Quotes from Michael Waltrip

This is racing. There is going to be twists and turns. You're going to be dealt setbacks.

I think people - especially folks who haven't seen a lot of NASCAR - they get this idea that we're just going around in circles. And that's so far from the truth. You're running as hard as you can to get all you can every lap.

It's sort of like baseball - the more you know about baseball, the more you get into a baseball game. NASCAR is the same way.

I love NASCAR. I love the sport. I love the people. I believe I love it more than I ever have because of the people that have gone out of their way to tell me that they appreciate who I am and who MWR is.

The drivability of an engine is a big part of the setup on a road course. If you can't squeeze the gas down you can't go anywhere.

If you look at my career statistics, it's not pretty.

You have faith in who you are as a driver and stay strong when things go wrong.

The one feeling that settled in and stayed there for a long while, and I still deal with, is guilt. I was there. I was a part of it. Why does it have to be like this? Was I responsible? Was I the reason Dale was in that position? I'd ask myself that question and look around at people and wonder if they were thinking that, too.

I do believe I'm not good enough to be a professional dancer. I believe that in my heart.

Everyone who has ever aspired to be a stock car driver wants to win the Daytona 500. If someone says that it's better to win somewhere else, then that tells me one thing for sure - they've never won at Daytona.

I'm pretty comfortable in a car to know what I'm doing, and I'm exactly the opposite onstage.

You can't take your win for granted. Your next win might be your last win or you might never get to your next win, so I can't imagine not being overcome with joy by winning and never taking winning for granted.

There's a Bible verse that says if you believe, you will be in the presence of the Lord in the blink of an eye. And I know Dale was a believer, and that means that he saw his son and his friend going to win the Daytona 500, and he was in heaven all within the blink of an eye.

I'm a Christian and I believe in angels and God.

I built my team with Dale in mind. He lives with me. He's part of who I am because I just appreciated who he was and how he went about things. People worked on his cars at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated before I got there. When Dale would walk by you could just tell people were thinking, 'these are Dale Earnhardt's cars.'

I just don't think human beings are designed to have that big of a swing of emotions. I mean, I'm standing in Victory Lane literally seconds after Dale Earnhardt died. Dale Earnhardt was not only my car owner that day, my first victory in 463 tries, but he was my dear friend, too.

You've got to understand, I'd been trying to get to Victory Lane my whole career.

Lying in bed, I determined that since I'm a Christian, I believe we all have our days - our days are numbered. I figured it was Dale's day to die, and I was the best person to win the race and be able to honor him in the victory.