NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Michael Waltrip Sees Team Improvement
NASCAR Media Tour Notebook…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted January 23, 2012   Concord, NC
Driver Mark Martin (Left) and team owner Michael Waltrip (Right) speak to the media at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2011 in Fort Worth, Texas. Martin will drive the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota.(Photo: Getty Images)
Michael Waltrip, whose Sprint Cup team hasn’t reached the level he anticipated when he joined the ranks in 2007, said he expects this season to mark a breakthrough moment.

“We’ve moved from hopes to confidence,” Waltrip said Monday night as the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sprint Media Tour visited the Michael Waltrip Racing shop.

“We’ve recruited guys from all different organizations for our pit crews,” he said. “We know we have stronger pit crews than ever before. With engines, we now know we have the same power as teams that have been part of the Chase and raced for the championship.

“Our relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing has never been as strong as it is today. We’re both tier-one teams with Toyota.”

Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin join the driver team at MWR. Martin Truex Jr. is a returning driver, and team owner Waltrip will run selected races.

He quipped Monday that when he turns his car over to Martin, “It will be out with the old and in with the older.”

Patrick Will Miss Indy 500 – Danica Patrick confirmed Monday that she will not attempt to race in the Indianapolis 500 this year.

Patrick said Monday morning at a Stewart-Haas Racing media event that she plans to enter the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 600 is run on the same day as the Indy 500.

Patrick plans to run the full Nationwide Series schedule this year, along with select Sprint Cup races.

“I hope to do it (the Indy 500) in the future, and maybe it will be a double, but at this point in time, after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”

She said the 500 “just didn’t work out as far as the business side of things. I’m hopeful to do it in the future.”

Ford To Unveil 2013 Car – Ford Motor Co. is scheduled to unveil its 2013 NASCAR competition vehicle Tuesday during a media event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The afternoon press function is part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s annual preseason media tour.

The new Ford race car is based on the recently-revealed 2013 Ford Fusion production car.

The all-new 2013 race cars signify a major return to auto manufacturer identity in NASCAR, and the new Fusion has spent the past year as a joint project between the Ford Design Center and Ford Racing to sculpt and create an all-new look for the vehicle.

Ford Racing Director Jamie Allison and lead Ford designer Garen Nicoghosain will be on hand to unveil the car, along with other members of the Ford Racing engineering team and NASCAR senior management.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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