Michael Waltrip finished eighth in the first of Thursday’s Duels. He celebrated by sitting on the edge of his car and wiping sweat off his face. The finish will enable him to compete in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Waltrip was besieged by the media as he sat on his car. Folks with cameras and notebooks squeezed between his car and the cars around him.
"Don’t touch the car!" one of Waltrip’s crew members yelled.
Reporters and photographers and cameramen leaned against Waltrip’s car and other cars, and Bill Elliott had to put on a move to avoid the throng. Dale Jarrett, who drives one of Waltrip’s Toyotas, walked over to congratulate Waltrip. So did Felix Sabates, who owns part of Ganassi Racing.
Earlier, Waltrip’s crew members ran as they pushed the Toyota through the garage. A fan above them looked down and yelled, "Are you running with oxide?" referring to whatever the additive NASCAR inspectors found beneath Waltrip’s hood.
Waltrip suspects his fans also are getting ripped by fans of other teams.
"I know there’s not that many Michael Waltrip fans," he says. "But I just feel sorry for them having to listen to people yell at them for stuff that happened."
FINAL WORD: There are two words I’ve always wanted to write, and after talking to Boris Said on Thursday, I finally can write them.
"I’m looking forward to Sunday," Said said.
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