NASCAR Cup Series

Michael Waltrip to drive No. 55 MWR Aaron's Toyota at Talladega

Published Apr. 23, 2015 1:31 p.m. ET

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Jared Turner

No big surprise here.

Michael Waltrip Racing announced Thursday that team co-owner Michael Waltrip will drive the No. 55 Aaron's Toyota in the May 3 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Waltrip, who shares ownership of MWR with businessman Rob Kauffman, takes over for 22-year-old Brett Moffitt who has filled in for Brian Vickers in five of the season's first eight races.

Vickers, who missed the season's first two races while recovering from offseason heart surgery, was forced out of the car again after a recurrence of blood clots just two races into his return.

Waltrip hasn't raced a full season since 2008 but traditionally enters some combination of the four annual restrictor-plate races -- two at Daytona, two at Talladega -- in a MWR-prepared car.

The Owensboro, Kentucky native's only start so far this season came in February's Daytona 500, a race in which he finished 26th. Waltrip also plans to run the Oct. 25 race at the 2.66-mile Talladega track, where he scored a victory for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the fall of 2003.

Waltrip's other three Sprint Cup wins have all come at Daytona, where he captured the Daytona 500 for DEI in 2001 and 2003.

"Talladega is a place where I know we will be very competitive," said Waltrip. "This will be my 58th Sprint Cup start at Talladega so believe me when I tell you Talladega is some of the best racing in the world, and I'm glad I'll get to be part of it again in the Aaron's Dream Machine."

MWR has not named a driver for the No. 55 beyond next weekend's race at Talladega.

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