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Family ties remain strong between Tony Eury Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports' Tony Eury Jr. will work as Brad Keselowski's crew chief in Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
JOLIET, Ill. – Tony Eury Jr., who is back at a NASCAR Sprint Cup track for the first time this weekend since ending his role as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., says there are no ill feelings between he and his cousin and that the two maintain a close bond outside of racing.
Eury was Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and then Hendrick Motorsports before being reassigned within the Hendrick organization after this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Eury is at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend working as crew chief for Brad Keselowski, who is making one of several scheduled Cup starts this season in Hendrick’s part-time No. 25 Chevrolet.
“It was kind of emotional for both of us,” Eury said of how he and Earnhardt Jr. felt when told by team owner Rick Hendrick they would no longer be together. “In no way shape or form am I going to let this sport get in between me and Dale Jr. – that’s the biggest thing. It was a job, I enjoyed being around Dale Jr., but still do. He’s family; we go deeper than this racing deal and I’ve always wanted him to have the opportunity if he has to be with somebody else, if that brings him up a scale, then I’ve always been for that.
“So I’m just looking forward to working with Brad. Me and Dale Jr. have got plenty of hunts planned together, going to do things outside of racing and to be honest with you, I don’t think we’ve really talked a whole lot of racing when we do talk, so I think that’s pretty cool.”
Eury, who won two races as Earnhardt Jr.’s Cup crew chief after several years as Earnhardt Jr.’s car chief, says his emotions were mixed upon learning he would be reassigned to a research-and-development role at Hendrick that allows him to occasionally serve as crew chief for the company’s part-time Cup team.
“In one shape and form it was like, ‘Cool, I’m glad this is over with’ and the next one it was like, ‘I feel like I let my cousin down.,’” Eury said. “I’ve done a lot for him, he’s done a lot for me, but we enjoy racing together. I think a lot of people put him on a pedestal that he doesn’t need to be on. They put a lot of pressure on him to be somebody that he’s not going to be. Dale Jr. is a great race-car driver, but I just think that he’s got so much pressure on him that he doesn’t enjoy it right now. I just told him, ‘Man, you just need to start enjoying yourself more.’ And that’s kind of where I was at.
“You get blasted in the media and you have to go home. My wife wouldn’t even watch the race. You’d come home and she’d say, ‘Where’d y’all finish?’ because she doesn’t want to sit there and hear the negativity on it. I fought it for a long time and at some point in time you have to weigh it and say, ‘Is it worth it?’ And it wasn’t.”
Eury believes that Earnhardt Jr. has been bothered by the steady pressure that comes with being NASCAR’s most popular driver. Beginning with a disastrous performance in the season-opening Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr.’s season has never really gotten on track as has just three top-10s in 18 starts.
“My personal opinion is you guys [in the media] put so much pressure on him after Daytona that Dale Jr. just basically had had enough, if you want to get down to it,” Eury said. “We went to Daytona and had a shot at winning that race, had some problems on pit road, but we ain’t going to slam Dale Jr. We’re going to pick him up and say let’s go to Vegas. We went to California and we blew up, so there’s two negative weeks and you guys were all over him and it just brought him down.
“I think we didn’t have a strong enough finish to bring him back up, so every week the hole gets deeper and deeper and deeper and it’s like you’re throwing a squirrel into a hole. It’s not coming out. It says, ‘I’ll dig the other way to get away from it.’”
Another factor in Earnhardt Jr.’s struggles is what Eury calls “a rollercoaster with him as far as communication.”
“I’ve had it out [with him] and the media’s blasted me for having it out with him when we first started,” he said. “We went to a more conservative role where we didn’t say anything, we got blasted because we didn’t talk enough. I mean at Atlanta, I think we finished 11th this year and the first thing you read in the paper is ‘The end’s near because they’re not talking.’ So you’re like, ‘OK, so which way to do they want it?’ So we basically just quit talking on the radio because there’s different ways we can do it. It’s unfortunate that it had to come to that, but we still believed in each other and that’s all that matters.”
Eury believes Earnhardt Jr. has had better lines of communication with his replacement, interim crew chief Lance McGrew. The pair has three top-15s in six starts together but no top-10s.
“He’s a lot more open with Lance and Lance hasn’t got those chewings [out] yet to be able to be quiet,” Eury said. “They’ll be on the way but that’s a good thing. Dale Jr.’s just more open right now.”
Mentioned Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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23 responses to "Family ties remain strong between Tony Eury Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ". Post a Comment.
ipopthekeg said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 2:39 PMEury believes that Earnhardt Jr. has been bothered by the steady pressure that comes with being NASCAR’s most popular driver. ..................................................DO YOU HEAR THAT JR FANS, ITS YOUR FAULT.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTerryRaceFan said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 2:47 PMEury Jr should have included the fans, along with the media, of putting pressure on Dale Jr. It's not just the media that puts him on that pedestal, whether he belongs there or not. He said it best: They put a lot of pressure on him to be somebody that he’s not going to be.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale88fan said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 2:56 PMI for one wont vote him most popular driver this year because I dont want another year like this one. That stupid little trophy means nothing compared to that big Cup trophy.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportwolverine-2009 said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 3:22 PM“They’ll be on the way but that’s a good thing. Dale Jr.’s just more open right now.”
Report as AbuseHahaha! I have never heard of "chewing out."
Should we expect a change in the communication?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale-jr-is-the-greatest-driver-alive said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 3:38 PMyou go tony im rooting for you too win this race because your a great crew cheif you will always bee onle of my faves no matter what it feels good to see him up their i cant wait for the race.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDickHURTZ said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 3:54 PM# 1 you didn't read careful enough it was "the MEDIA'S fault according to Eury Jr.. I agree with you - it's THE NATION'S f=FAULT. They have him on a higher then deserved pedestal.
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» Confirm Abuse Report4-DA-88 said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 4:26 PMGreat article.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmartins140 said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 4:33 PMDale Jr and Tony Jr were not meant to be driver and crew chief, it is as simple as that! When ever there was a problem the media had a field day. It is over and done with, enough of the blame game, let it go and get on with racing. I hope they are both successful in the role they are now in.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmare said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 4:40 PM#3 Why not vote for him this year anyway-he can deserve the trophy again, being it's a shame he won't be in the chase--- If he is your driver---give him the vote.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMrWalleye2U said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 5:41 PMIt's going to show that Tony Jr knows how to set up a car. Brad will finish a head of Jr.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportpj88 said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 6:01 PMI vote for Jr and will continue to do so. If you listen to Jr, he said the media puts the pressure on. When a writer or a talk show wants attention,they write stories about Jr and get people worked up. Sirius nascar hosts have used Jr to get people to call in ,they start a lot of stuff just to get callers for their show.I am a Dale Jr fan and if he wins or not has nothing to do with it.I thank God that he isn't his DadI like TJ also but I know it is very hard for family to work together.I am glad that they're still friends and when Jr does win the championship,I bet that TJ will be a part of the celebration.I know when I vote for mpd ,that's what it is. It doesn't say vote for the best driver,it's for the one you like the best and that's Dale Jr. two million fans are not wrong.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndi said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 6:56 PM#10....oh the Eury Jr haters would just love to see that. haha. *note sarcasm*
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 7:11 PMmakes sense to be that they still have strong ties...it was Rick that made them split up...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKenL88 said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 10:04 PMTheir family they grew up together they will always be close. Tony is good at what he does.And he states how good Dale is but than all his fans already know this. It is why he will remain MPD no matter what happens.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportlhsjrf said:
Jul 9, 2009 at 11:04 PMI think half the problem with Jr. is that Hendrick has tried to change him TOO much. Tell him how to talk on the radio, what to eat, how much to work out, so on and so on. You can only change someone so much. You have to let them be who they are. TOO many changes. Also being told each and day you get out of bed that you are no good will weigh on anyone. Some need to have to hear that each day of their life and see what becomes of you.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportwolverine-2009 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:51 AM#15. I will agree. Jeff and Jimmy have a pretty boy image. Rick wants to mold Dale. It is unfair to an extent. It is like forcing the children to eat the veggies. They will resist.
Report as AbuseOr Rick knows how to mold champions. The changes Rick wants to implement will only benefit him. If Dale wants a championship, he should be willing to put forth effort, no matter how drastic the changes to obtain.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrockon88 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 7:15 AMThey will both do just fine, right now the media is slacking off on Jr and he does seem happier now with his cars, he's done great the past couple of weeks, only to have bad luck, and Tony will do a great job with Brad. Good luck to you both this weekend!
Report as AbuseRock on Jr Rock on!!! Oh and I will continue to vote him as most popular!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkyle18fan said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:40 PMit wont make him drive any better.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkyle18fan said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:40 PMit wont make him drive any better.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale-jr-is-the-greatest-driver-alive said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:57 PMkyle18 he doesn't need too
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterris88sem said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:57 PMGood luck to both Dale JR and Tony JR in what ever they do. Dale is still my driver know matter how he finishes. And I like other drivers to.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportg-campbell54 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 1:59 PMkyle18fan you need to worry about your boy making the chase don't ya think?????????
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» Confirm Abuse Reportwolverine-2009 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:24 PMDale is a driver on a professional level. He should be able to concentrate/focus no matter the distraction. Not being interviewed is not going to add anything.
Report as AbuseIf his concentration is so far off, perhaps, he suffers from ADHD.
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