Posted on 05/16/2002 6:25:39 AM PDT by aomagrat
DEI executive vp Ty Norris said it best: "Dale Earnhardt wouldn't put up with it." And with that, you can bet Michael Waltrip's days in the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet are numbered.
After all, there are only so many tracks -- Daytona and Talladega -- where Mikey can be expected to be competitive. In fact, the Daytona 500 and Aaron's 499 are the only races this season that Waltrip has posted a top-five finish. So basically DEI is forfeiting his ride in 32 other starts.
Last season, after winning the Daytona 500, Waltrip went on to finish a disappointing 24th in points. This year, it's been more of the same: fifth at Daytona, 18th in points.
With a return to Daytona six races down the road, it'll be interesting to see what happens if -- in the waning laps -- Waltrip plays shepherd to Dale Earnhardt Jr., or takes the race to Junior. Remember, he settled into the second-fiddle role in last year's Pepsi 400 and this year at Talladega.
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