Waltrip to drive the #30 in Daytona 500

Michael Waltrip

Michael Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, will pilot Swan Racing's #30 Toyota in the 2013 "Great American Race," reuniting him with former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. The race marks Swan Racing's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut since announcing its new ownership this month. "I am thrilled to drive the #30 Toyota for Swan Racing and the chance to win a third Daytona 500," said Waltrip about the one-race deal. "Reuniting with Tony Jr. and Steve Hmiel brings back a lot of good memories and is going to create new ones."

"Swan Racing is here to compete and to build a championship contender," said Swan Racing owner Brandon Davis who has vowed to end the practice of habitual "start and parks" for the team. "This one-race partnership with Michael puts a two-time champion behind the wheel and the #30 in the mix at the Daytona 500."

"This is a great move for Swan Racing," said David Stremme who will be the regular driver of the #30 Toyota. "Michael and I have been friends for a long time. We got to talking last year and from my perspective I thought this would help to further our relationship with Toyota and be a good building block for Swan Racing."

Swan Racing is building its team from the ground up by hiring veterans of the sport who share a common long-term vision for success. Steve Hmiel, named competition director last week, has over 35 years of experience as a crew chief, car chief and competition director. Tony Eury Jr. will be the crew chief for the #30 Toyota. "Michael is a familiar face for a lot of us here at Swan Racing," said Eury. "We know each other's habits, wants and needs on the track. We're going to Daytona to compete and hopefully we'll make a mark for Swan Racing." Swan Racing