We Want Your Vote! Do you believe Michael Waltrip when he says he didn’t know about the additive?
Quote selected text Published February 15th, 2007 in We Want Your Vote!!
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- Waltrip still hasn’t solved fuel additive mystery, tests at Kentucky
- Fan Voting for All-Star Race driver close
- NASCAR to announce substance from Waltrip’s #55 next week
- Ganassi will be ‘highly pissed off’ if a Waltrip car wins Daytona 500
- Waltrip crew chief Hyder maintains innocence over cheating scandal
sure he didn’t know…what a load of crap! he owns the team…he need to get in the 500 and he’ll do anything to make that happen and he got caught, pure and simple!
I think Mikey did not know but he has been very negative when he talks about Dalrjr.
Cheating runs in the family!
This goes back to the days when Smokey Yunick would rig up a car with nitrous oxide. Not surprisingly, Mikey’s brother, Darrel, used nitrous to qualify for the 500 way back when. Whether or not he knew about it is beside the point: fact is, NASCAR found something that didn’t fit in the rules and they acted appropriately. Mikey will just have to deal with it.
i believe him….he worked too hard to get toyota in this to just throw it away!
well, whether you believe him or not, he’s still up to his idiot self in the quailifier…wrecking Jr!
I like Michael! I think he has done a lot for the
sport with his “earthy” persona; however, it’s
unrealistic to believe that he had no knowledge of
the kerosine gel in the manifold. Nice trick, but
ill-advised. They say that there is no such thing as
bad publicity. I wonder if Toyota agrees?
I am not to sure where i stand on this…i mean its such a hard decision but i mean he worked really hard to get where he is but then again he could just be covering it up…i don’t really no…if he didn’t cheat and gets in trouble then i am srry but if he gets caught then hell he gets caught…
they have said its only cheating when you get caught… well Mike did as well as some others…to many grey areas in the book…years a go smokey was the best of them…once the pulled his fuel cell out of the car and said he could not race…he tossed it back in the car and drove off… gas line rule said 22feet…never said then how thick…his was 2 and 1/2 inches and held a extra 6 gallons! Every one has done somthing to get faster… its just who is more creative at it and dont get caught…
Yes, but when you do get caught, there should be hell to pay. Toyota says they’ll stand by him. We’ll see.
He is an owner, there is no way he wouldn’t know everything that was going on with his own car that he owns and drives too. Its true he has worked hard getting his team together etc., but thats all the more reason that he was probably under tons of pressure to have things go right and make sure they qualified for daytona, not saying that is an excuse to cheat, but he just had to make sure that he made it. I think he shouldn’t have been allowed to qualify at all or race in the 500. Considering he is an owner that would sell out his crew members before taking any of the blame himself. There is no way he didn’t know.
All I am going to say is. If it’s not NASCAR specified fuel that was in that car its an additive. Plain and simple it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that out!
i agree, if they cheat, then they shouldn’t be allowed to race at all.
Now, how would we go about taking the cup back from last season’s winner? Since you think if the team cheats
then the driver shouldn’t be able to race, then we need to disqualify JJ’s points for the first 4 races
last season. Makes Kenseth the winner doesn’t it?
You’re right, Angela, that’s the way they need to do it. But NASCAR’s relationship with the sponsors is too precious to keep them out of races.
I believe michael, I hink that there was someone that is trying to wreck there chances of doing well with toyota and hi new teams. Has anyone even considered dale jarretts crew chief doing this, ya knowhe was newmas crew chief when they had an illegal substance in there fuel? Go mickey!!!!!!!!!!
What additive they don’t even knoiw what it is .If they can,t tell what it is how can they prove it
I agree, Glenstapo. I was playing devil’s advocate for someone else’s benefit.
It would hurt sponsership dollars terribly to keep a driver from racing. But I think they did
suspend Robby Gordon from a race or two last season for his antics. Not that anyone noticed he was
missing.
They know, Susie, they just haven’t told us.
I think it was Lime Jello.
….or Sterno like they said….or guacamole!
In Micheals case, it is likely he didn’t know because like the
majority of drivers in Nextel Cup, he only touches the car when
getting in and out of the seat. Who knows, bad start for Toyota though.
In michaels case i beleive him because doesnt know aything about the mechanical side of racing, he knows how to drive and get sponsors “thats it, that allhe knows”
I believe Michael, I just can’t see all the work he had to put into getting his new team ready for this first race, just to go and screw it all up. It just doesn’t make sense.
And I don’t think he wrecked Jr. on purpose either.
He just isn’t as good at saving his car as some of the others are.
I think that NASCAR finally realized how big of a mistake they were going to make by allowing Toyota into the series. My buddies from the track said that since the beginning of the practice sessions, quite a large number of officals have been into everything Toyota did. Therefore, I believe that it’s just NASCAR trying to cover thier butts…
It doesn’t matter if it’s Toyota, or Ferarri,
or John Deere - if the money’s right,
they’re in. I don’t think any of the
France or Helton families are
going to bed hungry tonight.
Like the movie says, “follow the money”.
Not just a master mechanic, but working on jap motorcycles for nearly thirty years. The japs use japanese products to seal gaskets, it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities that the racing fuel has disolved either some gasket sealer or gasket material of some sort. I do believe that the VAST MAJORITY of Gold Wing carbs (hundreds!!!) that I removed had wet & stickey red goo around the sealing O-rings on the individual intake manifolds, which was an adhesive to keep the O-rings in place while installing the manifolds originally at the factory.
As far as any “cheating” allegations, where is the proof??????????????????????????????????
Maybe sour GRAPES by MW, spun Dale E. out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dave if your a master mechanic you know that red stuff is silicone based gasket sealer which is sticky because that type does not do well when exposed to gasoline, but the japanese dont make those engines they are made at toyotas nascar place in high point north carolina using nascar mandated and approved sealers and fasteners…
i think michael knew about the substance. he has a new team and wants to do well for the sponsers. i think he has to. that’s also why i think he spun jr. out/
I’m thinking if any team that is thinking about pushing the envelope does they aren’t going to tell the driver because he don’t care. If they are smart they wouldn’t come out and tell a car owner either just because the less people who do know the less people that get in trouble.
Sure he knew cause he knew his piece of crap Toyota wouldnt get in unless he cheated.The only reason he is half as good as he is is because of Dale Sr hiring him before that how many wins did he have?But how can a driver not know whats goin on with the car he needs to just admit to it and go on.
I have followed Michael’s career since 1990-
and there has never been any question about his
character– he has always been a nice-polite-funny
and dedicated race car driver-I firmly believe that
he knew nothing of what happened-and what’s with
Nascar– they seem to want to fuel this fire-why??
who has it in for Mike?? I was proud of the way
he calmly answered that question today about having
a FOREIGN car in an American race— what a stupid
question and the reporter is just as stupid for asking
I hope whoever is behind the Michael bashing gets it
back tenfold–Nascar needs more people like Mike instead
of some of these new “in your face” boys who want to
ride over you–
I agree…I feel bad for Michael and he’ll bounce back
THERES NO WAY IN HIS LONG CAREER THAT WE WOULD BELEIVE THAT HE HAD ANYTHING OR KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WAS HAPPING. JUST BECAUSE HE IS THE DRIVER IT DOESNT MEAN WE AUTOMATICALLY ASUME HE,S GUILTY. I ABSOULTY BELEIVE HIM . IF HE WAS GOING TO CHEAT HE WOULD HAVE A LONG TIME AGO DA”DONT YOU THINK PLUS THIS HAPPEND DURING QULIFYING,ALL DRIVERS CREWS ECT, THEY ALL ARE AWARE THEY WILL BE CHECKED TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS LEAGAL. HE WOULD NEVER PUT HIS CREW AND HIMSELF AND LONG CAREER IN JEPODY LIKE THAT .RATHER YOUR A FAN OF MIKEYS OR NOT USE COMMON SENSE INSTEAD OF SAYING THINGS BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT LIKE SOMEONE OR YOUR JUST SOUNDING OFF BECAUSE YOUR HAPPY THE COTROVERSY IS ABOUT THE DRIVER YOU DONT LIKE .HE AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS DESERVE THE BENIFIT OF THE DOUBT. WE BELEIVE HIM 100%.
I firmly believe that if it were not for Dale Earnhardt Sr, Michael Waltrip would be one of the co hosts of Race Day Live. His career would have been and should have been over a long time ago.It appears that Michael wants the best of both worlds and is not putting 100% of himself into any one thing. He needs something to fall back on when he will lose Toyota, NAPA, AArons and the Fast Foods.
Michael comes across as a Wise Guy. Believe me, where I come from he is nothing of the sort.
I believe he is nothing more than a scam artist. He reminds me of the man known as the worlds most famous scam artist Billy Sol Estes from back in the sixties. However, that too take smarts, not just a big head and a big attitude.
Michael continues to promote his new shop as a place for Race Fans. Michael fails to mention that he will indeed be taking advantage of his so called fans by having them pay to see his shops and his empire also know as “Wally World”
As far as I am concerned, Michael is “JAWS 2″ after his older brother. Both don’t know when to “Shut UP”.
Neither of them were ever Fan favorites. They somehow got to the NASCAR/MEDIA and SPONSORS and scamed their way into the limelight.
I hope that after this venture fails, Michael will indeed pick up on at least one career and try to polish his image. He is No Rick Hendrick, Joe Gibb or even Ray Evernham. He is not smart enough nor does he know when to shut his mouth. If Michael were such an authority on everything as he projects, NASCAR would have hired him
I like Mike,and I really hope that he’s telling the truth.
It seams that he has gotten a real big head,and as a fan I’m disappointed.
i THINK THAT A SINGLE OR MORE MECHANICS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT AND DIDNT TELL mIKE BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE COULD LOOSE EVERYTHING DOING THINGS LIKE THAT.