NAPA Dropping Out Sponsoring Michael Waltrip Racing

Call it what you may, but it seems that what I'm seeing is that NAPA has had enough of the scandals that come with backing Michael Waltrip.  NAPA is ending their relationship with MWR as the 2013 season comes to a close, all within the wake of the Chase manipulation move the teams tried to pull at Richmond.

That, despite their present contract set to expire after 2015.

NAPA statement:

"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."

Which is a shame for MWR, considering how much of a long-term relationship they've had with Waltrip himself.

In reply, Waltrip himself made the following statement

“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. 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.”

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To be honest, someone made an interesting statement to me last weekend.  During the long Chicago race, there was one shot with a few of the drivers that were in question with this Richmond scandal in the same TV shot, and someone tweeted me, saying something to the effect:

It's sad to see that all the drivers who were involved in all the Richmond troubles are all still wearing their sponsors' suits.  I guess the sponsors don't care what happened.

And to be honest, that's an interesting perspective to put on the image they were talking about.

But one thing is for sure... 

If you are going to cheat, try not to advertise it or make hugely obvious radio chatter about what it is you're up to.  Let's try being a bit more clandestine next time guys.  And mark my words, I'm betting this won't the last time a Waltrip tries something fishy.  But it will be a while before he or his team gets comfortable enough again to try something.

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