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| Waltrip: "I'd like him to hang around." |
“I talked with (Martin) yesterday,” said Waltrip to reporters at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “We talked with all the folks at MWR. A race car driver has to know what his deal is for next year. We asked for a little bit of time to try and figure all this out, and he agreed to that.
“But if he came to me tomorrow and said, `I got a deal to go do something,' I would not hold him back. I owe him a lot for his loyalty and his passion for our team. I wouldn't hold him back from doing something he wanted to do, but I'd like him to hang around so we can attract a sponsor and keep him in our cars."
“He’s an amazingly talented
race car driver,” said Waltrip, “and I know things will work out for him. Hopefully,
(they will) work out for us to have three cars next year.”
After NAPA announced plans to
withdraw from the final two seasons of its approximately $15-million per year sponsorship
contract, Waltrip said he initially feared for the future of his team.
“Obviously,
it’s been a rocky couple of weeks,” he said. “And yes, I was scared and
uncertain of our future. But after speaking with the folks from Aaron’s and… all
of our partners, they’re supporting us. They’re going to stick with us and
believe that we are a quality first-class organization.”
He
said the tumult surrounding NASCAR’s regular-season finale at Richmond
International Raceway – MWR’s second major controversy in six years -- was “more than (NAPA was) comfortable
dealing with, more than they were comfortable with accepting. They worked hard
to try to figure out a way to hang around.
"They just felt like the events
of the last 10 days had spiraled out of control a bit,” he said, adding that
his goal
for the coming weeks is to “race forward with respect and appreciation for
being able to be here, and start gaining back trust.
“These
last two races, you wonder a little bit what people are thinking,” he said. “I
started back at the beginning of the season going out into the infield visiting
with the fans. I did it at Chicago and I did it again last night, and the fans
are very, very supportive and appreciative of who we are. We made a mistake in
the heat of the battle, but 100% of the people I met last night were supportive
and felt like we just needed to focus on our cars and move on.”
it being the last race really pointed out when points were given away..i am a mikey fan always have been,really wish he would leave toyota and go to chevy. just seems like since TOYota has came into the sport there has been alot of pretty bad stuff go down. first there was daytona and the mwr cars with the gunk filled super octaine stuff in the intake.then u had gibbs and magnet gate then there was mwr and the possible stolen part from the ford camp. now before people slam me and scream about hendrick. the shocks were not illegal they were simply ahead of the curve. and building a car to exact specs is not cheating it is a perfect car. in my eyes is is one company workin within the limits with the technology to get the most out of it and one desperate to make something happen. honestly i am against anyone pulling over and giving a point at anytime. it is racing race for it.
ReplyDeleteSo it's Toyota's fault MWR has been the center of 2 of the biggest penalties in Nascar. I blame the leadership not a manufacturer.
Deletehope truex can get a ride elsewhere. sad for him and others at mwr(not the brass)
ReplyDeletesounds almost like MT jr mite be goin with napa to new team for next season . martin is a stand up guy so good luck to martin in future
ReplyDeletePretty sad that NAPA is doing this. What MWR did was wrong but wasnt worth losing their sponser over. Shame on you NAPA!!
ReplyDeleteif you were giving someone millions of dollars a year to sport your colors, and they pulled something like this, i am sure you'd stop giving them money. they wear your colors and represent your brand. if they do something that casts a bad light on your brand, you'd pull the plug if it potentially could cost you millions. shame on MWR for putting NAPA into the position to have to do this.
DeleteAs long as they stay in the sport and continue to fund a racing team, that's all that matters. What MWR did will not stop me from buying parts at NAPA, regardless of what team they go to or what driver they have. But there are millions of people who look at this a different way, and NAPA obviously realizes that.
DeleteThey could have at least done what Mars did w/ Kyle in 2011 and left for the rest of the season and just come back next year. That, I think would have been a better deal.
DeleteI know it's too complex to be simple, but from where I stand, Truex would stay and Bowyer or Vickers would go. I suspect if Truex doesn't defect on his own due to the uncertainty, that will be a consideration pending 5-Hour's sponsorship decision. But I suppose that depends on whether the sponsor is holding the driver or crew chief responsible for what went down or they are holding the organization responsible. It just seems to me the sponsors are clean in this and Truex is clean in this. The first step in regaining integrity at MWR will be to do the right thing by Truex.
ReplyDelete& Again Truex takes a hit & bowyer gets nothing...Nascar you will NEVER have more conclusive proof then what you saw & heard at RIR..Was a bowyer fan (thought he might have had some of the humour & charactor of Big D) but when you start throwing the race (or the fix is in) I Can't cheer for any one like that. Thought he got a raw deal at Phoenix last year (yes I was there) but now it seems like fair ball..Earner
ReplyDeleteMy wish is that Michael's gig on Fox Sports will be over too. Even one Waltrip in a broadcasting position should be considered 'Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing'
ReplyDeletei sent them an e-mail about just that
DeleteCan Bowyer, send him packing
ReplyDelete