Bristol, TN – April 4, 2005
The Aaron’s Dream Machine made its first of two appearances at Bristol Motor Speedway(BMS) this weekend. It was also the first of two Aaron’s Dream Seats promotions where eight lucky fans get the opportunity to sit in leather Klaussner Recliners provided by Aaron’s and enjoy the races in comfort.

Over the past eight months NASCAR fans and Aaron’s customers all over the country have been registering for a chance to win Aaron’s Dream Seats at BMS. Two winners with one guest each were flown in, given hotel accommodations, limo service for the weekend, and tickets to one of the races at BMS. For each race, Aaron’s also rewarded a lucky fan and a guest whose seats were behind a pole or up too high to join the store winners in the Dream Seats if they could answer a Michael Waltrip trivia question. The Aaron’s Dream Seats promotion was a big success and created eight customers for life.

The Aaron’s Dream Team’s weekend started on a cloudy overcast Friday when Michael Waltrip took the #99 Dream Machine out for practice. After the first practice, the team’s lap times would rank around 15th at 15.6 seconds. The second practice proved to be about the same as times stayed in the mid 15s, but Waltrip and the team were confident and felt good about the way the car was handling Saturday. Later Friday evening, Elliot Sadler would take the pole for the Food City 500. As Saturday rolled in, so did the rain. The teams and fans would spend more time watching the weather radars than the cars. Qualifying was scheduled to start at 11:30am, but not one car was able to turn the first lap therefore starting positions would be determined by season points. This left the Dream Machine out, but due to the past winners rule and the 2003 Fall win the #99 made it in at the 37th position. The Sharpie Professional 250 was scheduled for 2:00pm, but because of the rain the race was delayed. Four and a half hours went by and the weather conditions never got better, so around 6:30pm NASCAR postponed the race until Monday at 10:00am.

On Monday, the sky was clear and there was a light breeze blowing Monday for the start of the Sharpie Professional 250. The #99 Dream Machine started the on row 19 in the 37th position, which would prove to be a dangerous position. In typical Bristol fashion, the first caution flag was brought out on the first lap when the 12 car and 34 car got together in turn 4. Waltrip was able to steer clear of the action and gain two spots, 35th, because of the accident. The Aaron’s Dream Machine was handling good and slowly gaining positions. After the third caution and a decision not to pit, Waltrip and the Dream Team found themselves in the 27th position behind fellow cup star Dale Jarrett and moving to the front. By lap 70, the #99 made its first appearance in the top 20 in 20th place.

The Dream Team would get its first change to make adjustment on the car at lap 77 when the 4th caution flag flew. The team took a pound of air out of the left rear tire and made a track bar adjustment on a 16 second stop that leave the team in 24th position, but Waltrip was pleased with the stop and the car. By lap 80, the Dream Machine was back in the top 20 at 18th and would move up to 17th after the fifth caution on lap 100. Seven laps later the 6th caution was brought out because 23 car and 2 car got together on the backstretch causing several car to check up and the Dream Machine found itself in the back of the 25 car. Michael brought the car in the pits to find that majority of the water in the radiator had leaked out. The Dream Team tried pumping more water in which proved to be no good. Michael brought the car behind the wall and decided to call it a day for fear of damaging the engine more. Waltrip and the Dream Machine would finish a disappointing 42nd while Kevin Harvick would go on to win the race over teammate Jeff Burton in a green-white checkered finish. Harvick also took the checkered flag in Sunday’s Food City 500 sweeping the weekend at BMS.

Michael Waltrip and the Aaron’s Dream Machine’s next appearance will be April 16 at Texas Motor Speedway in the O’Rielly 300. Aaron’s Dream Weekend in Talladega is coming up April 29th, 30th, and May 1st.

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