Michael Waltrip seems to have a love-hate relationship with Daytona.

The joy of his first Daytona 500 win in 2001 was swallowed by the death of his friend and boss Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the same race.

This year, Waltrip came to Florida bubbling with anticipation about being the standard-bearer for Toyota’s entry into Nextel Cup. Unfortunately, his manifold was bubbling with a mystery substance, which caused him to run afoul of NASCAR’s inspectors.

After NASCAR hit his team with some of the heaviest sanctions in the sport’s history, Waltrip nearly pulled his car out of Thursday’s Daytona 500 qualifying races. He didn’t and it gave his whole organization a shot in the arm.

Waltrip raced his backup car into the 500 by finishing ninth in his race. Boris Said’s strong finish allowed Michael Waltrip Racing rookie David Reutimann to make the big race on his qualifying time, while MWR’s Dale Jarrett used his past champion’s provisional to make the 500. By far the most success of any of the Toyota teams.

Once again, a day that should be one of the proudest is Waltrip’s career is tinged by the cheating scandal.

“I’m probably the most depressed guy you have ever seen to make the Daytona 500,” he said after the race. “I’m thankful. I’m sad. I’m happy at the same time. Daytona does that to you.”

While NASCAR’s punishment of Waltrip and his team was in line with its previous warnings, you can’t help but feel a little for Waltrip. His team was under more pressure than average to make a splash at Daytona, and it looks like sombody cracked under the pressure.

Now it seems like the only place Waltrip can escape the glare of the media, Toyota and NASCAR is on the racetrack.