Great '08 in store for Waltrip

[Schwartz Fan]

Great '08 in store for WaltripTwo-time Daytona champ expects rebound season


For Michael Waltrip, the upcoming Sprint Cup campaign should turn out better than the 2007 season, when the driver debuted his own three-car team. Here's eight reasons why '08 should be great for the two-time Daytona 500 champ:

1. It can't get any worse.

Almost any positive results would be considered a drastic improvement. Waltrip's team opened the 2007 season with stiff penalties when illegal jet fuel was found in the tank of his car. Other troubles included ongoing financial difficulties and an accident in Waltrip's personal SUV when the driver flipped the car and fled the scene before police arrived. Waltrip qualified for just 14 of 36 Cup races, with the three-headed team failing to qualify in 44 of 108 attempts. The team was so bad that driver Dale Jarrett decided it was time to retire -- the 1999 Cup champion will drive the first five races of 2008 before moving into a broadcasting role.

2. The team has a new home.

When the 2007 season started, Michael Waltrip Racing was scattered across five different shops. These year, everything is under one roof. MWR's Race World in Cornelius, N.C., not only has 137,000 square feet but a NASCAR-themed entertainment complex that includes a movie theater. And this year, there will be highlights worth showing.

3. Michael McDowell might be a no-name now, but he'll be a better Cup driver than the heralded open-wheelers in the 2008 rookie class.

Don't be surprised if McDowell zooms right past Dario Franchitt, Sam Hornish Jr., Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve. The first-year driver should contend for Cup Rookie of the Year honors, even after getting a late start when he sits out the first five races prior to Jarrett's retirement. McDowell showed he had the stock car stuff last year in the ARCA series, where he won four races and nine poles as a rookie.

4. MWR added Rob Kauffman as a partner in October.

Kauffman is a hedge-fund investor and one of those guys that frequently has the description deep-pocketed before his name. Not only does Kauffman's role as co-owner of MWR mean that the outfit is better funded, but it also means that what money they already have will be managed better. Kauffman, a money expert, is taking a hands-on approach when it comes to financial matters. And that means a great deal.

5. A cast of new characters have joined the team.

This includes not only quantity but quality. While this starts with Kauffman, the list goes on and on as more than 50 additional jobs have been created. Robert Warren left Evernham Motorsports to be the MWR technical director. Larry Johns is the new chief financial officer and Cal Wells is the new the vice president. Robin Pemberton, Paul Andrews and Bill Pappas give the team veteran and respected leadership at the crew chief spot. Gone is whoever thought they were helping by adding an illegal substance to the fuel cell at Daytona last year -- effectively sabotaging the entire season.

6. Toyota teams in general will be better this year.

Again, it would be hard to perform worse. But the manufacturer worked hard to prevent the failures of 2007 from carrying over. Toyota has worked on its 2008 COT, its power plant and marshaled its resources. The restrictor-plate program is doing well, as the Talladega race this past fall and the great speeds in January testing at Daytona have shown. A strong showing in the season-opener in Daytona will go a long way to getting the Toyota teams into the top 35 in points by the sixth race of the season, a key to avoid the qualifying problems of 2007.

7. The Toyota teams are sharing more information.

Sure, they talked a big game of cooperation before last season. But when it came down to it, Red Bull and MWR were first-year teams and tight with their knowledge. And before anybody could do anything about it, without much information worth sharing as the teams kept failing to qualify, the downward spiral spun into motion. Toyota officials has re-emphasized the need for its teams to cooperate -- as last year's performance left the teams little choice.

8. And one of those teams sharing information is Joe Gibbs Racing.

Gibbs has won three Cup titles and you can be sure that they wouldn't have switched to Toyota if they weren't absolutely positive that they could win. While Tony Stewart is a great driver, the real key to Gibbs' success is that they build cars that Stewart can with win at every type of track. Gibbs will have success in his Toyotas in 2008 and some of that will trickle down to the other Toyota teams including MWR.


SI.com - Writers - Mark Zeske: Why Waltrip will bounce back in '08 - Thursday January 31, 2008 5:17PM

[admin]

IMO I believe MWR will look like a whole different team this season, but we'll just have to wait and see.

[revvinjim]

Reutimann has the stuff of a winner, as does McDowell, and like the guy says, things can't get worse for the team than they were last year.