He owns Michael Waltrip Racing, but when he climbs behind the wheel for the 2013 Daytona 500 the car he intends to race will belong to someone else.
Michael Waltrip will reunite with former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and pilot the No. 30 Swan Racing entry in the Great American Race, the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race for Brandon Davis following his acquisition of Swan. Eury was Waltrip's crew chief in 2005 where they teamed up for 26 races.
"I am thrilled to drive the No. 30 Toyota for Swan Racing and the chance to win a third Daytona 500," said Waltrip about the one-race deal. "Reuniting with Tony Jr. and Steve Hmiel brings back a lot of good memories and is going to create new ones."
Waltrip has started 770 Sprint Cup races in his career and qualified for 25 straight Daytona 500s between 1987 and 2011 winning it twice in 2001 and 2003.
"Swan Racing is here to compete and to build a championship contender," said Davis who has vowed to end the practice of habitual "start and parks" for the team. "This one-race partnership with Michael puts a two-time champion behind the wheel and the No. 30 in the mix at the Daytona 500."
Swan Racing is building its team from the ground up by hiring veterans of the sport who share a common long term vision for success. Steve Hmiel, named competition director last week, has over 35 years of experience as a crew chief, car chief and competition director. He has worked with NASCAR greats such as Richard Petty, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip. Hmiel was Waltrip's crew chief for 12 races in 2001.
"Michael is a familiar face for a lot of us here at Swan Racing," said Eury. "We know each other's habits, wants and needs on the track. We're going to Daytona to compete and hopefully we'll make a mark for Swan Racing."
David Stremme, who was hired as the full-time driver of the No. 30, but will step aside for this one race. "This is a great move for Swan Racing," he said. “Michael and I have been friends for a long time. We got to talking last year and from my perspective I thought this would help to further our relationship with Toyota and be a good building block for Swan Racing."
The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday February 24, 2013 and will be broadcast live on Fox.
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