Darlington, South Carolina (May 13, 2006) – Michael Waltrip managed to avoid the infamous Darlington Stripes in Saturday’s Dodge Charger 500, but quickly learned his car had taken on the personality of the track too tough to tame. The No. 55 NAPA Dodge struggled through the precise turns of Darlington Raceway and would later encounter electrical problems as Waltrip finished eight laps down to winner Greg Biffle in the 35 th position. Waltrip remains 35 th in the NEXTEL Cup driver point’s standings heading into the sport’s “no holds barred” event, the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, which Waltrip won in 1996.

The No. 55 NAPA Dodge remained outside the top-35 in NEXTEL Cup owner standings and was again forced to qualify for the race on time. After managing a 37 th starting position, it seemed the car was handling better as Waltrip began picking up positions once the race was underway. The NAPA Dodge was in 29 th position on Lap 28 after an excellent pit stop. However, by lap 67, the No. 55 NAPA Dodge struggled through the turns of the 1.366-mile oval. Loose off the corners, Waltrip steered the No. 55 car onto pit road on lap 69 during the event’s second caution. Crew chief Larry Carter went to work on the back end of the car, lowering the air pressure in both rear tires as well as the right front. A rubber was also taken out of the right rear spring. Running in 31 st position on lap 119, Waltrip radioed to his crew that the car lacked forward bite. When the next caution flag waved on lap 149, the No. 55 NAPA Dodge had been lapped by race leader Matt Kenseth.

The integrity of the tires had become a problem for Waltrip as Darlington’s asphalt surface began tearing apart around the race’s halfway mark. Waltrip eased his car onto pit road on lap 191 to prevent a blown tire. The stop was a quick one as the crew replaced all four tires and refueled the NAPA Dodge in less than 16 seconds.

On lap 200, Waltrip was in 39 th position, his lowest of the race. Fears emerged as Waltrip radioed to his crew that the car seemed to be losing power. A caution on lap 211 allowed the No. 55 team to open the hood of the NAPA Dodge and discover the car had lost a cylinder.

More problems arose as the car’s electrical system began fading on lap 247. On lap 261, the No. 55 NAPA Dodge was running in 37 th position, four laps down to race leader Jimmie Johnson.

Late in the next green flag run, the NAPA team’s troubles seemed to subside as Waltrip radioed, “The car’s driving better than it has all year, maybe we can build on this.” However, at this point, the No. 55 NAPA Dodge was seven laps down and unable to race for position.

Michael Waltrip finished the race in 35 th position and currently sits 870 points behind NEXTEL Cup points leader

Jimmie Johnson. Jeremy Mayfield is 64 points ahead of Waltrip in 34 th position.

Greg Biffle earned his first victory of the 2006 season followed by the No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon. Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the top five-finishers of the Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge will take place under the lights at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 20, 2006. Coverage will begin at 7:00 pm on FX and PRN.