Darrell Waltrip wasn't fast enough to qualify for a Winston Cup race but was given a spot at the rear of the 43-car pack because he was the former champion.
Some people say that's a sign of how far the three-time series champ has fallen.
In fact, Old D.W., as he likes to call himself, has finished 41st once, 40th twice and in the 30s seven times. His best finishes have been a fifth in the California 500 and sixth in the Pocono 500. Making it harder to read his progress this season is the fact he's driven for three different teams. Waltrip started the season driving his own Chevrolet, closed down the team and sold it, subbed in Dale Earnhardt's Chevrolet for injured rookie Steve Park and then climbed into a Pontiac fielded by the man who bought his team and revamped it. Every time we show up at the track we've got a car that's foreign to us to some degree.