Michael Waltrip drives the Bill Davis “hot rod” (2006)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
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| Michael Waltrip racing Ken Schrader--note the lack of Dodge decals on the nose |
Why? Michael Waltrip left a declining Dale Earnhardt Inc. to begin work on his own race team, which would field Toyotas in 2007. However, this left him without a ride for 2006. With sponsor Napa in tow, Waltrip signed up to drive for Bill Davis Racing for the ’06 season.
How successful were they? The year was a disaster, as Davis—who was also planning to switch to Toyota—was running Dodges without any factory support. This resulted in Waltrip never referring to his car as a Dodge, typically choosing to call it the Napa “hot rod”. Waltrip DNQ’d four times and was never a threat to win, failing to post a single top-ten all year long.
What was the aftermath? Bill Davis Racing continued its slow slide, shutting down after the 2008 season. Waltrip, meanwhile, would endure a star-crossed run as a team owner, dogged by a pair of notorious cheating scandals.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 1 annoying commercial out of 10—I’m guessing their only regret was not being able to simply fast-forward through this year to get to the Toyota factory support.
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