Hallam
Hallam is the E.V.P. and Director of Competition. Hallam moved from England to North Carolina when he joined Michael Waltrip Racing before the 2009 season, giving up his job as head of race operations for McLaren after 27 years as an engineer and manager in Formula One
. His resume includes 445 Grand Prix and six world championships.
Bobby Kennedy
Kennedy is the E.V.P. of Race Operations. Kennedy’s NASCAR
career began in 1987 and includes affiliations with organizations such as SABCO and Petty Enterprises. He joined Michael Waltrip Racing in January 2001 and has been instrumental to the success of the organization.
Nick Hughes
Nick Hughes is the E.V.P. and Technical Director. Nick joined Michael Waltrip Racing in March 2008 after spending five years at Evernham Motorsports where he served as Director of Vehicle Dynamics and Simulation. Prior to that he worked as Chief Design Engineer for Penske Racing Shocks in Pennsylvania.
, is the race shop and center of operations for Michael Waltrip Racing. The main shop facility consists of 107000 square feet (9,940.6 m²) while the fabrication shop consists of the remaining 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²).
Raceworld USA is also intended to be a tourist attraction
. The shop features elevated walkways and flat screen televisions, providing fans with an interactive inside look on how a race team functions. Also, Raceworld USA allows patrons to hold events at the race shop.
The exhibit content in the facility was designed by Portland, Oregon
–based Downstream
.
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
team focused on the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series. The company is as a 50–50 partnership between Robert "Rob" Kauffman, the 44-year-old founder and managing partner of Fortress Investment Group
Fortress Investment Group
Fortress Investment Group LLC is an investment management firm based in New York, New York. The company went public on February 9, 2007.-History:...
, and Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
, who first established the team in 1996. The team was the first full-time three-car team to field Toyota Camrys when Toyota entered Sprint Cup racing in 2007, and is now one of two three-car teams under the Toyota banner (along with Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
), while occasionally fielding a four-car lineup.
Currently, MWR fields the, the #15 5-hour Energy
5-Hour Energy
5-hour Energy is a flavored energy shot made in the United States, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is sold in 2-oz containers. The makers of the drink claim that it will provide hours of energy and, unlike other energy drinks, will not cause a sugar crash later...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Early in his career, he drove for Richard Childress Racing. He won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship....
, the #55 Aaron's Rent Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for co-owner Waltrip and Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
, and the #56 NAPA Auto Parts
National Automotive Parts Association
The National Automotive Parts Association was founded in 1925 to meet America's growing need for an auto parts distribution system. It is a retailers' cooperative that distributes parts to both corporately and independently owned auto parts stores.NAPA's parent company is Genuine Parts Company , ...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Martin Truex, Jr.. In addition, MWR had a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
until 2011 to field the #47 Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
Toyota Camry for Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
.
In addition, MWR partnered with Diamond Ridge Motorsports
Diamond Ridge Motorsports
Pastrana-Waltrip Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team that competed in the Winston Cup and Busch Series from 1990 to 1999, and revived as a Nationwide Series team in 2010. The original Diamond Ridge team was owned and operated by Gary Bechtel...
to run the #99 Aaron's Rent Out! Pet Care Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
in the Nationwide Series in 2010. In 2011 Waltrip teamed up with rally driver Travis Pastrana
Travis Pastrana
Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends...
to form Pastrana-Waltrip Racing a two year venture for Pastrana to transition into NASCAR. That team is a continuation of Diamond-Waltrip Racing and will field the #99 Toyota with new sponsorship from Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
starting in 2012.
In addition, MWR fields the #00 NAPA Auto Parts
National Automotive Parts Association
The National Automotive Parts Association was founded in 1925 to meet America's growing need for an auto parts distribution system. It is a retailers' cooperative that distributes parts to both corporately and independently owned auto parts stores.NAPA's parent company is Genuine Parts Company , ...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Brett Moffitt, who replaced two time champion Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series.-Early Racing Career:...
.
History
Michael Waltrip Racing began racing in the Winston Cup series in 2002, making its debut at the 2002 Aaron's 499Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
. The car was the #98 Aaron's
Aaron's
Aaron's, Inc. is a lease-to-own retailer. The company focuses on leases and retail sales of furniture, electronics, appliances, and computers. It is divided into three major divisions: sales and lease ownership; corporate furnishings; and manufacturing. The incorporation of manufacturing as well...
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
driven by Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace
Kenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
. Wallace qualified 27th and finished 21st. Following that first race, Waltrip sold the #98 and its owner points to Innovative Motorsports
Innovative Motorsports
Innovative Motorsports is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by George DeBidart and began racing in the Busch North Series in the mid-90's, before moving to the Busch Series in 1998.- Winston Cup :Innovative ran four Cup races during its tenure...
.
After that, MWR fielded one Winston or Nextel Cup
NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
series car, the #00, on an intermittant basis through 2005. In 2006, MWR, in partnership with Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
, added a second car, Waltrip's #55, but neither car had manufacturer support.
In 2006, MWR signed an agreement with Toyota to field multiple Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
s in the Nextel Cup series for 2007. Waltrip was then able to add a third car driven by Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
to his team for 2007, along with new sponsors. However, the MWR cars experienced a disastrous 2007 season, with the three teams failing to qualify for 39 races between them while winning only one pole with no top-5 finishes. Waltrip was forced to add Rob Kauffmann as a 50% partner in MWR to get the financing to improve the operation. After the season, major sponsors Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
and Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
pulled out. Also after the season, an ugly controversy emerged with Jack Roush
Jack Roush
Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
of Roush Fenway Racing, who accused MWR of stealing one of his team's sway bars after a September 2007 race. While Waltrip and some other drivers, such as Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, argued that parts are often inadvertently swapped during post-race inspection, Roush held a lengthy news conference in March 2008 to accuse "the non-descript Toyota team" (MWR) of deliberately stealing the bar and threatened legal action. However, Roush, who had previously accused Toyota teams of being "ankle-biting Chihuahuas" and brought up Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in his effort to keep Toyota out of NASCAR, did not pursue such a lawsuit.
For 2008, MWR once again added Aaron's as a sponsor and ran competitively, but again managed only one pole and just one top-5 finish, and UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
withdrew as a sponsor after Jarrett retired and transferred its sponsorship to MWR's archrivals Roush Fenway. In 2009, MWR was forced to form a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
to have sponsorship for its third car. However, during this season, MWR finally achieved success as a Sprint Cup team, including winning a race and placing two cars in the top six two weeks later. Both of those cars ended up in the top 20 for the year. For 2010, MWR has added Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Lee Truex Jr. is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Truex is a two-time Nationwide Series champion; having won the title in 2004 and 2005. His younger brother, Ryan is a champion in the K&N Pro Series East...
as a full-time Sprint Cup driver. Michael Waltrip has also continued as a part-time driver in 2010, which brings MWR up to the maximum four cars per team when he competes.
Car #15 History
With Michael Waltrip's move away from full-time driving, the team began fielding a fourth car for him in selected races in 2010. Instead of continuing to use the #55, Waltrip decided to go with the #51, which is the inverse of the #15, which is the car that Waltrip drove for DEI to two victories at Daytona. Waltrip first drove the #51 for the 2010 Daytona Speedweeks, and he became the final qualifier in the 2010 Daytona 5002010 Daytona 500
The 2010 Daytona 500 was the 52nd running of "The Great American Race", and it kicked off the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on February 14 at the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fox telecast the race while radio coverage was handled by Sirius XM Radio...
despite wrecking in the qualifying race. However, for Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
, Michigan
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
& Sonoma
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
, Waltrip opted to drive for Prism Motorsports in the #55, under the technical alliance between the teams. Waltrip also ran the fall Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
race under the MWR banner in the #55.
In 2011, Waltrip drove the #15 at Daytona and Talladega under the MWR banner.
The #15 will race full time in Sprint Cup in 2012 as Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Early in his career, he drove for Richard Childress Racing. He won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship....
joins the team from Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
. Bowyer will run with 5-Hour Energy
5-Hour Energy
5-hour Energy is a flavored energy shot made in the United States, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is sold in 2-oz containers. The makers of the drink claim that it will provide hours of energy and, unlike other energy drinks, will not cause a sugar crash later...
as his sponsor.
Car #55 History
Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Nadeau is a retired race car driver from Danbury, Connecticut. Nadeau competed in the 1994 Barber Dodge Pro Series and the 1996 Formula Opel Euroseries.-NASCAR career:Nadeau's NASCAR career began in 1995 in the Busch Series...
driving. Nadeau qualified 34th but finished 37th after suffering a steering failure. MWR attempted another race that season, the NAPA 500 with Buckshot Jones
Buckshot Jones
Roy "Buckshot" Jones , is an auto racing driver who has competed in NASCAR and sprint cars. He most recently ran in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series....
driving with sponsorship from Charter Pipeline, but he failed to qualify. Jones ran the EA Sports 500 the following season, where he started sixteenth and led nineteen laps before being relegated to 40th due to a crash. He attempted Atlanta again, but failed to qualify. Mike Skinner
Mike Skinner (NASCAR)
Mike Skinner is an American driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is the primary driver of the #60 Big Red Soda Toyota Camry for Germain Racing. He is the father of former NASCAR drivers Jamie and Dustin Skinner...
closed out the year for MWR at the Ford 400
Ford 400
The Ford 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.The race is relatively new on the NASCAR circuit, first being run in 1999. Since 2002, the Ford 400 has been part of the Ford Championship Weekend, the last week of the NASCAR season. Starting...
, qualifying 17th, but finishing 39th after a wreck.
In 2004, Kenny Wallace returned to MWR in the #00. Running four races for the team, his best finish was a 22nd at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
. Wallace ran two races in 2005, finishing 27th at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
. Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
ran a pair of races that season as well, but did not finish higher than 42nd. David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
, who drove for Waltrip's brother Darrell
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports was a NASCAR team owned by three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. It was formed in 1991 when Waltrip resigned from Hendrick Motorsports to start his own team, and was originally named DarWal, Inc....
in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
, made his Cup debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
that season, qualifying 26th and finishing 22nd. In 2006, the #00 ran under two separate entries. The first ran with listed owners Mike and Bonnie Anderson under the name MBA Racing. It campaigned Ford Fusions with Hermie Sadler
Hermie Sadler
Herman Marion Sadler III is an American race car driver/announcer and professional wrestling promoter from Emporia, Virginia. He is also an advocate for autism research, as his daughter Hailie Dru, was diagnosed with the disorder in 2001...
driving. He made only three starts, with his best finish 40th at the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
. The other was the MWR car with Waltrip as the listed owner. Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
drove the Monte Carlo in five races in 2006 with sponsorship from Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
.
David Reutimann was tapped to drive the #00 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
in 2007, with full-time primary sponsorship from Burger King and Dominos Pizza. He competed for the Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
title as well as the Nextel Cup championship. However, the team struggled to qualify for races, as did other Toyota teams, making only 26 of 36 races in the season. Reutimann experienced one of the hardest crashes ever recorded at the 2007 Auto Club 500
2007 Auto Club 500
The 2007 Auto Club 500 was the second race in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, and took place on February 25, 2007 at the California Speedway in Fontana, California.The 2007 Auto Club 500 was the first NEXTEL Cup race using unleaded gasoline...
at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
. Because of the struggles, the team finished 39th in points and had a best finish of 13th. Sponsors Burger King and Dominos then pulled their sponsorship for 2008.
Reutimann opened 2008 in the #00 with backing from Aaron's. After the first five races Reutimann moved to MWR's #44 UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
Toyota and Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell (NASCAR)
Michael Christopher McDowell is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #66 Toyota Camry for HP Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #18 Pizza Ranch Toyota Camry part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
took over the #00. However, McDowell struggled to keep the car in the Top 35 in owner points, which is necessary for automatic qualification into each race, and was replaced near the end of the season by Mike Skinner in an effort to reclaim a Top 35 spot. In October 2008, MWR transferred its third team to the #47 Toyota of JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
, driven by Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
, and discontinued the #00 team for the balance of the season.
In 2009, the #00 was once again driven by Reutimann with Aaron's sponsorship for the entire 2009 season. This became Reutimann and MWR's breakthrough season, as Reutimann won a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
on May 25, 2009, giving Michael Waltrip Racing its first victory in a Sprint Cup race, which was considered vindication for a team that had struggled for years. After a strong start to the season, Reutimann ranked among the top-12 drivers (who qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup) after finishing third at the Pocono 500
2009 Pocono 500
The 2009 Pocono 500 was the fourteenth points race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season for 2009, and was run on Sunday, June 7 of that year at the Pocono Raceway outside the hamlet of Long Pond, Pennsylvania...
in race #14. He was caught by an early wreck at Daytona in race #18 that dropped him to 14th, however, and he narrowly finished outside the Chase. He also won his second pole at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
in April and his third pole at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
in the race after his first victory.
For 2010, Reutimann and the #00 team returned with minimal changes. On July 10, they won the Lifelock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
, for MWR's 2nd Sprint Cup win.
On November 4, 2011, MWR announced that Reutimann would not return as driver of the #00 for 2012. The car will be renumbered to #55 in honor of the year Aaron's was founded (1955), and Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
was signed to drive it for 25 races in 2012 and 2013. Team owner Waltrip will run five events in the new #55, including the Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...
, Aaron's 499
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
, Coke Zero 400
Coke Zero 400
The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...
, Quaker State 400
Quaker State 400
The Quaker State 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, United States over 400.5 miles . The inaugural event was held in 2011.-History:...
, and Good Sam Club 500. The remaining eight races will be split among several drivers, but they have not been named yet.
Car #56 History
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
and Michael Waltrip Racing running the #55 Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
. The partnership allowed Bill Davis to return his second team to full-time status while Michael Waltrip and his sponsor NAPA Auto Parts would have a car to race while expanding Michael Waltrip Racing. The agreement allowed for the transfer of owner points from BDR to MWR following the season. Soon afterwards, Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports is a former NASCAR Winston Cup/NEXTEL Cup team. It was owned by a variety of owners including D.K. Ulrich and Doug Bawel.- 1970s-1980s :...
closed down, and Waltrip purchased that team's owners points to be guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races of the 2006 season, with former Jasper owner Doug Bawel being listed as owner. Davis and Waltrip ran the 2006
2006 in NASCAR
The 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Bud Shootout and ended on Sunday, November 19 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17 at New Hampshire...
season without manufacturer support, although running Dodge Chargers
Dodge Charger (LX)
The Dodge Charger LX is a rear-wheel drive four-door automobile introduced in February 2005. Built by Chrysler for its North American Dodge brand, the car was created to continue the Dodge Charger line, and replaced the Dodge Intrepid as Dodge's full-size sedan...
, due to a bitter lawsuit between Daimler-Chrysler and Davis. In a dismal 2006 season, the team failed to register a finish higher than 14th and finished 37th in the points.
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
top series competition, as Waltrip's team faced stiff penalties
2007 NASCAR Gatorade Duel scandal
The 2007 NASCAR Gatorade Duel Scandal was a collection of various allegations of cheating in the 2007 NASCAR Gatorade Duels, the qualifying event for the Daytona 500.-Pole qualifying:...
for using illegal fuel additives during qualifying for the Daytona 500
2007 Daytona 500
The 2007 Daytona 500 was the first race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, taking place on February 18, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Kevin Harvick won the race by .02 second over Mark Martin in the closest finish since the first race at Daytona...
. The team rebounded to qualify 15th via the Gatorade Duels, but finished 30th, leaving Daytona with negative driver and owner points (the team's finish in the Daytona 500 earned them 73 points, but the 100 point penalty they received from NASCAR left them last in the standings at −27 points). Waltrip proceeded to fail to qualify for 11 consecutive races before qualifying for his second race at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
on June 2. Making just his third start of the season at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
on June 18, Waltrip posted the team's first top-10 finish and Toyota's third by finishing 10th and leading a lap. In order to take advantage of the champions provisional, Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
drove the #55 in 2007 at Infineon, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen. Waltrip gave Toyota its second pole in Cup competition at Talladega
2007 UAW-Ford 500
The 2007 UAW-Ford 500 was the 30th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season and the fourth race in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. This race was raced on Sunday, October 7, 2007 at the Talladega Superspeedway outside of Talladega, Alabama....
on October 7 and grabbed another top-10 finish at Lowe's
2007 Bank of America 500
The 2007 Bank of America 500, the 31st race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, and the fifth race of the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, was run on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte...
the following week, bringing his team barely inside the top 43 in points by the end of the season.
Waltrip continued to run the #55 during 2008 and 2009. The car qualified in the Top 35 in owner points for 2008, and Waltrip recorded his best finish as a Sprint Cup owner with a second place in the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
The 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was the seventeenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and was run on June 29 of that year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, located in Loudon, New Hampshire. This was the first race under the new ownership of Speedway Motorsports, Inc...
in June. In 2009, Waltrip started the season with a seventh place finish in the 2009 Daytona 500
2009 Daytona 500
The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race was won by Matt Kenseth making a car numbered 17 winning the Daytona 500 for the first time in 20 years since Darrell Waltrip's win back in 1989 and the...
. However, because Waltrip consistently qualified and finished behind both of his teammates (Reutimann and Ambrose) during the first half of 2009, he began to discuss retirement as a driver, stating that, as his team's owner, he would make himself retire as a driver if he was no longer competitive.
In 2010, Martin Truex, Jr. replaced Waltrip as the driver for this team, renumbered as #56. Waltrip drove an additional NAPA Auto Parts
National Automotive Parts Association
The National Automotive Parts Association was founded in 1925 to meet America's growing need for an auto parts distribution system. It is a retailers' cooperative that distributes parts to both corporately and independently owned auto parts stores.NAPA's parent company is Genuine Parts Company , ...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
in the Daytona 500. The #56 team used the #55's owner's points for 2010.
Car #47 History
The #47 car succeeded the #44 at MWR. The #44 debuted under the MWR banner at the 2007 Daytona 500
2007 Daytona 500
The 2007 Daytona 500 was the first race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, taking place on February 18, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Kevin Harvick won the race by .02 second over Mark Martin in the closest finish since the first race at Daytona...
. Veteran driver Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
drove the #44 UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
Toyota
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
in 2007
2007 in NASCAR
The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 18 of that same year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire...
, licensing the number from Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...
. Prior to the start of the season, NASCAR changed the rules regarding the provisional starting spot for past NEXTEL/Sprint Cup champions, limiting past champions to use the provisional only six times. Jarrett, who qualified for only two of the first nine races on speed, used his last champions provisional at Talladega in April 2007. After Jarrett's depletion of provisionals, crew chief Matt Borland was released from Michael Waltrip Racing, with Jason Burdett replacing Borland., but the car was unable to crack the top 35 in owners points during the 2007 season.
Jarrett drove the #44 for the first five races of the 2008
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
season as the well as the Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...
and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004, then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007, is a race open to race winners from the previous season as well as the current season, plus the past ten event winners and past decade's Cup Series champions...
before retiring from racing. David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
took over after that and drove the car for the remainder of the year. Under Reutimann, the car easily finished in the Top 35 for owner points, and Reutimann won his first pole (and MWR's second) in the last race of the season, at Homestead. However, prior to the end of the 2008 season, UPS withdrew its sponsorship for the 2009 season, becoming the third major sponsor to abandon MWR during its two years of struggling under the Toyota banner. As a result, the number 44 was returned to Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...
at the end of the 2008 season.
MWR reached a technical alliance with JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
prior to the end of the 2008 season. Under that agreement, Australian Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
drove the third MWR Camry, renumbered to #47 and sponsored by Little Debbie
McKee Foods
McKee Foods Corporation is a privately held United States company headquartered in Collegedale, Tennessee.-History:McKee Foods began in 1934 in Chattanooga when O.D. McKee purchased Jack’s Cookie Company....
/Kingsford Charcoal/Clorox
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
, as part of the MWR team in 2009. Rob Kauffman of MWR is the listed owner of this team, which permitted the team to use the 2008 owner points from the #44 to qualify for 2009 races at the start of the year. Although JTG Daugherty Racing maintains operations separate from MWR for its other functions, it has imbedded its Sprint Cup team personnel into MWR. At the Kobalt Tools 500 in March, Ambrose's gas man chased a runaway tire into the grass alongside the track, forcing a caution flag and earning him a four-race suspension, along with season-long probation for himself and his crew chief. In early April, one commentator stated that "no one, not even Reutimann, has been a bigger, more pleasant surprise this season than Ambrose, who's running close to the front just about every week." Ambrose finished 18th in Sprint Cup points in 2009, but MWR and JTG Daugherty reviewed the terms of the alliance before renewing it. Ultimately, the alliance was renewed for 2010, with sponsorship shifting to Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
. Ambrose has since left the team and been replaced by Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
. On October 23, JTG Daugerty announced that they would be moving out of the MWR shop into owner Tad Geschickter's shop in Harrisburg in order to improve performance beyond the MWR cars.
Nationwide Series Teams
1996 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 1996 NASCAR Busch Series Season began February 17 and ended November 3. Randy LaJoie of BACE Motorsports was crowned the series champion.See also: 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series-1996 Team chart:...
driving the #12 MW Windows Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
. He ran thirteen races that season, winning the pole at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
and posting three top-five finishes. The next season, MWR switched to the #21 with sponsorship from Band-Aid
Band-Aid
Band-Aid is a brand name for Johnson & Johnson's line of adhesive bandages and related products. It has also become a genericized trademark for any adhesive bandage in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India and the United States....
and had three fourth place finishes, and had six top-ten finishes the following season. In 1998
1998 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 1998 NASCAR Busch Series Season began on Saturday February 14 and ended on Sunday November 15. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was crowned champion at season's end.See also: 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series...
, Waltrip fielded a second car, the #14 Rhodes Furniture
Rhodes Furniture
The Rhodes Furniture Company was a retail furniture company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Beginning with a single store in downtown Atlanta the company expanded throughout the United States.-History:...
Ford for Patty Moise
Patty Moise
Patty Moise is a former NASCAR driver. She drove in five Winston Cup races from 1987 to 1989, and 133 Busch Series races from 1986 to 1998. She is the wife of former fellow NASCAR driver Elton Sawyer....
full-time. Moise made 19 starts and a best finish of tenth at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
, finishing 37th in points.
In 1999, Waltrip got his first career win as an owner/driver at the All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300. The next year, he switched to the #7 as well as driving the #99 car with Aarons sponsorship for three races, his best finish coming at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, where he placed second. Ted Christopher
Ted Christopher
Ted Christopher , from Plainville, CT is an American racing driver who has raced and won in many different types of race cars, including Modifieds, SK Modifieds, Camping World East Series, Late Models, Pro Stocks, Midgets, and Supermodifieds. He has also raced in NASCAR's Sprint Cup, Nationwide...
drove the #99 at Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...
with sponsorship from LesCare Kitchens, qualifying 29th and finishing 28th. MWR switched to the #99 full-time in 2001
2001 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Season began February 17 and ended November 10.Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing was champion.See also: 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series-2001 Team chart:...
, as Waltrip drove twelve races, his best finish third at the Aaron's 312. Waltrip also fielded the 99 for three races for Shawna Robinson
Shawna Robinson
Shawna Robinson is a former NASCAR driver.Robinson began her racing career in 1984 in the GATR Truck Series, winning rookie of the year honors in 1984 as well as a race at Flemington Speedway in 1987. She began racing NASCAR in 1988, when she was named Rookie of the Year in the now-defunct Dash...
, who had a 19th at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, and Kerry Earnhardt, whose best finish was a 20th at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
.
Waltrip had sole driving duties in 2002, running nineteen races and winning at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
. The following season, he won at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
. After making 31 starts in 2004 and winning at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
, Waltrip had only four top-tens in 2005
2005 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2005 season of the NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr...
. In 2006, Waltrip partnered with FitzBradshaw Racing
FitzBradshaw Racing
Trail Motorsports was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previously co-owned by Fitz's former wife Mimi...
to pick up FitzBradshaw's #40 car's owner's points. He drove a majority of the races in 2006, with his brother Darrell
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
and David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
driving additional races using Evernham
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
engines.
David Reutimann drove the #99 Aaron's Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Waltrip in 2007. He won his first career Nationwide Series race with the team at Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...
in October, and finished second in points. In the latter part of 2007, MWR also fielded a second car with Michael McDowell to prepare him for a possible Sprint Cup career.
In 2009, the #99 Toyota carried split by Michael Waltrip with sponsorship from Aaron's and Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
, Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
, and Scott Speed
Scott Speed
Scott Andrew Speed is an American race car driver. Formerly a driver for the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team, he made his Formula One race debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix; becoming the first American to race in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993...
with sponsorship from Red Bull Energy Drink
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
. For 2010 the team was co-purchased by former Diamond Ridge Motorsports
Diamond Ridge Motorsports
Pastrana-Waltrip Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team that competed in the Winston Cup and Busch Series from 1990 to 1999, and revived as a Nationwide Series team in 2010. The original Diamond Ridge team was owned and operated by Gary Bechtel...
owner Gary Betchel to form Diamond-Waltrip Racing to field development driver Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
in the #99 full time for 2010, though they had limited sponsorship. Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
left the team before the Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
race in September. Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Lee Truex Jr. is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Truex is a two-time Nationwide Series champion; having won the title in 2004 and 2005. His younger brother, Ryan is a champion in the K&N Pro Series East...
is the replacement driver for the rest of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season was the twenty-ninth season of semi-professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included thirty-five races, which ended with the Ford 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway...
. Also, the team fielded the #00 NAPA Auto Parts/OUT! Pet Care Toyota for Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series.-Early Racing Career:...
and Truex Jr. on a limited basis in 2010. Travis Pastrana
Travis Pastrana
Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends...
announced his intent to drive 7 races in 2011 with Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
, with Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series.-Early Racing Career:...
intending to run the remaining schedule minus the superspeedways. However, Pastrana was injured at X Games XVII
X Games XVII
X Games XVII was an action sporting event which took place from July 28 – 31, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Venues for the event include the Staples Center, Nokia Theater and other areas of L.A. Live. The games featured the sports of Moto X, skateboarding, BMX, and rallying...
and sat out the rest of 2011, stating that he would run the Nationwide Series in 2012. Truex's bid for Rookie of the Year was cut short when a lack of sponsorship forced the team to shut down briefly. The #99 team returned for some races in 2011, with Cole Whitt
Cole Whitt
Cole Whitt is a American stock car driver and development driver for Red Bull Racing Team. After advancing his way through Kart racing, Whitt moved up to sprint cars and became a development driver for Red Bull. After running in the Camping World Series East, Whitt made his NASCAR debut in 2010...
driving at Charlotte and Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the...
driving his final race at Montreal.
Camping World Truck Series
At the conclusion of the 2006 truck series2006 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season began on February 17, 2006 at Daytona International Speedway with the GM Flex Fuel 250, and ended on November 17, 2006 with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Todd Bodine of Germain Racing was declared champion...
season, Waltrip became a co-owner with his brother Darrell's Craftsman Truck Series team
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports was a NASCAR team owned by three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. It was formed in 1991 when Waltrip resigned from Hendrick Motorsports to start his own team, and was originally named DarWal, Inc....
. The #00 ran a full-time schedule in 2007
2007 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 12th season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season set off on February 16, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Chevy Silverado HD 250, and ended on November 16, 2007 with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway...
with NEXTEL Cup rookie A.J. Allmendinger, Waltrip development driver Josh Wise
Josh Wise
Josh Wise is a NASCAR driver who currently runs in its Nationwide Series. He drives the #7 Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports and the #39 Ford Mustang for Go Green Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is a former member of the driver development program for Michael Waltrip Racing...
, and Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte is a former NASCAR Busch Series driver. He is the son of NASCAR driver Terry Labonte, and the nephew of Bobby Labonte. He currently does not have a ride in the Nationwide Series, and is rumored to be racing late models on North Carolina short tracks...
splitting driving duties. Aaron's
Aaron's
Aaron's, Inc. is a lease-to-own retailer. The company focuses on leases and retail sales of furniture, electronics, appliances, and computers. It is divided into three major divisions: sales and lease ownership; corporate furnishings; and manufacturing. The incorporation of manufacturing as well...
and Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
Energy Drink sponsored numerous events with the team.
Allmendinger posted the highest finish of the three drivers, finishing 2nd at Quaker Steak and Lube 200
Quaker Steak and Lube 200
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held in mid-May at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The race is currently held as a companion event to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in late May....
in May. He went on to post another top 10 finish. Josh Wise had two top 10 finishes, while Justin Labonte finished a season best 12th.
Three races prior to the end of the season, the team was sold to The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group, or TRG, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and Rolex Sports Car Series racing team located in Petaluma, California owned by Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra. In addition to stock car racing, TRG has competed professionally in road racing since 1995...
and no longer operates with Waltrip Racing.
MWR-Prism Motorsports
At the start of the 2009 season, MWR entered into a technical alliance with Prism Motorsports for the 2009 season. Prism entered the #66 car in each race, normally driven by Dave BlaneyDave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
but also driven by Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
at the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
and Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
at the Aaron's 499
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
, with one-race sponsorship also provided by Aaron's for the 2009 Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
. MWR provided Prism with cars, engines and technical support. Prism became notorious as a start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...
operation, only running a full race when the team had full sponsorship for the race, but the team has qualified for almost every race of the 2009 Sprint Cup season using the MWR equipment, sometimes beating out fully sponsored teams.
For 2010, Prism added a second car provided by MWR, the #55, driven by former MWR Sprint Cup driver Michael McDowell. As of the start of the season, Prism had no sponsorship for either car. Prism co-owner Phil Parsons credited MWR with "allow[ing] us to purchase the cars and equipment we needed to grow our program." Although Blaney failed to qualify for the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
, McDowell succeeded in qualifying for the starting field, using Michael Waltrip's old #55 car. For Talledega
Talledega
Talledega is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-References:*...
, Michael Waltrip himself will drive the #55 car for Prism, with Aaron's providing sponsorship. So far during 2010, with the exception of Blaney at Daytona, both Prism cars have qualified for every race.
MWR-Germain Racing
Germain RacingGermain Racing
Germain Racing is an American NASCAR team. It is owned by the Germain brothers, Bob, Stephen, and Richard. The Germain family owns many car dealerships across the United States...
was an existing NASCAR Nationwide Series team that entered into Sprint Cup racing through a technical alliance with MWR beginning with two races during the 2008 season, with MWR supplying the #13 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
and technical support for Germain and driver Max Papis
Max Papis
Massimiliano "Max" Papis is a racing driver who has competed in several top-level motorsports events such as Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car. He has three Champ Car victories. He is the son-in-law of Emerson Fittipaldi. His son's godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi...
. Papis had previously driven for MWR vice president Cal Wells in the CART series.
In 2009, Germain Racing attempted to run a limited schedule in the Sprint Cup Series with Papis and sponsor GEICO
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
. The team qualified for 15 races in 21 attempts. Germain planned to run full time in 2010, but it might be required to start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...
some unscheduled events due to its limited sponsorship from GEICO and lack of additional sponsorship. In the first event of the 2010 season, Papis qualified for the Daytona 500
2010 Daytona 500
The 2010 Daytona 500 was the 52nd running of "The Great American Race", and it kicked off the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on February 14 at the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fox telecast the race while radio coverage was handled by Sirius XM Radio...
, and since then, the #13 Toyota Camry has qualified for four of the first five races.
Diamond-Waltrip Racing
After the 2009 season, MWR sold the assets of its Nationwide team to Gary Bechtel and his Diamond Ridge MotorsportsDiamond Ridge Motorsports
Pastrana-Waltrip Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team that competed in the Winston Cup and Busch Series from 1990 to 1999, and revived as a Nationwide Series team in 2010. The original Diamond Ridge team was owned and operated by Gary Bechtel...
. Running the under the moniker of Diamond-Waltrip Racing, Bechtel's team ran the #99 Toyota for MWR drivers Trevor Bayne, Ryan Truex, And Martin Truex Jr. and received technical support, equipment, owner's points, and employees from Waltrip.
Waltrip-Jasper Racing
On January 20, 2006, Michael WaltripMichael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
and president of Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports is a former NASCAR Winston Cup/NEXTEL Cup team. It was owned by a variety of owners including D.K. Ulrich and Doug Bawel.- 1970s-1980s :...
, Doug Bawel, announced the forming of Waltrip-Jasper Racing. Waltrip-Jasper Racing fielded the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Car in the 2006 Nextel Cup Series, driven by Waltrip. Bawel, as the listed owner of the No. 77 that he fielded with Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
in 2005, had a guaranteed starting spot in the first five races of 2006 by virtue of finishing 34th in the 2005 owner points. This enabled Waltrip to make the first five races in 2006 without qualifying on time.
The Waltrip-Jasper partnership ceased at the end of the 2006 season.
Waltrip-PPI Racing
The partnership of Michael Waltrip Racing and PPI MotorsportsPPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was a race team which competed in CART, NASCAR, and various off-road racing circuits. The team had one of the few remaining single car operations in NASCAR.-Early years:...
was officially announced on February 10, 2007. The partnership was limited to the #00 car, driven by David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
. Cal Wells
Cal Wells
Cal Wells is a businessman and former owner of PPI Motorsports. He is now the Executive Vice President of Operations at Michael Waltrip Racing where he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and one NASCAR Nationwide Series team.Before...
was listed as the owner and the 2006 owner points for the #32 was be transferred to the #00 for the 2007 season. The partnership included the purchase of all equipment and personnel at PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was a race team which competed in CART, NASCAR, and various off-road racing circuits. The team had one of the few remaining single car operations in NASCAR.-Early years:...
, as the former #32 pit crew became the #00 pit crew.
The Waltrip-PPI partnership ceased at the end of the 2007 season, with Cal Wells moving to a management position at Waltrip Racing.
Michael Waltrip Racing Executive Team
Cal Wells’’' –Wells was the E.V.P. and COO. Cal Wells has a rich racing history and his motorsports experience spans over 30 years. Wells has achieved quite a bit in his career and his business savvy has allowed him to become
an owner himself in a variety of racing series. In his current role Wells is in charge of overseeing day-to-day operations for three NSCS teams and one NNS team at Michael Waltrip Racing. However he was terminated from his position in July 2011. Staff members of MWR formally reporting to Wells will now report to part owner Rob Kauffmann. Some have speculated Wells termination may mean behind the scenes finical woes, similar to Richard Petty Motor sports at the end of the 2010 season.
Ty Norris
Norris is the E.V.P. of Business Development and is also the General Manager. Ty Norris’ career in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
spans the course of 15 years and includes some of the sport’s most recognizable names – Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and RJ Reynolds. Over the past few years, Norris has applied his industry knowledge to help grow Michael Waltrip Racing and negotiate key partnerships with sponsors, such as, NAPA Auto Parts, Aaron’s and TUMS
Tums
TUMS is an antacid made of sucrose and calcium carbonate manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in St.Louis, Missouri, USA. It is a non-prescription drug and available at many retail stores, including drug stores, grocery stores and mass merchandisers. It provides relief from acid indigestion, heartburn,...
.
Larry Johns
Larry Johns is the E.V.P. and CFO. As Chief Financial Officer Larry Johns is primarily responsible for managing the 250-employee company’s cash flow as well as communicating the team’s strategic direction for execution from the shop floor to the racetrack. Johns previously served as CFO of PPI Motorsports, LLC and prior to that owned his own business for almost a decade.
Steve Hallam
Hallam is the E.V.P. and Director of Competition. Hallam moved from England to North Carolina when he joined Michael Waltrip Racing before the 2009 season, giving up his job as head of race operations for McLaren after 27 years as an engineer and manager in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. His resume includes 445 Grand Prix and six world championships.
Bobby Kennedy
Kennedy is the E.V.P. of Race Operations. Kennedy’s NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
career began in 1987 and includes affiliations with organizations such as SABCO and Petty Enterprises. He joined Michael Waltrip Racing in January 2001 and has been instrumental to the success of the organization.
Nick Hughes
Nick Hughes is the E.V.P. and Technical Director. Nick joined Michael Waltrip Racing in March 2008 after spending five years at Evernham Motorsports where he served as Director of Vehicle Dynamics and Simulation. Prior to that he worked as Chief Design Engineer for Penske Racing Shocks in Pennsylvania.
Raceworld USA
Raceworld USA, located in Cornelius, North CarolinaCornelius, North Carolina
Cornelius is a town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 11,969 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County...
, is the race shop and center of operations for Michael Waltrip Racing. The main shop facility consists of 107000 square feet (9,940.6 m²) while the fabrication shop consists of the remaining 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²).
Raceworld USA is also intended to be a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
. The shop features elevated walkways and flat screen televisions, providing fans with an interactive inside look on how a race team functions. Also, Raceworld USA allows patrons to hold events at the race shop.
The exhibit content in the facility was designed by Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
–based Downstream
Downstream
-Science:* In geography, away from the source of a stream or river* In meteorology, away from the source of an air parcel or mass, along the normal direction of water or air flow* Downstream , in computer or telecommunications networks...
.