Michael Waltrip will scale back in 2010, signs Truex

CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) — With four wins over 25 seasons, Michael Waltrip isn’t foolish enough to believe his driving record will ever earn him a spot in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.

As a team owner, though, Waltrip has plenty of time to build a distinguished career.

He took a huge step toward upgrading Michael Waltrip Racing on Tuesday, announcing he’ll scale back to a partial schedule in 2010 to make room for Martin Truex Jr. to join the team.

“I’m turning my car over to a guy that I think can go win the championship in it, and I’ve always said ... if I wasn’t the guy to go race it on Sunday, somebody else would take my place,” Waltrip said as he introduced Truex, considered the top free agent in a mediocre class of drivers in contract years.

“I believe at this time in my career that Martin is the right guy to take over my car and go win races in it. I didn’t have to quit, I didn’t need to quit, I just wanted to do this.”

Waltrip will drive his No. 55 Toyota in at least four races next season, including the season-opening Daytona 500 with longtime sponsor NAPA on his car. He could drive as many as 12 depending on sponsorship, he said.

NAPA will also sponsor Truex, who will drive the No. 56 in a return to a longtime family number he used at every level until signing with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2003. He’ll finish this season with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, where the one-time Sprint Cup Series winner is 24th in the standings.

Still, his signing is a coup for Waltrip, who had slowly overcome his disastrous 2007 debut as a car owner and turned MWR into a team capable of signing top drivers. But upgrading the team meant the 46-year-old Waltrip had to walk away from a full driving schedule, a decision many racers aren’t able to make until long after their performance level has plummeted.

His older brother, three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, struggled with his own retirement and drove eight winless seasons before calling it quits in 2000 at 53 years old.

Michael Waltrip didn’t appear to have the same conflicts.

Although he shed tears during a morning team meeting, Waltrip was stoic on stage during the formal announcement, when he insisted he was content with his decision in front of his extended family, MWR’s employees and about 100 fans who watched from a gallery over the shop floor.