Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr. reunite for Atlanta test
HAMPTON, Ga. - A crew chief is used to being in charge, so for a few weeks, Tony Eury Jr. had the strange feeling of being at the track but not being in charge.
Eury Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc. three weeks ago to get started at Hendrick Motorsports, where he will once again work with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008.
The two were back on the same radio Monday for the first day of a two-day NASCAR-sanctioned test of the car of tomorrow at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"It's really cool to be back with him, hear his comments and stuff like that," Eury Jr. said. "We're just ... trying some things, comparing what we'd run at DEI and what we run here at Hendrick. "We're learning a lot."
Earnhardt Jr.'s car was set up most like teammate Jimmie Johnson's, because Eury Jr. thought that would be the best setup for him.
Neither Jeff Gordon nor Johnson attended the test because they are battling for the 2007 Nextel Cup title - what would be the seventh Hendrick crown in the last 13 years. DEI has never won a Cup title.
"[The cars] are not that much different, but there is a lot more understanding of them [at Hendrick]," Eury Jr. said. "There's a lot more engineering. They dig deeper into it, and they can give you answers. There's several questions I had. I was doing things and not really know the reason.
"These guys put it in perspective and let me know what was going on, and I have a better understanding of that."
Eury Jr. is Earnhardt Jr.'s cousin, and his DEI contract tied him to Earnhardt Jr.
Once Earnhardt Jr. announced four months ago that he would move to Hendrick, it was considered a mere formality for Eury Jr. to do the same.
"Me and him got a great relationship, being cousins and everything," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He's been excited about me getting in his car. He's got a great attitude and it's good to work with him. It sure is."
Eury Jr. brought three crew members from DEI to Hendrick.
"This is the first time we're getting to be with the whole group here," Eury Jr. said. "I'm trying to be the bridge between Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Jr., just trying to help them understand him quicker.
"We've got a lot of work to do. We want to make sure we're game on when it comes to February."
