There have been whispers, but nobody wants to say it- DEI is in trouble. For now, money isn't the problem,  communication and structure are, and as most in the business will tell you, one will eventually affect the other. DEI and it's fans can downplay the importance of Michael Waltrip leaving, but it was big. Sure he didn't dominate, but he did win, and Napa leaving with him has been received by some as a statement. Even though he wasn't the golden child, he left a void at DEI that it seems they cannot fill. So this leaves me to wonder if DEI can truly have a future if Jr. and/or Budweiser jump ship. I do not believe that Jr. himself can make or break DEI, but fans and sponsor confidence, both present and future, can.

Most Jr. fans are just that. They don't care who's right or wrong, Jr. can send somebody into the wall for a win and he's "just takin' after Daddy', but let someone do it to Jr. and the comments can't even be printed. They won't care who he races for, as long as he's racing. There are those who say it depends on where he goes, but as I think about all of those living room shrines to him, I doubt they'll abandon him. Which will leave DEI scrambling for public support.

On the subject of sponsors, DEI may be in more trouble than they realize. Napa is a major sponsor with long term intrest, and, as with UPS and Dale Jarrett, they realize that driver recognition equals product recognition. Yes, there are owners who are able to retain sponsors, regardless of the driver. Those teams,  however, have something that DEI needs- confidence in the owners ability to keep their logo up front. As details of Theresa's absence and lack of involvement cotinue to filter out, I can only assume that sponsors will begin to question the stability of DEI. Theresa's public absences coupled with the lack of true leadership at DEI could prove to be it's downfall. For now we can only speculate, but as I look to the past five years, I realize that not only has DEI's dominance abated, but it's teams seem to be in limbo.