The 2007 Daytona 500 gave NASCAR fans one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory. Kevin Harvick went from seventh to first in the final turn and edged Mark Martin by 0.02 of a second – the closest margin in race history – as a huge wreck unfolded behind them. The win was Harvick's first in the Great American Race and it capped a weekend sweep of both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races. It is hard to believe that anyone had a better weekend than Harvick, but that honor goes to Michael Waltrip.

That's right, I said Michael Waltrip. The same Michael Waltrip that finished two laps down and limped across the finish line in 30th position at the Daytona 500. Waltrip was at the center of a media frenzy after his team was caught cheating prior to qualifying for the 500, but the amazing finish and debate about whether a caution should have been thrown on the final lap has put the Waltrip scandal on the back burner. Last week, Waltrip couldn't keep his name out of the headlines or avoid the bad press, but after Sunday's race it is like the cheating scandal never even occurred.

It doesn't seem fair that Waltrip and his team are getting off the hook after making such a stupid decision. The team's attempt at cheating was the most blatant I can remember; even Wile E. Coyote would have known that the plan was going to backfire. Waltrip's team soaked the car's intake manifold in an illegal substance intended to help the fuel burn faster and boost horsepower. He might as well just put a big button on the dashboard, labeled it Turbo Booster and sent his car through inspection.

NASCAR officials quickly confiscated the intake manifold and Waltrip's No. 55 Toyota. After an investigation, officials handed out the most severe penalty in NASCAR history. Waltrip was penalized 100 driver points and his crew chief Larry Hyder was fined $100,000 and suspended indefinitely. This incident had the potential to damage Waltrip's reputation and career in the same way steroids ruined Rafael Palmeiro, but now it seems destined to become nothing more than a footnote in NASCAR history.

I don't know what kind of lucky charm Waltrip has, but I do know that I want it because only Waltrip is fortunate enough to have the memory of one of the worst cheating scandals in NASCAR erased a few days later by one of the best finishes.

Anyone that is familiar with Waltrip's career shouldn't be surprised by his good fortune. After all, Waltrip has been a mediocre driver at best throughout his career when he landed a job with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) in 2001. Waltrip got the job because his older brother Darrell Waltrip was a close friend of Dale Earnhardt. In his first race with DEI, Waltrip promptly picked up the first victory of his career in the Daytona 500. He won the 500 again in 2003 after rain shortened the race, and he picked up two more wins in his five-year career at DEI.

Along the way, Waltrip became one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR because he happened to be the teammate of Dale Earnhardt Jr. – the sports most popular driver. He took advantage of the situation by promoting and doing commercials for every product and company that would take him, and he developed a strong relationship with high dollar sponsors like NAPA, Aaaron's and Domino's Pizza. His racing career should have been over when he left DEI after the 2005 season, but he used his sponsorship connections to start his own race team.

Despite a horrible 2006 season, Toyota decided to partner with Waltrip, providing him with all the money he needed. On top of that, former champion Dale Jarrett decided to join Waltrip's team and brought the sponsorship of UPS with him. Based on his racing performance, Waltrip should have been out of the sport years ago. Instead, Waltrip owns a multi-million dollar race team and has two Daytona 500 trophies sitting on his mantle. He must have had a rough past life and karma is paying him back big time, or he has made a deal with the devil because no one can be this lucky.

With the cheating scandal behind him, Waltrip can focus his attention on making his race team a consistent contender. Waltrip and his team have a lot of work to do. He and teammate David Reutimann aren't guaranteed a starting spot in the next five races, so one bobble in qualifying means they could be watching the race at home on their couch. After the sixth race of the season, drivers must be in the top 35 in points to be guaranteed a starting spot, and Waltrip is currently dead last in the standings. In fact, everyone reading this article is ahead of Waltrip in the standings because the 100-point penalty issued by NASCAR still leaves him 27 points in the hole.

Waltrip shouldn't be worried though. Things always seem to work out for him and there has been no indication that his good luck is going to run out anytime soon. He owes a big thank you to Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin for helping to sweep his latest problem under the rug. Maybe he can call up his Domino's sponsors and have some free pizzas sent to them. Waltrip hasn't been a threat to win a race in more than three years, but knowing his luck I wouldn't be surprised to see his No. 55 NAPA Toyota end up in victory lane at some point this season.