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Friday, February 15
Updated: February 17, 11:09 AM ET

Michael Waltrip
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Car/sponsor/make: No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet

Michael Waltrip
Waltrip

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Top-5s
Best finish

2001 24 1 1 3 1st, Daytona

Career 1 2 21 1st, Daytona

2001 recap
The good: Waltrip fulfilled every driver's dream by winning last season's Daytona 500. What made that victory even more special is that it was Waltrip's first-ever points win. However, the celebration was abruptly cut short when team owner Dale Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap crash.

Season highlight: As the saying goes, if you've won Daytona, you've won it all. In addition to his triumph in NASCAR's biggest race, Waltrip had two other top-5 finishes in 2001, including returning to Daytona in July to finish second (behind teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.). Waltrip also was second at Homestead, Fla., in November.

The bad: For a driver who started out with such a bang, Waltrip wound up with a whimper. In fact, if you take away his finishes at Daytona and Homestead, he actually had a miserable season. There were increasing rumors, particularly toward the end of last season, that Waltrip would be released due to his poor performance. However, team owner Teresa Earnhardt elected to keep Waltrip with the team out of loyalty.

Season lowlight: Waltrip got into a horrible streak, starting with the spring race in Atlanta and extending over the next 13 events, where his best finish was 20th. By that point, he had fallen from first to 28th and out of the running for the title. If there's some consolation, Waltrip did rebound after Sonoma, Calif., to finish second at Daytona, but he would be unable to climb any higher in the standings than his eventual 24th-place finish.

Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500.

Key stat: To illustrate Waltrip's struggles in 2001, his average start in each race was a less-than-inspiring 21.6, while his average finish was an abominable 25.8. Had it not been for his success at Daytona and Homestead, Waltrip likely would have finished 30th or worse in the standings.

2002 outlook
What needs to be done: Waltrip's win in the second Gatorade 125 will see him start fourth in the Daytona 500. Personnel changes within the team have hopefully strengthened it, leading to hopes that Waltrip should have a better 2002. But Waltrip himself has to be the biggest part of the equation, as well. He has to drive more consistently, and to accomplish that he must drive smart and more aggressively. Too often during last season, Waltrip looked as if he was just along for a Sunday ride, rather than fighting his way through the pack. He has to adopt a more aggressive style akin to the likes of Tony Stewart, or his late boss, Dale Earnhardt.

Prediction: Waltrip is a conundrum. Just when we thought his victory at Daytona would be the start of a breakthrough, his performance went into the tank. Waltrip has finished 29th, 27th and 24th in the last three seasons. Unless the internal changes at DEI have worked miracles and Waltrip has become more aggressive, it's highly unlikely he'll finish much better than 20th in the standings -- and that's even if he does successfully defend last season's Daytona 500 win.

Your take
Will Waltrip be able to perform more consistently from wire-to-wire? How do you think he'll fare in 2002? Here are your thoughts.

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