Dale Earnhardt Jr. frustrated with situation but supportive of crew-chief change
By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new crew chief beginning with Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Rick Hendrick gave him and cousin Tony Eury Jr. more time than most owners would have to improve their performance before making a change Wednesday night to replace Eury Jr. as crew chief.
Brian Whitesell will serve as crew chief this week and then Lance McGrew will guide Earnhardt Jr., who made the Chase For The Sprint Cup last year but after 12 races in 2009 is 19th in the standings and 203 points out of 12th.
“I don’t have an explanation for our situation this year and why it’s been as miserable as it’s been,” Earnhardt Jr. told reporters during an appearance to promote next month’s race at Michigan International Speedway. “We changed nothing from last year. Of course we tailed off near the end of the year [finishing 12th].
“We really came into this year feeling we could rebound and have the type of success we were having in the first half of 2008 and we haven’t even gotten close to being mediocre. So there’s obviously something that’s not tangible that’s seriously wrong with the team and Rick and all the guys are going to figure out what that is.”
Earnhardt Jr. and Eury are childhood friends and have worked together for most of Earnhardt Jr.’s Sprint Cup career, which began full time in 2000. They both made the move from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports but have managed only one win since joining Hendrick for the 2008 season.
“To Rick Hendrick’s credit, they waited a lot longer to make this change than they probably would have considering the fact that me and Tony Jr. have a relationship like brothers,” Earnhardt Jr. said in the interview, provided to SceneDaily.com by Larry Henry of the Pit Pass USA radio show. “They gave us more time than anyone else probably would have gotten to try to make this work. To Tony Jr.’s credit, he tried everything he knew to try to give me what I needed at the race track and he worked and has always worked harder than anybody I know in the sport.
“The guy has devoted his entire existence toward working on race cars and he’s sacrificed extensive amounts to be where he is today. So it’s really, really disappointing that it didn’t work out because we gave everything we have to be there. And I think me and him both deserved for it to work out. So it’s really frustrating.”
While frustrated, Earnhardt Jr. said he supported the decision.
“I told Rick when me and Tony Jr. were quite aware how delicate our situation was over the last several weeks and we knew we needed to step up our performance somehow, some way to be able to keep our situation intact,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Me and Tony Jr. both told Rick throughout those six or eight to 10 weeks when they were starting to look at our situation really closely, me and Tony Jr. both told Rick to make the decisions they needed to make as a company and we would support them, whichever decisions they made, so that’s what’s happening.”
When Earnhardt Jr. started in Cup, Eury was his car chief and Tony Eury Sr. was his crew chief. In 2005, Eury Jr. was paired with Michael Waltrip at DEI but was reunited with Earnhardt Jr. – this time as crew chief – later in the season. They then went to Hendrick as a package.
“We are family and it was a pretty big risk, I guess, for me and him both to make the move and we really wanted it to work,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “And unfortunately we didn’t succeed. Being this is a business, Rick and the guys decided we needed to go in a new direction. I’m supportive and confident in the decisions that they make.
“They’ve got a lot of great success. There’s no arguing how to run a race team. I want to be in a good position, want to run as well as I can, have a lot of sponsors and a lot of responsibilities to put ourselves in that situation if we want to be able to race every weekend.”
Earnhardt Jr. tried to put it in perspective.
“I’ve been through a lot tougher things and situations like this,” said Earnhardt Jr., the son of the seven-time Cup champion who died in the 2001 Daytona 500. “They come and go and you move forward and you’ve got to go out and perform under the circumstance this weekend. We’ll band together the best we can and do the job the best we can. … So I’m pretty confident.
“I still have a good resolve and a good initiative and motivation to get up and get to the race track every weekend and see when we turn this around. Rick and the guys are positive about the decision that we’ve made to make the change in crew chief. They seem confident about the decision and that kind of makes me feel pretty good about it.”
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25 responses to "Dale Earnhardt Jr. frustrated with situation but supportive of crew-chief change". Post a Comment.
timmytoad1 said:
May 28, 2009 at 5:17 PMFrom Jr's reaction he has been waiting for Rick to make this change a long time ago. He didn't want to say he didn't want to have Eury as his crew chief anymore due to family loyalty. The situation is sad in a sense but it was a step in the right direction hopefully Eury Jr does well in his new role...
anonymous said:
May 28, 2009 at 5:59 PMThis whole deal has turned into a bad situation for all involved. Dale had the media at him every week. Rick had the sponsors at him every week. And the team was on pins and needles because everyone thought they were the problem. Now, it is up to Dale to get back into the top 10 and make the chase. If he doesn't perform with Lance he needs to pack his bags because he has a great guy leading that team now and they all respect Lance. Hes been around along time and he is just as good as Ray was. No more excuses.
Werner said:
May 28, 2009 at 6:20 PMi don't like this statement...“I don’t have an explanation for our situation this year and why it’s been as miserable as it’s been,” ...you have to have some kind of idea as to what's not working...we've seen other teams have bad cars and get them adjusted...some have even taken them to the garage, made major changes and used the rest of the race as a test...wasn't it Jeff Gordon that did that a few years back?...
terrishotcar8 said:
May 28, 2009 at 6:30 PMI believe that Dale is going to do just fine.Will be up front soon. I have alot of faith in him and his team.GOOD LUCK ON SUNDAY.
anonymous said:
May 28, 2009 at 6:59 PMLets face it. Dale is just an average driver. No more, no less. You can take Tony out and stick a new guy in there and Dale wont do any better. Its time for him to wake up and earn the 35 million he makes a year. I love it when the crowd goes wild when Kyle takes the lead like on Saturday when he passed Carl and when he passed Ryan and Jimmie in the Cup race. Dale has to know he is losing his fan base, His merchandise sales have dropped off more every week. MA has parked 2 of his trailers and are down to 3 now. The new AMP shirts stand for “ANOTHER MISSED PIT” and they are selling like hot cakes. He really needs to wake up.
KBfaninGA said:
May 28, 2009 at 7:30 PM“I still have a good resolve and a good initiative and motivation to get up and get to the race track every weekend" Unfortunately, that quote from Jr says a lot. He needs to have motivation to do more than get up and get to the race track, he needs to have motivation to WIN. He just seems to be lacking in the fire that I have seen in the past. Maybe this will work....but everyone needs to realize that it may take some time for the new team to "gel".
nexrad117 said:
May 28, 2009 at 7:30 PMAverage drivers don't win 18 cup races at the sports highest level or Win 2 Nationwide (then Busch series) championships. He is a great driver (hell he had to be to be able to keep the car from going into the fence every lap at Charlotte, even DW said so on TV) and will do fine in the long run. You can hear his frustration on his in car audio when he describes how the car is loose/tight etc coming in and out of a turn and all you hear TJ say is "10-4". He needs more back than just that and he gets frustrated. Its almost as if he assumes TJ notes what the car is doing so when they get a caution or green flag pit stop, they can adjust it and then its 10x worse than it was before. This change will bring out new thinking in both JR and his team and all for the better I think.
gwen_susie388 said:
May 28, 2009 at 8:10 PMThis is a very good article! I am glad to see that Dale Jr. is supportive of Rick Hendricks decision!! Especially when so many people said that Dale, Jr. would quit racing before he would race without Eury, Jr. and his crew chief! #5 ANONYMOUS, you sound just like Howard Englishman and use the same words he uses! And the fans never went wild over Kyle Busch!! And the JR. Fanbase is as strong as ever!!! GO Earnhardt, JR!!!!
pkakas said:
May 28, 2009 at 8:27 PMTony had to go! I’ve seen it when Dale Jr. would say the car is neutral and come in for tires and the car was messed up again. I hope things turn around now.
tampabbay99 said:
May 28, 2009 at 8:30 PMThis won't help. The sooner it is realized that Junior is a mediocre driver at best, the better. I really feel for the new CC. If Junior doesn't win, he will lose his job too. What a shame. For more discussion check out:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/NoBarNascar/
hwe said:
May 28, 2009 at 8:37 PMDale Jr.,I have faith in you and the 88 team,things will be fine,you are as good as any driver and better than a lot. The ones finding fault have never been in a race car and they aren't real bright either,if they met you face to face they wouldn't have the nerve to say the things that they write.You are a professional and you will get the job done this weekend and the next and the next,that's the kind of person I think you are. I am glad Tony still will work for Mr H. Phyllis
hwe said:
May 28, 2009 at 8:40 PM#10,looks like you are an Edwards fan.I congratulate him for all his wins this year
jessydoyle49 said:
May 28, 2009 at 9:14 PMThe troubles are in jr's head.--If he does'nt start going now with the change, He is done for.--He will be out of NASCAR by the end of the year.
gwen_susie388 said:
May 28, 2009 at 9:24 PMI just told Howard I quit drinking a long time ago!! But with that post above... I may have to start back. lol Jr. is going to do just fine! We will all just have to wait and see! Out of NASCAR<<<< NEVER!!! unless he decides to go out himself. lol
nexrad117 said:
May 28, 2009 at 10:31 PMJr has already said he welcomed this change since he's worked with Lance before and is familiar with his style. Lance has a Chad Knaus type approach to work, very methodical. He not only wants to evaluate the driver, he wants to evaluate the pit crew as well. Lance doesn't mince words and isn't afraid to tell it like it is which I think will help Jr alot. Lets give this switch sometime to see if it yields positive results. Even Brian Whitesell said he is starting this weekend at Dover with the normal chassis setups that the 24 and 48 and 5 bring to Dover Speedway instead of something the 88 team would come up with on their own. Lets sit and watch and see what the next few weeks yield for the team.
matthewallenhughes said:
May 28, 2009 at 10:52 PMI love it that people make up stuff like "Junior is losing his fan base." Come on. You know better than that. Junior nation is alive and well. Oh and #5, the fans have never cheered for Kyle Busch and I know because I watched that same race. Shut up. Junior's fan base isn't going anywhere.
PLUS, even if souvenier sales were down, that doesn't mean that Jr. was losing his fan base, it would just mean that people aren't happy with the 88's performance and just haven't been buying his stuff lately. I doubt it's fallen by very much if by any though.
matthewallenhughes said:
May 28, 2009 at 10:53 PMyeah, i actually still feel bad for Tony Jr.
jrwrx9 said:
May 29, 2009 at 6:26 AMMaybe the change should have been made on the other side of the steering wheel. I guess at least now we all can stop hearing the excuse of it being all Eury Jr.'s fault. Should be interesting to see what the new excuse will be.
rstuckey said:
May 29, 2009 at 8:36 AMGood driver/bad driver, good move/bad move...if Junior can't win at Hendricks Motors Sports, I'm not sure where he can win-again.
Truth said:
May 29, 2009 at 1:13 PMI think these two should have a social relationship and not a business relationship. Drink whisky together and not race cars together.
filmless said:
May 29, 2009 at 4:29 PMI'm broke and unemployed but will gladly donate what I can to send Jr to a speech class. This guy talks like a drop out from a 3rd world country.
Come on Mr H, drop a few more million on this guy and clean him up, we normal educated individuals would like to understand what he is saying.
Or at least hire a translator.
Werner said:
May 29, 2009 at 4:35 PMi'm willing to bet that some of the "bandwagon" fans have left Jr Nation...heck i'm in Packer country and i remember when we got the bandwagoneers when we went too the big game, but since then...they've gone on to the next best thing since sliced bread......
Turning_Left said:
May 29, 2009 at 7:53 PMWhat's good for Dale Jr. is also good for NASCAR.
All you Kyle Bush fans and other nay-sayers can chew on that.
e_rock43 said:
May 30, 2009 at 8:03 AMi agree with kyle busch, next time rick h is going to have to replace the driver(jr) . or jrs main sponsor will call rick h and tell him to put jr out of the car! and rick h will do as asked! jr needs to learn hes not replaceable! if the sponsor is not happy, you will lose your job. and from what im hearing mountain dew inc is getting upset!
e_rock43 said:
May 30, 2009 at 8:07 AMkyle busch is the man, jr could learn from this future champ! rich h 's patience is wearing thin! all i know is jr better win this sun and lead the most laps! he better make sure to stay in front of the legend(24) and the clone (48) !!! if not hes probably in trouble!!!!