Michael Waltrip responded to a fan question on Twitter Friday night with an emphatic “yes” when asked if he was going to be in the 2017 Daytona 500.
Yes! In the @AaronsInc @ToyotaRacing #Camry https://t.co/U7sXtH8AU2
— Michael Waltrip (@MW55) December 23, 2016
Waltrip did not offer specifics about who he would be driving for other than revealing it would be in a Toyota. He has competed in every Daytona 500 but one (did not qualify for the 2012 race) since 1987.
A two-time Daytona 500 winner, 2001 and 2003, Waltrip has made 24 Cup starts since ending his full-time career in 2009. Of those 24 starts, 22 have been in the restrictor-plate races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Waltrip made two starts in 2016 - the Daytona 500 for BK Racing and the spring Talladega race for Premium Motorsports.
As for where Waltrip could wind up for the 2017 Daytona 500, teams without confirmed drivers include Premium Motorsports and The Motorsports Group. BK Racing has also not announced plans for its second car and Joe Falk still has a charter in play that he must use in 2017 or sell.