Michael Waltrip Racing has received a bigger shot to the bow than any NASCAR could have given it following the events at Richmond. And it came from a current sponsor.
NAPA announced on its Facebook page Thursday that it would be leaving the team at the end of the season.
After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013. NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by NASCAR. We remain supportive of the millions of NASCAR fans and will evaluate our future position in motorsports.
NAPA stuck by Michael Waltrip Racing at the 2007 Daytona 500, when the team was penalized for having an illegal substance in the intake manifold. In that incident, when Michael Waltrip Racing was in its infancy, Waltrip was docked 100 points and his crew chief David Hyder was fined $100,000 and suspended from the garage.
That was more than six years ago, and MWR eventually recovered to become the three-team stable it is today. And that's in large part to the continued support of the auto parts supplier, who is one of the few full-season sponsors remaining in the sport.
Now that support isn't there. NAPA sponsors the No. 56 of Martin Truex Jr., who was removed from the Chase via a 50 point penalty after NASCAR investigated the finish at Richmond. In the closing laps, teammates Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers made sure to let Joey Logano finish ahead of them so that Truex would make the Chase. (It's worth noting that the jet fuel incident directly involved the actions of the NAPA team while it was the actions of the two-non NAPA teams at Richmond that led to the penalties.)
The decision also means that one of the most prestigious sponsorships in NASCAR is a free agent, and that a Chase-caliber team and driver is suddenly without a sponsor. To say that the future of the No. 56 car is in limbo would not be an overstatement. And the future of another car and driver combination could soon be solidified.
2. Kyle Busch (LW: 1): Busch was perhaps the greatest example of clean air during the Geico 400. When he had the lead he couldn't be touched, and then when he lost the lead, he couldn't touch his teammate. Still, the fact that he was just one spot away from a weekend three-peat should not be lost. That's impressive, even if Busch in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races is unfair to everyone else.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS A NASCAR CONSPIRACY TO PREVENT JOHNSON FROM WINNING THE CHASE WHEN THE OFFICIAL ON PIT ROAD TOLD THEM TO CHECK THE LUGNUTS FOR NO REASON. WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO HIM? CAN'T NASCAR EVER BE NICE TO HIM? Signed, no one.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 7): That was quite the typical Harvick race, wasn't it? Team adjusts on the car throughout the first part of the race, dials it in in the middle third, and voila, where the heck did Harvick come from in the waning laps? I'm sure this has been written in this space many times already this season, but can you describe Harvick's third place finish any other way?
5. Kasey Kahne (LW: 4): 10 Chasers finished in the top 12 and Kahne was the 10th of those 10. But he's here because that car got pretty beat up on pit road and at one point he was 31st. Survey time: was anyone disappointed that Kenseth wasn't beating Kahne to the line Sunday? That might have broken poor Kasey's soul.
6. Kurt Busch (LW: 9): Juan Pablo Montoya's debris minefield caution was a fortuitous break for Busch who had taken the Lucky Dog when the race resumed after a speeding penalty on pit road during the day portion. Again, the speed is there, it's just that the Kurt Busch Wheel of Destruction keeps feeling the need to be spun. Thankfully for Busch, the wheel of good fortune also gave it a whirl.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW: 8): Should we do what NASCAR could have done and dock Bowyer Power Rankings points in the Chase? No, we're not that mean, but that had to have been the most uncomfortable media week for a driver since when? Should have called Jeremy Mayfield and asked him to come take some pressure off by crashing NASCAR's press conference or something.
8. Carl Edwards (LW: 5): Edwards says he and his team are going to win the Chase and we completely (100 percent, NASCAR) support his efforts to be confident in his team. However, nights like Sunday are why we can't buy in to what Edwards is selling just yet. The 99 car wasn't bad again, but it wasn't great. And it's going to need to be great.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 10): If you went to Outback on Monday, you got a free Bloomin' Onion because Newman finished in the top 10. Is that a deal you have to ask for when you go, or do a bunch of non-NASCAR fans luck into free appetizers on these Mondays? Inquiring minds that haven't been to an Outback in 10 years want to know.
10. Jeff Gordon (LW: NR): Jeff, you'd be legitimately in our top 12 this week if you weren't in the Chase. That was a nicely timed caution for Gordon to stay on the lead lap, and that car might have been ultimately faster than the 6th place finish showed.
11. Brad Keselowski (LW: NR): This spot ultimately came down to Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Greg Biffle. All three were plagued by engine issues. That'd be no fun, wouldn't it? That's why we'll go with the defending champion. He's not boring. And we also want to
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (LW: NR): Boyfriend! After finishing 8th at Richmond, Stenhouse finished 8th at Chicagoland for the first two top 10s of his career. And yes, this now means that Stenhouse has more top 10s than Patrick. Hope she paid for that Sonic he got during the rain delay.