NASCAR MODELS by MR NASCAR


Michael Waltrip's 1997 CITGO "Dalmation" T-bird

Mikey's Pooch!!

"It was painted like a dog, and it ran like a dog!"
So commented Mike Waltrip after the 1997 "The Winston" in Charlotte. This summed up his disappointment in finishing 16th, after having won the year before.

For 1997, Mike sported this spiffy special one-race paint job, as a tie-in with a CITGO promotion. (Actually, for all we know, this might even have been the '96 winning car, repainted to acommodate the sponsor's marketing plans!)

The model was built directly from the MONOGRAM Special Edition kit, with missing contingency decals from SLIXX.

Additional detail was added, including radio wire coil inside, "Earnhardt Bar", and oil lines under the hood, including a scratch-built oil filter.

The body was primed with CTC gray primer, sanded with 1200 grit paper, then several coats of white automotive touch-up lacquer were applied (aerosol can - heated in warm tap water for higher pressure, and finer atomization...).

All decals were then applied. MONOGRAM kindly supplies the Dalmation "spots" as decals. Comparison to photos shows good reproduction of the prototype's "spots", which, in a photo in Winston Cup Scene which accompanied the above quote, also appear to be adhesive decals!

These were applied, along with numbers and contingency decals, and clearcoated with Tamiya TS-13 clear, in several fine coats (aerosol can - heated in warm tap water for higher pressure, and finer atomization...). Clear was then rubbed out with Turtle brand wax/polishing compound.

Mike continues to reach for the brass ring of a NASCAR points victory, and is very competitive in the Woods brothers CITGO ride - he just needs to pull the trigger at the right time. Mike is also one of the more glib personalities out there, and is fun to watch on Speedvision. Update - for the 1999 season, Mike will be moving to the Mattei ex-Geoff Bodine 7 car, with sponsorship about to be announced.

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