Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson offers helping hand to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson is fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading into Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Scene
Three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson says he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates are committed to helping Dale Earnhardt Jr. turn around his struggling team and adapt to new crew chief Lance McGrew.
Team owner Rick Hendrick has shaken up Earnhardt Jr.’s 19th-place team, replacing crew chief Tony Eury Jr. with McGrew beginning next weekend at Pocono Raceway. Engineer Brian Whitesell will guide Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
Hendrick said everyone in the Hendrick organization will be asked to help Earnhardt Jr. and McGrew improve their performance.
Johnson said he is committed to helping in any way he can.
“As teammates, I need to do everything I can to explain my car and answer any questions Junior may have in our debriefing meetings and explain as much as I can, and the same for Jeff [Gordon] and Mark, [Martin],” Johnson said Friday at Dover. “That will help on Junior’s side. On the crew chief side, sharing all the notes and the same kind of communication lines that exist are there.
“Outside of that, I don’t know what else I can do. I’m here for my teammates, anything he needs from me, Jeff needs from me, Mark needs from me, I’m for it.”
Johnson noted that the four teams helped each other last season, testing together at times and driving each other’s cars, but NASCAR has largely banned testing this year.
“Last year we had the freedom of testing, and the whole company went to a test session and we took turns driving each other’s cars, and it really helped the 48 team turn around and rally back,” Johnson said. “Too bad we don’t have that now. That would be helpful, just to spend time driving each other’s cars and picking apart different suspension components and shock packages and things like that, but we don’t have that luxury right now.”
Johnson said he believes that Earnhardt Jr. and Eury Jr. have been focused and committed to improving their performance and have participated in meetings among the four Hendrick teams.
“Dale Jr. is on time for these meetings, and that’s a pretty big statement,” Johnson said jokingly. “One time we came into the truck and he had food and drinks for all of us.
“… I have seen a great commitment from both of them. Before they worked at Hendrick, rumors were around that maybe there wasn’t the focus or commitment. All that stuff is BS. Both those guys are extremely focused and extremely committed on what they are doing. That’s what makes this so tough. When they results aren’t there and the effort is there, it’s a hard world to live in, and they are both doing all they can. Sometimes you have to shake things up, and that’s what’s going on right now.”
Johnson, Gordon and Martin have all won races this season, and each is in the top 12 in points, while Earnhardt Jr. is winless and has slumped to 19th in points a year after making the Chase.
Johnson says Earnhardt Jr. and his team can adopt some of the same chassis setups that the other Hendrick drivers are using, but that it’s not that simple.
“Everybody has the same stuff and has access to all the same components, engines, bodies, everybody has that,” he said. “Based on drivers’ style and crew chief style and what works and what feeling a driver is looking for, that steers you in many different ways. And with today’s car and chassis and bump-stops … , there are a lot of options in today’s world, and decisions that are made based on style and feel and comfort take you down your own roads.
“It’s tough, and we’ve experienced many times, too, you watch your teammates run and they are successful with something and you put that in your car and it doesn’t work for you. Sometimes you are three-quarters of the way there, and that prevents you from making it work. When you try somebody else’s set-up, every single thing has to be there, or it won’t work. We have learned that time and time again.
“Then the other factor is the crew chief and the adjustments he makes. A car might not respond to the adjustments a crew chief is making with that particular setup. There are things that steer you in different ways.
“… There are a lot of different styles and ways to go about it, and sometimes it doesn’t work and you have to shake things up. There are a lot of options – and Tony is a really smart man – the options just weren’t working out.”
