Full Throttle

Mika Salo and Jarno Trulli each spent a day this week behind the wheel of one of Michael Waltrip Racing’s Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup cars.

Prior to their adventures at the half-mile New Smyrna Speedway, the pair spent last weekend with Waltrip’s team at the Phoenix NASCAR race. The little New Smryna track is located in Florida, about 20 minutes south of Daytona, and the NASCAR rookies benefited from the advice of veteran stock car ace Mark Martin, who lives nearby and showed up to watch.

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Trevor Bayne climbed into the No. 55 Toyota to shake down the car before Salo took to the wheel for the first time during his one day of testing.

“They wanted to test our NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and see what our sport is all about,” team owner Michael Waltrip said. “They did an outstanding job and were turning some pretty quick times. We were just as serious about this two-day test as they were. We brought down an entire crew. Toyota, our team and engineers fully supported this effort. We were 100% committed to giving it our all just like we would at any of our tests.”

Salo drove Waltrip’s car, completing 208 laps, and Trulli drove on Wednesday, running almost 400 laps. Both lapped in the high 18-second bracket, right on the pace. The test was operated by Waltrip’s technical director Steve Hallam, who worked in Formula 1 with Lotus and McLaren for 27 years before joining Waltrip at the end of last year.

“It went very well with both them,” said Hallam. “I think they got a lot out of it. Both were quick, as you would expect because they’re good drivers. So they’ve had their first taste of a stock car and what it can do for them. Jarno was smiling at the end of the day and when I saw Mika, just before he left, he was smiling too.”

Waltrip’s London-based partner Rob Kauffman met Salo at last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, resulting in an invitation for the Finn to try the team’s Toyota Cup car. “Rob was the Mika connection and Toyota, obviously, was Jarno’s connection,” said Hallam.

“It’s been a very enjoyable two days. Listening to a European perspective of what our cars are like was quite interesting and informative, and I enjoyed sharing my experiences with them. I think they enjoyed their weekend with us in Phoenix and Mika will be with us again in Homestead this weekend. Jarno has a commitment in Japan, otherwise he would have been with us too.”

“Thanks to Rob, I was able to test a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car for the first time in my life,” said Salo, who turned 208 laps in the Toyota. “I was very comfortable out there and had a lot of fun. I was quick and I know that if I had today to test, I would be a lot quicker. Now, I want to have 42 other cars around me and see what it is really like.”

As Salo tested, Trulli observed. Midday the two were surprised when they had a visit from one of the locals - Mark Martin.

“All of a sudden, Mark Martin was here at New Smyrna,” Salo said. “He sat down in front of me and I listened. I learned some things from him during his time here. I also learned some things from Michael, David (Reutimann) and Marcos (Ambrose) when I attended the race at Phoenix International Raceway.”

“It was the first time in my life I was leaving pit road in a closed cockpit,” said Trulli, who turned nearly 300 laps. “I needed to get used to that feeling of not having my head out. I’m used to being in a stiff car on the ground. The Cup car moves around a lot. It requires skill, feeling and understanding. There are so many different factors and you need to be a smart person to be aware of what is happening around you.”

“I didn’t know about NASCAR until Juan Pablo Montoya made his move,” Trulli said. “The world has changed and everyone is looking at different Series. I haven’t signed with anyone yet and I’ve talked to teams. My door is open right now.”

By the afternoon Trulli said he felt very comfortable in the car.

“Running here at New Smyrna is easy and very exciting, but racing here might be difficult,” Trulli said. “It would take a lot of experience. I prefer a high-speed circuit, but at least I have a taste and know the feeling. Today, was important for me to understand what I have to do to get better. In driving the car, I must understand the car. I have to trust it. The center and exit of the corner are important. Braking is crucial here.”

Waltrip’s team is complete for 2010 with Martin Truex Jr replacing the retiring Waltrip in the team’s #55 Toyota, and David Reutimann continuing in Waltrip’s second car. The team also runs a third car in a technical partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing for Marcos Ambrose. So where does it go from here for Salo and Trulli?

“They need to sleep on it, think about it, talk with their people and reflect on whether they want to expand their experience or not,” said Hallam.

“We have two enormously talented drivers that showed interest in trying NASCAR,” said Ty Norris, Vice President and General Manager for Michael Waltrip Racing. “MWR wanted to participate because we are always interested in recruiting talent and we have a great desire to expand to a fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup team in the near future. We know the talent pool currently racing in NASCAR, so it is of great interest to us to evaluate talent from other racing disciplines. It just adds another international element to our organization.”

Slowly but surely, NASCAR is going global.