They're back: Tony Eury Jr. helping Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Nationwide race at Atlanta
Tony Eury Jr. (left) talks to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the garage at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
HAMPTON, Ga. – Yes, that’s Tony Eury Jr. in a JR Motorsports shirt hanging out at the No. 5 Nationwide Series car that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is driving this weekend.
No, Eury Jr. says, he hasn’t changed jobs, just on assignment from Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who co-owns JR Motorsports with Earnhardt Jr.
Eury Jr. was replaced as Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports in May and was reassigned to the research and development department as well as crew chief for Brad Keselowski and his partial Sprint Cup schedule.
“Rick asked me to come over here and just hang out with the 5 [Nationwide] guys,” Eury Jr. said Saturday morning. “Maybe I can pinpoint some direction, try to help [crew chief Brian] Campe to get it up to speed. We’ve got Degree as a sponsor this weekend, and they’re sponsoring the race, so it’s a big weekend for JR Motorsports.
“I’m just here helping out and then I’ll be getting ready for Kansas and Brad.”
Maybe Eury Jr. was there to help Earnhardt Jr. with a Nationwide practice started at 8 a.m. EDT, which is pretty early in Earnhardt Jr.’s world.
“He’s definitely get better,” Eury Jr. said with a laugh about Earnhardt Jr. not being an early morning person. “I got a call from him Wednesday about 7:30 in the morning. I haven’t figured if he [hadn’t] gone to sleep yet or if he was just up that early.”
