HUNTERSVILLE, NC –Although just nine races remain in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, culminating with the coronation of a new champion during the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead, another manufacturer is making all the noise in NASCAR's garage. Toyota will make the sport's manufacturer competition four-wide in 2007.

Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge, will make the transition next year to the foreign manufacturer, fielding three Camrys in the NEXTEL Cup Series through Michael Waltrip Racing. The switch will be Waltrip’s third manufacturer change in the last three years. Over the course of his 21-year NEXTEL Cup career, Waltrip has competed behind the wheel of nearly every manufacturer to compete in the series: Pontiac, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and next year, Toyota. Waltrip’s notable rides have included the No. 30 Pennzoil Pontiac owned by Chuck Rider, the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Citgo Ford, and the No. 7 Phillips/Klausner Chevrolet. However, Waltrip’s latest sponsor has provided the veteran with the stability he has longed for since joining NASCAR’s premier series.

NAPA AUTO PARTS partnered with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) in 2001 to sponsor the No. 15 Chevrolet driven by Waltrip. The pairing resulted in four NEXTEL Cup wins, including two Daytona 500 victories for the Owensboro, Ky native and Atlanta-based parts retailer.

“With a sponsor like NAPA, a company so focused on success and determined to overcome the obstacles 2006 has thrown us, I am very confident we will return together to Victory Lane,” Waltrip said. “The NAPA shield will rest on the hood of a Toyota Camry next year, and with both companies behind me and Michael Waltrip Racing, we’re going to accomplish some pretty special things.”

This weekend Waltrip will compete behind the wheel of the No. 55 NAPA Dodge for the last time at Dover International Speedway. It will be his 42 nd start at the Monster Mile and one he hopes to celebrate with a strong finish.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip on the Dover 400...

What are your thoughts and expectations for racing at Dover?
“Dover is a track that I’ve always liked coming to, especially as the season winds down. It’s one of those places that will always be special to me because I got my first taste of success here when I won my first NEXTEL Cup pole in 1991. A few years before that, I won my first Busch race there driving for Darrell (Waltrip). Dover is a cool track. It was the first concrete track we raced on. At first, it wasn’t the best place to race, but now there are multiple grooves and great racing. We placed 32 nd in the spring race. We couldn’t seem to get our air pressures right that day. The car started out a little free on exit, but by the end of the race, we were so loose I did all I could to keep from hitting the wall. Things are different this time around. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team is clicking, and I’m confident we’ll be one of the more competitive teams on the track come Sunday.”