Waltrip Still Reeling From Daytona Debacle

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 6, 2007 — -- Michael Waltrip sat on stage in the media center at Daytona International Speedway six months ago with tears in his eyes as he recalled his 9-year-old daughter asking his wife "why Daddy cheated."

He told reporters to ask anything they wanted because "you can't hurt me any worse than I am right now."

On Thursday, Waltrip sat on the same stage and said how the only thing that makes him feel better about his tumultuous first season as an owner-driver is looking into his girls' eyes and seeing they don't care that he missed another race.

And he's missed plenty, 15 of 18.

"I'm happy with my family and my girls make me happy," Waltrip said. "I'm just not happy with my cars."

This is Waltrip's first trip back to Daytona since his world was turned upside down during prequalifying inspection for the Daytona 500.

Inspectors discovered a foreign substance that still hasn't been identified in the engine of Waltrip's Toyota Camry. Crew chief David Hyder and competition director Bobby Kennedy were escorted out of the track by NASCAR officials and suspended indefinitely.

Hyder and another employee ultimately were fired and labeled as the instigators even though the investigation, according to Waltrip, uncovered only circumstantial evidence.

Waltrip was left embarrassed and humiliated.

And the humiliation spread beyond the track when he was charged with reckless driving and failure to report an accident after hitting a telephone pole and rolling his car not far from his North Carolina home.

It only got worse when critics questioned whether Waltrip should continue driving and rumors about primary sponsors NAPA and UPS jumping ship began circulating on a weekly basis.

But there Waltrip was on Thursday, smiling and cracking jokes like the goofball many know him to be.

He hoped to be here on Saturday for the Pepsi 400, but rain washed out qualifying after he posted the fifth-best lap among the 39 of the 53 cars vying for a spot in the field.

Because he's not in the top 35 in owner's points, he was sent home disappointed again.

"It's not tough coming back here," he said. "Daytona is what NASCAR is all about. Coming here makes me smile. As far as how it felt in February, it strengthened my confidence and my faith in people who supported me.