Truex has a new ride; DW on wild finishes

As expected Martin Truex Jr. will be moving to Michael Waltrip Racing next season to replace Waltrip. While there, got to talk to Darrell Waltrip on his thoughts on the big crashes at the end of races at Daytona and Talladega lately.

 

First to the Truex-MWR deal

 

Q: So, Truex joins MWR in 2010.  Might he join the team later this season?

 

A: Anything is likely but Truex told us that he expects to remain with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing through the end of this season unless there is a move they want to make late in the year.

 

Q: What number will Truex drive?

 

A. He will be in the No. 56 Napa Toyota next year. The No. 56 is what his father used to drive and a number Truex used before climbing the NASCAR ranks.

 

Q: Who will be the crew chief for Truex? Will Kevin Manion join him?

 

A: Team officials said no decision has been made on crew chiefs and team personnel. Truex said he would love to have Manion but that will depend on Manion's deal at EGR. Realistically, one would suspect that since Truex had a one-year deal Manion likely did the same thing to allow them to stay or go together. Will have to see about that.

 

Q: What happens to Michael Waltrip?

 

A: He will drive in a limited number of races next season. He will be in the No. 55 Napa Toyota for next year's Daytona 500. That is set. As ofr anything else, it will depend on securing sponsorship. They would like to run Waltrip in at least all four plate races next year (Daytona and Talladega) and up to 12 races. Again that depends on money.

 

Q: What about the owner points for the 55, who does that go to for next season?

 

A: They will be transferred to Truex's team.

 

Q: How long is the Truex and NAPA deal?

 

A: The would only say multi-year. Typically driver deals are 3-year deals and often the sposnor deal is for the same amount of time.

 

Q: Why Truex?

 

A: MWR officials like him and he's about the top free agent out there. Next year's free agent class is expected to be loaded but this year's was thin. Just kind of happens that way. A team official talked with Truex's dad late last year and then traded text messages early this season before talking.

 

Q: For Truex, why MWR?

 

A: A number of reasons. The MWR cars are performing well (David Reutimann is challenging for a Chase spot). MRW has Toyota support. In this time of manufacturers backing off, there are a lot of questions out there. Plus, there don't appear to be many openings. Hendrick is set. Roush has to cut back one team and move it to Yates. Childress is at four, although something could happen there. Stewart-Haas could expand to a third car but if it does, it likely would do so for Brad Keselowski. If Keselowski doesn't go there, JR Motorsports could aways move up to Cup (althought that seems a bit of a longshot) or he could run for James Finch at Phoenix Racing, which also gets Hendrdick support -- that's big since Keslowski is tied in with Hendrick. Questions persist about what Richard Petty Motorsports will look like next year (3 or 4 cars?) and what kind of manufacturer support they'll have. Joe Gibbs Racing could move to a fourth car but that is based on sponsorship, which is not easy to find during this time. It's not like Truex could take Bass Pro with him. EGR folks say they expect Bass Pro back, so Truex couldn't take a sponsor with him, which might have opened up a few things. Also, his brother is running some driver development stuff in partnership with MWR.

 

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As for those wild finishes at Daytona and Talladega lately, here's what Darrell Waltrip had to say about them:

 

"I don't know what you can change. Technology has outgrown those race tracks. Those race tracks were built in the 1960s to make cars go 200 mph, to help a car go 200 mph. Now we have cars that are a lot better than the track. With that much banking and those big tracks, there's nothing else you can do. All you can do is restrict the engine and when you put them on top of each other, they're going to wreck. That's just a fact of life.

 

Q: Has the safety improvements made drivers bolder?

 

A: That's something I've been worried to death about. These guys are driving more reckless then they ever have before because they can't get hurt. And that's where we are now with these cars. Sure, I'm going to block. I'm going to run all over you because if I hit the wall, so what? It's soft. If I hit the wall, so what? I've got a HANs device. If I hit the wall, so what? I've got a big seat. I ain't going to get hurt.

 

"We got comfortable like this once before with safety and we ended up with some people hurt. I know we're in better shape than we've ever been before, and God only knows that you don't want anybody to get hurt, but there is an awfully eerie feeling for me that these guys have got a comfort zone wtih this safety thing that makes me nervous.''

 

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Also, don't forget you can follow me on twitter. Just search for dustinlong. We had a lively deabate yesterday with fans and other journalists on the Daytona and Talladega finishes. Come join the fun.

 

 

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