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FROM NASCAR.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Waltrip leads the NASCAR Busch Series points standings, but he'll give up the lead once he cuts back to a part-time schedule.
But when will that be? Waltrip isn't sure, leaving open the possibility he could run the full Busch schedule this season in his own No. 99 Chevrolets.
Waltrip said Tuesday he would do what Ken Butler, the president of Aaron's -- his sponsor -- wants.
"If they want to run 'em all and want me to continue to race for the championship, we'll certainly consider doing that," Waltrip said.
Waltrip took over the points lead last weekend after winning the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. He's up by eight points over Busch Series regular David Green.
Waltrip said he and Butler talked last year about the Busch Series plans for Michael Waltrip Racing, deciding to approach the schedule with a casual attitude.
"He and I talked last December and said, 'Let's just run 'em for a while,'" Waltrip said. "We felt like last year we were as good a team as there was on the Busch circuit. If we ran them for a while, we should be able to lead the points. That certainly has come to be the case."
Waltrip finished 19th in the season-opener at Daytona but has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in the six races since.
"We're going to run probably until about Charlotte -- or possibly even including Nazareth, which would get us through Dover," Waltrip said. "And we'll see where we stand at that point."
"I really don't have any desire to run all the races," Waltrip said. "But when you make that statement, there's only a couple where it would be a problem. One being Milwaukee, I guess, and the other being Pikes Peak."
Waltrip will run the car in this weekend's Aaron's 312 at Talladega and will compete in at least six more Busch races in a row. The first conflict he mentioned is in late June, when the Busch cars are at Milwaukee and the Nextel Cup cars are in Sonoma, Calif.
The Pikes Peak Busch race is July 31, the same weekend as the Pocono Nextel Cup race.
Three other drivers are already doing full schedules in both series, Johnny Sauter, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne. Kahne appears to be doing the best so far, as he's 17th in Busch points and ninth in Cup; Sauter is seventh and 26th, Biffle 15th and 21st.
Waltrip is 31st in the Nextel Cup standings in the No. 15 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. He doesn't buy the theory that running both series detracts from his main effort, the Nextel Cup ride.
"Four or five years ago, people said, 'Oh, you can't run Busch. It'll mess up your focus on your Cup car,'" Waltrip said. "A couple years ago, 'You need to run both because then you can learn so much and it'll make you better in your Cup car.'
"I don't agree with either side of that. If I'm not smart enough to race both those cars, then I feel like I've got bigger issues. Racing is what I do, racing is how I learn to improve. I do whatever I want, and people can think whatever they want, but it won't affect what I do."
Waltrip said he'd be able to handle running both series.
"I'm a professional racecar driver," Waltrip said. "I understand what it takes to be successful at both levels and will certainly be able to handle both if that's what I decide to do."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Waltrip leads the NASCAR Busch Series points standings, but he'll give up the lead once he cuts back to a part-time schedule.
But when will that be? Waltrip isn't sure, leaving open the possibility he could run the full Busch schedule this season in his own No. 99 Chevrolets.
Waltrip said Tuesday he would do what Ken Butler, the president of Aaron's -- his sponsor -- wants.
"If they want to run 'em all and want me to continue to race for the championship, we'll certainly consider doing that," Waltrip said.
Waltrip took over the points lead last weekend after winning the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. He's up by eight points over Busch Series regular David Green.
Waltrip said he and Butler talked last year about the Busch Series plans for Michael Waltrip Racing, deciding to approach the schedule with a casual attitude.
"He and I talked last December and said, 'Let's just run 'em for a while,'" Waltrip said. "We felt like last year we were as good a team as there was on the Busch circuit. If we ran them for a while, we should be able to lead the points. That certainly has come to be the case."
Waltrip finished 19th in the season-opener at Daytona but has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in the six races since.
"We're going to run probably until about Charlotte -- or possibly even including Nazareth, which would get us through Dover," Waltrip said. "And we'll see where we stand at that point."
"I really don't have any desire to run all the races," Waltrip said. "But when you make that statement, there's only a couple where it would be a problem. One being Milwaukee, I guess, and the other being Pikes Peak."
Waltrip will run the car in this weekend's Aaron's 312 at Talladega and will compete in at least six more Busch races in a row. The first conflict he mentioned is in late June, when the Busch cars are at Milwaukee and the Nextel Cup cars are in Sonoma, Calif.
The Pikes Peak Busch race is July 31, the same weekend as the Pocono Nextel Cup race.
Three other drivers are already doing full schedules in both series, Johnny Sauter, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne. Kahne appears to be doing the best so far, as he's 17th in Busch points and ninth in Cup; Sauter is seventh and 26th, Biffle 15th and 21st.
Waltrip is 31st in the Nextel Cup standings in the No. 15 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. He doesn't buy the theory that running both series detracts from his main effort, the Nextel Cup ride.
"Four or five years ago, people said, 'Oh, you can't run Busch. It'll mess up your focus on your Cup car,'" Waltrip said. "A couple years ago, 'You need to run both because then you can learn so much and it'll make you better in your Cup car.'
"I don't agree with either side of that. If I'm not smart enough to race both those cars, then I feel like I've got bigger issues. Racing is what I do, racing is how I learn to improve. I do whatever I want, and people can think whatever they want, but it won't affect what I do."
Waltrip said he'd be able to handle running both series.
"I'm a professional racecar driver," Waltrip said. "I understand what it takes to be successful at both levels and will certainly be able to handle both if that's what I decide to do."
