NAPA to End Longtime Relationship With Michael Waltrip Racing After 2013

Michael Waltrip (left) and Martin Truex, Jr are far from all smiles
after news that NAPA will leave MWR after 2013 (Google Images)

They say that "when t rains, it pours." If that's the case, then Michael Waltrip may want to start taking swimming lessons because the little black rain cloud that has been over his team the last two weeks just grew into an all-out hurricane.

In what could be the most shocking sponsorship news in recent memory, NAPA Auto Parts announced Thursday morning that they will not return to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2014 season. This comes as a result of the team's actions at Richmond two weeks ago when it tried to manipulate the outcome of the race to get Martin Truex, Jr and NAPA into the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup when Clint Bowyer intentionally spun in the closing laps and Brian Vickers pitted late to forfeit his position to Truex.

After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013," the company posted on it's Facebook page Thursday morning. "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."

While the news came as a surprise, it was not unexpected. NAPA announced after MWR's actions at Richmond that it was reviewing it's relationship with the team and that it would make a decision regarding that partnership. The auto parts giant is leaving MWR with two years left on it's contract and, at roughly around $15 million per year, that is going to leave a major void in Waltrip's lineup.

Martin Truex Jr's lone win for NAPA so far came this past June
at Infineon Raceway (Google Images)

Perhaps the biggest reason this news came as such a shock is that NAPA has been a sponsor of Waltrip since he began driving for Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in 2001. In that time, he won four races from 2001 through 2003, including a pair of Daytona 500 victories. While he has not had a very illustrious career, the auto parts supplier, Waltrip has seldom been seen without some article of clothing emblazed with the NAPA shield. It was that loyalty that prompted them to stick with him when he began MWR in 2007. However, this is when the downward spiral begins.

In one of the several inspections before the 2007 Daytona 500, Waltrip's Toyota was found to have a mysterious fluid (it was never confirmed, but many maintain it was some sort of jet fuel) in the intake manifold that was meant to enhance performance. Waltrip eventually qualified for the race, but the scandal cast a dark shadow over the team and it's partners. Waltrip went on to miss 25 total races that year and, in an off track incident, crashed his personal car in the early hours of the morning and left the scene of the accident. Waltrip vehemently denied being under the influence of alcohol, but whether he was or not was never determined.

Through all of the controversy, struggles and missed races, NAPA Auto Parts was a constant at MWR. They stuck by their driver and even poked fun at him in several television commercials. But you can only poke a sleeping bear so many times before it wakes up and bites you. And that is exactly what appears to have happened Thursday.

After all of those trials, NAPA appeared content with where MWR was, despite only netting one win in four seasons with Truex. They renewed their partnership with the driver last August in their home base of Atlanta and were set to remain a major backer of MWR through the 2015 season. But after the fallout from that intentional spin by his teammate that got him into the Chase, Truex is now without a sponsor for the next two seasons. He was an innocent bystander when Bowyer spun his car to purposefully cause the caution that got him into the playoffs, but his team is the one that is taking the brunt of the fallout.



Waltrip (left) and Truex after they thought they had made the Chase
(Google Images)

MWR released a statement and it appears that they are more than ready to move on without the auto parts giant.

"Michael Waltrip Racing respects the decision NAPA announced today following the events at Richmond. There is no doubt, the story of Michael Waltrip Racing begins with NAPA Auto Parts, but there are many more chapters yet to be written. MWR has the infrastructure and support of Toyota for three teams plus three Chase-caliber, race-winning drivers. With the support of our corporate partners we are preparing to field three teams in 2014. MWR is a resilient organization capable of winning races and competing for the championship and that remains our sole focus. "

Waltrip himself also put out a release and he seemed much more apologetic than the man who just one week ago threw team general manager, Ty Norris, under the bus for the team's actions, showed almost no remorse and called his detractors "mean."

"NAPA has been with me from winning two Daytona 500s, to missing races with a new start-up team, and back to victory lane again" said Waltrip. "The relationship grew far past that of just a sponsor, but more of a partner and a friend. We will not be racing a NAPA car in 2014, but I have friendships that will last a lifetime. To the fans and those who made their voice heard through social media, as the owner, I am responsible for all actions of MWR. I sincerely apologize for the role our team played and for the lines NASCAR has ruled were crossed by our actions at Richmond. NASCAR met with the competitors in Chicago and we all know how we are expected to race forward. "

But while he has finally apologized for his teams transgressions, it is too little too late for Waltrip, whose team is still without much of its integrity, credibility and, now, without one of the most lucrative sponsors in the garage. Until the hurricane surrounding MWR subsides and the damage is assessed, there is no telling how costly this gaffe will wind up being.