Wreck Ends Waltrip’s Day

Earlier in the week, Michael Waltrip said the chances of having a “big one” accident during the Daytona 500 were “about 50-50.”

The wrong 50 caught up to last year’s winner Sunday when his NAPA Chevrolet was caught in a crowded three-wide situation. Before he knew it, Waltrip was flipping and catapulting down the backstretch.

His car, which dug into the grass before its wild ride, was mangled almost beyond recognition and wound up on its top. Twelve cars were caught in the melee.

Greg Biffle, running close behind, saw it happen.

“The 30 car [Johnny Sauter] slammed into the 25 [Brian Vickers] and the 25 pinned the 15 [Waltrip] against the wall,” Biffle said. “Then they were trying to get off each other and hit each other again. I was on the brakes as much as I could, but I was hoping nobody would hit me from behind.”

Safety crews tried to cut Waltrip out of the overturned car before he convinced them they should tip it up on what was left of its wheels.

“When the car stopped, I was pinned way bad,” Waltrip said. “I felt like I was in a box and I couldn’t get out. I didn’t appreciate the way the safety crews were going about it, and I was trying to tell them just to turn the car over.

“I’d already flipped 10 times or five times or two times. I don’t know how many times. All they had to do was flip it back over, and I could get out. They were cutting bars. I don’t know what bar they thought they were going to cut that would have alleviated the hole I was in.

“I was trying my best to explain to them what needed to happen. And what did they eventually do? They flipped it over, and I climbed out. I hope that was a lesson learned.”

Waltrip retained his sense of humor.

“My brother [former 500 winner Darrell] told me the other day that all the great ones have flipped at Daytona. So I guess I’m one of them now.”

In all, eight of the 12 cars, including those of Robby Gordon and Sterling Marlin, were knocked out of the race. Ryan Newman returned, but not before falling 51 laps behind the leaders.

“I don’t know what happened,” Gordon said. “They were wrecking up in front of me on the high side, and all of a sudden Waltrip shot across the inside. I don’t know how he did, but when he did, he popped out in front of me.

Vickers, at 20 the youngest driver in the race, said “the car on the inside of me got loose and slid up into us, and then we slid into the 15 and it just kind of went from there. It was a racing accident, nothing was intentional.”

But Waltrip said he thought it could have been avoided.

“Brian getting into the middle [of three cars] is just a little impatient and immature. But this is a race where young drivers do that.”

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Joe Nemechek finished sixth in the Army Chevrolet, but his best move of the day might have come before the race.

“I pointed to the Army on my chest and said ‘Army’ to President Bush,” Nemechek said. “I then shook his hand and told him that I am proud to represent you. He said, ‘I’m proud to have you representing us.’

“He is the first president I’ve ever met up close. That was very cool.”

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The race leader at the halfway point in the Daytona 500 has failed to win in the last 12 years. Tony Stewart was the halfway leader and won $10,000 from MBNA.