Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A shekara ta 2001, ƙungiyar ta yi tsere da NAPA ta tallafawa No. 15 (mai yiwuwa ne game da Ford Thunderbird No. 15 wanda Earnhardt ya tuka a 1982 da 1983 don Bud Moore Engineering). An sanar da Michael Waltrip a matsayin direba na kakar 2001. A farkonsa na farko na DEI, Waltrip ya lashe tserensa na farko a cikin shekaru 16 na aikinsa a 2001 Daytona 500
Ka yi haƙuri. Mafarkin Waltrip mai ban sha'awa ya zama mafarki mai ban tsoro, duk da haka, kamar yadda nasararsa ta kasance ta mutuwar Dale Earnhardt. Ba da daɗewa ba Waltrip ya tabbatar da cewa yana da ƙarfin hali a cikin manyan hanyoyi masu sauri, yana jagorantar zagaye a yawancin tseren Talladega da Daytona. Tsakanin 2001 da 2003, Waltrip ya lashe tsere huɗu (uku a Daytona da ɗaya a Talladega). Duk da haka, sau da yawa ya yi gwagwarmaya don samun sauri a waje da waɗannan waƙoƙi biyu. Bayan yanayi biyu masu ban takaici ba tare da nasara ba, gami da kammala maki na 25 a shekara ta 2005, Waltrip ya ba da sanarwar cewa ba zai ƙara tuka DEI ba, yana ɗaukar tallafin NAPA zuwa Bill Davis Racing na shekara guda kafin ƙirƙirar ƙungiyar tsere ta kansa.