Three reasons Lance McGrew is right fit for Dale Jr.
Admittedly, I had some hesitation about whether or not Lance McGrew should return as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief next season. Especially now that Steve Addington has become available, it seemed possible that Addington – a proven winner – could be the guy to revive Earnhardt Jr.’s career.
But now that McGrew has had the interim label removed from his position, and after hearing both men talk about the decision on Friday, I think it’s the best move Hendrick Motorsports could have made right now.
Here are three reasons why:
• Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t have to start over next year. We’ve seen how important chemistry can be between a crew chief and driver, and the last thing Earnhardt Jr. needed was to show up at Daytona in February faced with another new start and all the pressure of trying to make a new combination work. With the decision to stick with McGrew behind it, the No. 88 team should be able to move forward and come into next season ready to shake off memories of 2009.
• McGrew has helped restore Earnhardt Jr.’s confidence. One of the biggest issues facing the sport’s most popular driver is his confidence has been eroded by the poor performance of the last couple seasons. As soon as his faith in himself returns to the level of the driver who has won 18 career races and made the Chase three times – numbers that prove he can drive a race car – Earnhardt Jr. will be much better off than he is now.
• Though the numbers don’t show it thanks to bad luck and other factors, Earnhardt Jr.’s performance has improved under McGrew – particularly in the races in which McGrew has built the cars himself. The trend in NASCAR is to build lighter cars, and McGrew understands how to get more speed out of the new car. Earnhardt Jr. has never shown that he’s comfortable in the new car, so as soon as the duo works to improve his trust in the cars, the entire team’s performance should be raised.
I still think Earnhardt Jr. can drive and win in NASCAR. The number of naysayers has grown over the past couple years, but if things go well with McGrew, I expect Earnhardt Jr. to be up front and contending for race wins again.
