July 9, 2005 (Joliet, IL)

The Aaron’s Dream Machine returned to Chicagoland Speedway with Michael Waltrip back behind the wheel and Waltrip was looking for a solid finish. A new Crew Chief, Butch Hylton was calling the shots this weekend. It was the first time Waltrip and Hylton have worked together. MWR hired Butch to help manage the organization and get some performance back into the team.

It was warm and sunny for Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series USG Durock 300 and Waltrip had qualified eleventh for the 200-lap event. Waltrip took the green flag and fa tight condition with the racecar early in the race and had difficulty getting out of the turns. There was an early caution flag on lap-30 that gave Butch and the crew an opportunity to adjust the car.

After the pitstop, the crew noticed that the right-rear tire had “blistered” and was close to a blowout. The blisters were due to the hot conditions of the track and the amount of pressure the car was putting on the right side tires through the turns. This was a cause for concern and Michael had to take it a little easier getting around the track so not to abuse the right side tires.

While the crew had made adjustments earlier, the car was still pushing through the turns. So more chassis changes were in order for the second pitstop on lap-59. Butch Hylton ordered several adjustments and the crew did an excellent job making the changes and getting Michael back on track. The stop relegated the Dream Machine back to 25th but the changes helped the handling and Waltrip moved back into the top-20 within ten laps.

A green-flag pitstop put the 99 down one lap, but as the other competitors pitted, Michael got his lap back and worked his way into the top-15 with ten laps to go. When the checkered flag fell, Waltrip crossed the line fourteenth. Kevin Harvick won the race followed by Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin.

The next Aaron’s Dream Machine race will be Allstate Brickyard 400 NEXTEL Cup race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, August 7, 2005. Kenny Wallace will pilot the No. 00 Dream Machine for that event.