Michael Waltrip Proving to Be As Good an Owner As He Is a Driver

It is always hard to step away from something that one enjoys so much, but for Michael Waltrip, the time has come.  On Tuesday, Waltrip announced that he is retiring from his full-time driving duties at the end of 2009.

The journey to get to this point has been anything but easy for Waltrip.  His career started out very tough as he went 462 races with out a victory.

Waltrip did get a victory in 1996 when he won the Winston, but that was his only trip to victory lane through 2000.

Then, in 2001, it was Dale Earnhardt who made the decision to put Waltrip in his third car at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.  In his first race, in what could be considered an upset, he took victory in the Daytona 500.

Unfortunately, he could not celebrate his win as Earnhardt, his team owner, passed away in the fourth turn as he came to the checkered flag.

It took over a year, but Waltrip came back to win again at Daytona in July 2002, then backed it up by winning his second Daytona 500 in 2003.

His last win came that same year at Talladega.  That race was remembered for him popping out of the roof like a jack-in-the-box.

When he took the chance as a team owner in 2007, everyone questioned his decision.  His biggest critic was his older brother, former driver and FOX analyst Darrell Waltrip.

Sure, their first year out they struggled.  Despite having drivers as talented as Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann alongside Waltrip, each week it was a struggle to make races.

The following year, Jarrett decided to step away from racing.  The team still was coming together, but things were looking up.

This year, his organization is having an incredible year.  David Reutimann won the first race for the team at the Coca-Cola 600 and is in the thick of getting into the top 12 in points.

Marcos Ambrose is running a car for JTG Daugherty Racing that is run out of the MWR shop, and is steadily improving each week.

The only car not running well consistently on the track is Waltrip himself, and maybe that led to his decision to walk away.  However, he could not walk away without getting a driver that can take over and put the team up front.

Enter Martin Truex Jr., a driver who has raced for DEI, now Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, since coming to the Cup Series.  Truex brings a young attitude to Michael Waltrip Racing, complementing both Ambrose and Reutimann exceptionally well.

Sure, it is going to be odd not seeing Waltrip behind the wheel, plus not hearing some of his jokes and great interviews, but the time is right for him to step out of the car and take charge of his entire team.

Waltrip has shown that he can be successful as a driver, and now he is ready to show he can be successful as a team owner.

If this season is any indication, Michael Waltrip Racing will be an organization to keep an eye on when NASCAR returns to Daytona in February.