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Waltrip’s 0-for streak over

But after he waited 464 Winston Cup races for a victory, Michael Waltrip’s celebration is cut short.

[Times photo: John Pendygraft] Michael Waltrip soaks in the cheers he waited 15 seasons to hear. He had yet to hear that Dale Earnhardt was seriously injured.

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 19, 2001

DAYTONA BEACH -- The stunning debut at Sunday's Daytona 500 was not the much-anticipated return of Dodge to Winston Cup racing.

[Times photos: Name Here] Michael Waltrip of Owensboro, Ky., and his wife Elizabeth stand in victory lane following his win in the Daytona 500. But the victory was overshadowed by the death of fellow driver Dale Earnhardt.

It was Michael Waltrip, in his 463rd Winston Cup race, making his first trip to Victory Lane.

Waltrip, whose victory will forever be overshadowed by the last-lap death of his car owner, Dale Earnhardt, held off teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. by .124 seconds. The victory came on the heels of a 10-lap battle to the finish in which the veteran held off both Earnhardts with a tense exhibition of blocking over the final 25 miles.

In the final laps, the elder Earnhardt, running third, helped block Sterling Marlin from making a run at Waltrip. Earnhardt then collided with Ken Schrader and crashed into the wall in the final turn.

"The only person who won this race was Dale Earnhardt. I was just looking so forward to doing well for him and then he wasn't there in Victory Lane. ... It doesn't seem exactly right at this moment for me," Waltrip said moments after Schrader interrupted the Victory Lane celebration to tell him of Earnhardt's serious condition.

Waltrip's win earned him $1,331,185, more than he has accumulated at the end of all but two of his 15 seasons as a Winston Cup driver. But it didn't come easily.

Waltrip's win ended a race that included 49 lead changes -- tied for 10th on Winston Cup's all-time list -- among 14 drivers. The race featured a field that never really spread out around the 2.5-mile trioval because of the new aerodynamic rules NASCAR had in place.

The rules, which include raised rails across the roof and more angle on the rear wing, were designed to level the field and promote close racing.

The result was a pack of virtually all 43 cars fighting three-wide with leaders being shuffled back with any tiny misstep.

On Lap 174, a crash that sent Tony Stewart airborne and involved 19 cars took many contenders out of the races. Robby Gordon tapped Ward Burton from behind, Burton went into the side rear of Stewart's car and Stewart went into the wall where Gordon hit him.

As Burton went sideways across the track, Stewart's car flipped three times and landed on teammate Bobby Labonte's car.

Stewart was taken to Halifax Medical Center and treated for shoulder injuries and a concussion before being released hours after the race.

"I'm sorry, but that's not racing," said defending Daytona 500 champion Dale Jarrett, who finished 22nd after getting caught up in the wreck. "It may have been a great show out there but from a driver's perspective that's not it. Not a lot of fun. I mean you're totally at someone else's mercy when you get three-wide. That's not racing."

Added defending Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte: "You're just stuck right there together."

Marlin, driving one of 10 Dodges that marked the manufacturer's returned to Winston Cup after a 16-year hiatus, was set to lead when the caution ended. But he cut a right front tire as the green flag fell, handing the lead to Earnhardt Jr.

Junior led for five laps before Marlin stormed from the pack and seized it for the 11th time on Lap 182. Two laps later Waltrip made his move and was able to hold on.

"We had a good race car but there were four or five Chevys out there, with Earnhardts in two of them, and I knew I was in trouble," said Marlin, who finished seventh. "We got lucky and got our lap back, and we led a lot of the race. We had a good car today."

Bill Elliott, the pole-sitter and one of two Dodges on the front row, finished fifth, marking Dodge's highest finish. He struggled much of the day with handling problems.

Up next

DuraLube 400, 1 p.m. Sunday, Rockingham, N.C. TV: Ch. 13.

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