MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA (October 22, 2006) – With four races remaining in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup Championship, Michael Waltrip climbed behind the wheel of the No. 55 NAPA Dodge for his 42nd start at Martinsville Speedway in the Subway 500, hoping to rebound from last week’s disappointing outing. Waltrip’s best performance at Martinsville came in 2000 when he placed third. But after leaving the starting grid in 33rd-place, Waltrip didn’t receive the “brakes” he had hoped for.

Trouble began early for the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS team as Michael Waltrip was involved in the event’s first caution. Exiting turn four, an accordion-shaped traffic jam clogged the 0.526-mile oval, causing the No. 55 NAPA Dodge to plow into the bumper of another car, damaging Waltrip’s radiator. A quick check of the car’s temperatures assured crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. a trip down pit road was unnecessary.

Nearly 50 laps had passed before Waltrip radioed crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. “It feels like there’s too much air in the tires. It’s too loose. I can’t turn the front or the back of the car,” Waltrip radioed. Jeff Gordon was the race leader and stalked the field’s slower cars, putting Waltrip a lap down on Lap 64. However, as the second of 18 cautions occurred, Waltrip was the recipient of NASCAR’s lucky dog, placing him at the tail end of the lead lap.

Gordon would not relent his pursuit, and on Lap 100 Waltrip, running in 28th-place, was placed a lap down to the No. 24 car. NASCAR black-flagged Waltrip seven laps later due to a leak in the rear of the car, sending the NAPA crew into the NEXTEL Cup garage to correct the problem. Further inspection found a leak in the car’s right rear brake caliper. The NAPA Dodge returned to the track on Lap 134, 24 laps down and in 42nd position.

“It felt better than our last long run,” Waltrip radioed under caution on Lap 155. “But I’m on fresh tires, so I guess we need to give it some time and see what we have.”  Baldwin made the call to bring Waltrip into the pits for fuel and four tires. On the restart, Waltrip climbed one spot into 41st-place.

A caution flag on Lap 331 allowed the NAPA crew to make adjustments to the car’s loose condition. “How’s the car, Michael?” Baldwin radioed. “It doesn’t turn good enough,” Waltrip replied. “That last adjustment worked a little, but I’m afraid if we do anything else it will only make the car handle worse.” Baldwin instructed the crew to go one (pound) down on the air pressure of the right front tire, replace all four tires, and refuel the No. 55 NAPA Dodge.

“The car’s awfully good at the start. It’s a shame we’re so many laps down,” Waltrip radioed on Lap 363, running in 35th-place. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team made final adjustments to the car’s air pressure and right rear wedge on Lap 400, and Waltrip managed to climb one more position before crossing the start-finish line for the final time in 34th-place. “Our performance out here didn’t show it and neither did our starting position, but this car ran pretty well,” Waltrip commented on the team’s results. “Everyone put in a lot of effort at the shop this week and it showed. We just didn’t have any luck.”

Trouble for the points leader and good runs for many of his closest pursuers left the Chase wide open on Sunday, setting up what is likely to be a wild four-race battle for the title. Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Bobby Labonte with 55 laps to go to win the crash-filled Subway 500, while 2003 champion Matt Kenseth replaced Jeff Burton atop the standings. Rookie Denny Hamlin, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will travel to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the Bass Pro Shops 500 on Sunday, October 29, 2006. Coverage will begin at 2:30 pm EDT on NBC and PRN.