The demise of Michael Waltrip Racing is sad on so many levels.
First off, I really feel for all the good folks who put their hearts and souls into building a race team that was on the verge of becoming among the elite in the sport. Here's hoping they can find good opportunities on other teams.
Second, with a namesake as camera-friendly as he was, the organization appeared to be a sponsor's dream; not to mention one of the Toyota originals.
The saddest thing of all is that, when you remember the legacy of MWR, it's largely going to be one of indiscretion. There's the feel-good win by Brian Vickers as a part-time driver at New Hampshire and David Reutimann's rain—shortened win in the Coke 600 (which was the organization's first). But beyond those, and possibly overshadowing those, are MWR's first race, when they were caught with an illegal fuel additive and the Richmond manipulation, which even Rob Kauffman acknowledged, was the beginning of the end.
And, while things went south, where was the face of the team? Playing broadcaster and in Nero-like fashion, dancing while MWR burned.
This sport is in need of young owners and, it's a shame that one of the ones we had pinned hopes on is going away.