FORT WORTH, TEXAS (November 5, 2006) –NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip battled an ill-handling race car, carburetor problems and a suspected water leak during the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway before engine failure brought his race to a premature end.

Waltrip, who qualified 38th, took the green flag in 36th when Mark Martin and David Stremme chose to race their back-up cars and were forced to start at the rear of the field. Waltrip advanced to 34th in the early laps of the 334-lap event but had slipped back to 42nd by Lap 26.

“Do you want to take a look at the carburetor?,” Waltrip radioed to crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. during the event’s first caution period on lap 41. “I think it’s messed up. We’re down on revs.” Baldwin directed the crew to examine the carburetor during the first pit stop and made the call for four tires, fuel and air-pressure adjustments on both front tires. After Waltrip brought the No. 55 NAPA Dodge in for service on Lap 42, Baldwin updated his driver: “We think we might have a water leak – we’re watching it. Check your temperatures.”

Soon after the restart on Lap 46, the two-time Daytona 500 champion encountered additional problems. “It’s so loose that I can hardly drive it in, but then it’s plowing off,” radioed Waltrip. “It’s like it’s been all weekend, but worse. And I think the carburetor is stuck again.”

“We’ll open up the hood and take a look at the carburetor and the hoses during our second stop,” explained Baldwin. “We’re going to fill the water up and check for that leak, too.”

Jeff Burton brought out the second yellow flag of the race on Lap 89, and Waltrip pitted with the race leaders to allow the NAPA crew to inspect his race car. “The temperatures are high – around 260,” relayed Waltrip. One lap later, he returned to the pits for four tires, fuel and a right-side track-bar adjustment. “The temperatures are down to 240,” radioed Waltrip as he returned to the racetrack.

Waltrip took the green flag in 41st for the restart on Lap 95, but 10 laps later, it was evident that the adjustments had not improved the car’s handling. “It’s really loose now,” Waltrip radioed on Lap 105. “It feels like you took the left-rear spring out and it’s going to spin out.” Just four laps later, Waltrip announced that the high temperatures he had experienced all day had taken their toll on the NAPA Dodge. “It just blew up,” he radioed. “It sounded like it just ran out of water. I guess we’ll know when we get it back to the shop. It’s just one of those deals, unfortunately. A tough weekend, but great effort, guys.”

As a result of the engine failure, Waltrip finished 43rd and earned his sixth DNF of the 2006 season.

Tony Stewart, who failed to qualify for the 10-race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup this season after winning his second NEXTEL Cup title last year, held off Jimmie Johnson for his fifth victory of the season and third in the last eight races. Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch finished third and fourth, respectively, while Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five. With two races remaining, Johnson leads the Chase by 17 points over Matt Kenseth.

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will travel to Phoenix International Raceway next week for the penultimate race of the 2006 NEXTEL Cup season. Coverage will begin Sunday, November 12 at 2:30 pm Eastern on NBC and MRN.