Waltrip's TV star persona both a blessing and a curse (cont'd)

Yet Waltrip, especially during his heyday with Dale Earnhardt Inc., was everywhere, his Q Score climbing even after DEI's restrictor-plate dominance had faded and his best years as a driver were behind him. His innate ability to sell NAPA, or any other sponsor he had on his car that moment, separated him in the public eye from even drivers who were vastly superior on the track. Some drivers won. Waltrip pitched. To sponsors, both are equally as important.

Notes: Waltrip silent

Michael Waltrip met with NASCAR officials at Texas on Friday, but not with anyone else. The troubled Waltrip was out of character and didn't grant requests for interviews.

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The vestiges of that are seen even today, as Waltrip labors to right an organization that's been listing almost from the beginning. There are plenty of struggling teams in the Nextel Cup garage, plenty of drivers -- one of them, Ward Burton, also a former Daytona 500 champ -- who have difficulty making races because they're outside the top 35. There are two other Toyota operations struggling just as mightily as Waltrip's is. But Waltrip is the big story, because Waltrip is a television star.

And that, these days, is both a blessing and a curse. Waltrip's high profile out of the car keeps him in the headlines, allows him to sell NAPA even when he's not around on Sundays. But sponsors don't pay to miss races, something Waltrip did for the sixth consecutive time Friday when qualifying was rained out at Texas Motor Speedway. And it makes everyone wonder how much longer NAPA will stick with a driver who has become synonymous with the auto parts company.

"Domino's, Burger King, UPS and NAPA are paying a majority of the bills, and they don't want to hear anything about being here for a long time. They want to be here on Sunday," said vintage Waltrip, naming the sponsors of all three of his cars in an interview two weeks ago at Martinsville. "We have to start doing better at being here on Sundays."

For Waltrip, all those seasons of Busch team ownership and all that relentless sponsor pitching have led to this moment, and it's all started off horribly wrong. The three Nextel Cup cars that bear his name and the roller rink turned into a race shop outside Charlotte represent his life's work. He has no choice but to set his jaw and dig, just like a driver who finds himself laps behind the leader in the early portion of a race.

But if it all goes away tomorrow, if NAPA and Toyota swoop down and whisk away all they've invested in the driver, he won't walk away empty-handed. Michael Waltrip will always have television.