Hanging over #15-MIchael Waltrip, again, is his future at Dale Earnhardt Inc., once more a topic of conversation, and sponsor NAPA may be the power that ultimately makes the call. NAPA executives like Waltrip, but NAPA is also a demanding sponsor. There is speculation if Waltrip leaves DEI that NAPA might take its money and follow him. Waltrip said he’d prefer to stay, and he figures he’s making his case. “We showed signs of being a winning driver last Saturday night,” Waltrip said. “I got with a team that just won Phoenix (last fall), and I raced Kurt (Busch) to the very end, the defending champion.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-30-2005)
