A trio of new crew chiefs were hired for each of the three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams with newcomer Bill Pappas leading the #44 UPS Team, veteran crew chief Ryan Pemberton taking over the lead of the #00 Aaron's Team and respected crew chief Paul Andrews taking the reins of the #55 NAPA Team. In addition to introducing the crew chiefs, MWR also formerly introduced new hires that have already made an impact to the management of the organization. Former car owner Cal Wells joined the organization late in 2007 to take on the role of executive vice president of operations while respected engineer Dr. Eric Warren joined the organization in the role of vice president and technical director. It all adds up to what car owner Michael Waltrip believes to be a turning-point year for his organization.

"There is a word that gets overused during this annual media tour week so we aren't going to use that word to talk about the upcoming season," Waltrip said, referring to the word 'excited.' "We have a lot of things going on here that makes me optimistic for what is to come and we're looking forward to that."

While the 2008 season marks the second year of operation for MWR in Sprint Cup Series competition, it also marks the last year that fans will see Dale Jarrett behind the wheel of a race car. Jarrett was considered to be a key addition to MWR when the organization was building its foundation. The growing pains of the new organization resulted in all three teams missing races in 2007. Jarrett will only make seven starts in 2008 and although he isn't contending for a championship, he feels that his purpose has been served.

"I knew going into this that it was going to be a growing process," Jarrett said. "My time here was always about helping to lay a foundation and at no point did I think we were going to come in here and start competing for championships right from the start. I do think Michael Waltrip Racing has rounded a corner and if I have had a hand in that, then I've accomplished my goal."

While the night offered a chance for reflection, it also offered the opportunity for the announcement of news which MWR did by announcing the addition of rookie driver Michael McDowell to the fold. McDowell will take over the driving duties of the #00 Toyota once David Reutimann takes over the UPS Toyota at Martinsville Speedway in late March.

"We are proud to have Michael join our organization as we field three full-time teams for a second year in a row," Waltrip said. "After testing with Michael, I learned firsthand that he is intense, knowledgeable of racing and more importantly he was fast at all of our test sessions. I feel he will do a great job and it is our job to prepare the best cars we can for him and provide the best opportunity to hone his driving talents."

Once the presentation portion of the night concluded, drivers, crew chiefs, management members and sponsor representatives were made available for one-on-one interview sessions with media members. Most questions from the media centered on the outlook for the new season, the upcoming Daytona 500 and proposed changes to the sport itself. For Jarrett, questions about his future in the sport developed as a result of a successful test at Daytona just two weeks ago. Media members wondered whether Jarrett might reconsider retirement if he starts off the year with consistently good performances.

"Honestly, I am happy with the place I am at in my career," said Jarrett, who has just joined the ESPN broadcast team for the 2008 NASCAR season. "My main concern is to get this #44 UPS Toyota in as good as position as possible for David (Reutimann) to take over and for UPS."