#88 crew chief change ?

Quote :

More rumors on #88 crew chief change UPDATE: a reliable source tells me [Sports Illustrated] that Tony Eury Jr. won't be the crew chief of the #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. as of Dover this weekend. Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen, but the two weeks in Charlotte made it obvious both driver and team need a change.(Sports Illustrated)(5-26-2009)
UPDATE: Team owner Rick Hendrick, who has previously said he doesn't plan to make changes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 team, wasn't as definitive on Tuesday. "Could it change?" Hendrick said Tuesday following a meeting with NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center. "We're talking about things. We're going to make decisions as the days go by, but we haven't made any decisions as it stands now." Earnhardt Jr. finished 40th in Monday's rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600. Hendrick did not specifically address breaking up Earnhardt and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. But in the past when discussing changes he made it clear that wasn't a consideration. He wasn't so clear on Tuesday with Earnhardt 19th in points, 203 behind Mark Martin for the 12th and final Chase spot. "We're always concerned when we have a car not run well," Hendrick said. "We're always meeting and trying to figure out how to make it better. We've got to come up with a plan and we've got to work toward that. We thought we had a pretty good plan coming to Charlotte. I was fairly pleased with the All-Star race and thought we would do better Sunday. We weren't."(ESPN)(5-26-2009)

Well, it can't hurt.
If it does happen I wonder if they will switch CC's among the drives or go outside?

If Rick was smart, he'd leave the other three teams alone. They're doing much better than the #88 team has this season.

Swap 88 and 48 crew chiefs... that would be interesting!

TeamBlueOval wrote:

Swap 88 and 48 crew chiefs... that would be interesting!

I love it!!!
Great idea Andrew

Never Happen but I sure would like to see it happen, at least for one race

It's official, Eury Jr is out. http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/9620728/Eury-Jr.-out-as-Earnhardt%27s-crew-chief

It is about time- they have never worked very well together, honestly. Jr's best time came when he had Eury Sr on the box. It will be interesting to see if they bring him back or go will someone else. Either way, I definitely expect the performance to step up.

I think this is a good move on Hendrick's part. Let's find out what the real problem is: the crew chief or the driver?

I think it is certainly possible that the driver is the problem. JMO

I agree with you Andrew.
I guess we'll find out over the next few weeks.
Personally I think Jr. is way overrated ~JMO

I agree, I think it's Jr. He never has been a championship contender in Cup.

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CUP: It’s Up To Earnhardt NowWritten by: Larry Woody 05/28/2009 - 06:53 PM
Charlotte, NC The Eury/Earnhardt combination managed one win in 48 races and Junior had sunk to 19th in the standings. (Photo: Todd Warshaw, Getty images) » More Photos
The splash that so many had been anticipating finally was heard yesterday morning.

Tony Eury Jr. was thrown overboard.

He’s no longer crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Brian Whitesell will take over this weekend at Dover – and with Eury’s exit goes another excuse.

The Eury/Earnhardt combination wasn’t working. They managed one win in 48 races and Junior had sunk to 19th in the standings.

Last Monday’s Charlotte debacle was the last straw. Junior finished 40th, two laps down, and it would have been even worse if rain hadn’t cut the race short.

Two questions:

1. What took team owner Rick Hendrick so long to make the change? By delaying the inevitable did he fiddle away Junior’s chance to make the Chase?

2. More importantly, will the change make any difference? Or is Eury simply the fall guy for deeper problems, a human sacrifice to appease the racing gods?

I suppose you have to give Hendrick credit for being loyal for so long. He waited and waited to pull the plug. But as he finally admitted, a shakeup had to be made.

I don’t think all the problems could be blamed on Eury. I’ve always thought that a crew chief is like a football quarterback – he gets too much credit when the team wins and too much blame when it loses.

But that’s the nature of the job. He makes an easy target, perched up there on pit road.

When Dale Jr. was struggling at DEI his fans said his cars weren’t up to snuff.

So last year he jumped to Hendrick Motorsports which over the years has fielded a fleet of championship-caliber cars for three different divers. But Junior didn’t fare much better after his change of scenery.

After 12 races this season Dale Junior’s three teammates all have won: Mark Martin twice and Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon once each. All are in the Top 12 in the standing. Junior is mired in 19th.

The success of his teammates magnified Earnhardt’s struggles. How come their cars are so fastand his is so slow?

Hendrick at last realized that he can’t keep twiddling his thumbs while the sport’s most popular driver slowly sinks from sight.

So now the change has been made. The shakeup has happened. And the Junior Nation waits with bated breath and crossed fingers to see if Earnhardt’s performance is enhanced.

It’s unfair to dump too many instant expectations on the new crew chief, just as it was unfair to dump too much of the blame on the old one.

But who said life – or racing –was fair?

A lot of folks involved with the team are making a lot of money to produce, and they haven’t been doing it. So now the screws have been tightened, another excuse has been eliminated.

And the question looms large: If this doesn’t do the trick, then what?

Sound Off: Dale Earnhardt Jr. http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2009/05/29/cup.dov.high.media.dalejunior.nascar/
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he is disappointed with his lack of success with Tony Eury Jr. but has hope with the change of crew chiefs.

He doesn't sound like he has much confidence.
It's time for Jr to step up to the plate.