Hendrick mum on future of Earnhardt's crew chief

By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer

May 26, 3:33 pm EDT

CONCORD, N.C. (AP)After months of firmly backing Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief, car owner Rick Hendrick was noncommittal about Tony Eury Jr.'s future Tuesday.

Although Hendrick said no personnel changes have been made on Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet, he declined to give Eury a vote of confidence a day after NASCAR's most popular driver was 40th in the Coca-Cola 600, his worst finish of the season.

Hendrick left open the possibility that Earnhardt could have a new crew chief this weekend in Dover, Del.

Could it change? Hendrick said following the sport's town hall meeting. We're talking about things. We're meeting. We're going to make decisions as the days go by. But we haven't made any decision as of right now.

Earnhardt ran near the back of the pack Monday and was two laps down in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, his worst showing since last season's finale in Homestead, Fla.

Earnhardt wasn't involved in a wreck and didn't have mechanical problems at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His car handled poorly all afternoon.

When the race was over, Earnhardt was left with his third consecutive finish outside the top 25. He's also been 20th or worse five times in the last six Sprint Cup events.

We just missed a setup, Hendrick said. I can't explain why because basically we're the same, all four cars. They all fought a lot of the same problems early on. Probably as a group, we were off. We've been better at Charlotte than we were yesterday. I was disappointed; our teams were disappointed. We've got to go back and look at what we did.

We just never could get (Earnhardt's) car adjusted back.

His teammates did.

Jimmie Johnson ran up front all day, but wound up 13th because of the final red-flag situation. Jeff Gordon finished 14th in what he called a horrendous car, and Mark Martin was three spots back after falling way behind because of a pit-road violation.

Earnhardt, who was testing on the road course at Virginia International Raceway on Tuesday and unavailable for comment, was way back all day. He's been in that position often in the last 11 months.

Earnhardt joined Hendrick before the 2007 season in what was arguably the biggest free-agent move in NASCAR history, and many believed getting the sport's most popular driver in the sport's best equipment would land Junior in Victory Lane early and often.

It hasn't happened.

He won once last season, at Michigan in June, but has been mostly mediocre in the 33 races since. He's finished outside the top 20 a telling 14 times during that stretch.

Some believe the problems have started to get in Earnhardt's head. Hendrick has said he was looking for new ways to get the team turned around. He said there had been several meetings and tons of information sharing with his other teams in hopes of finding some solutions.

But he's strongly backed Eury the whole way, insisting that Earnhardt's cousin and longtime crew chief is the right man for the job.

Until now.

Hendrick was asked specifically if Eury would be atop the pit box at Dover, but for the first time, did not give a firm confirmation.

We're always concerned when we have a car that doesn't run well, Hendrick said. We're always meeting and trying to figure what to do and how to make it better. That's just an ongoing situation. We've got to come up with a plan and we've got to work toward it.

NASCAR would be much better off just getting rid of

"A Clear and Present Danger." Junior is a wreck waiting

to happen. A poor driver with terrible judgement, and an

attitude driven by me, Me, ME!

Taking out the leaders a few weeks ago while "racing" for

the Lucky Dog was the last straw for me. No suspension,

fine or official criticism from NASCAR. There are other issues

I have with NASCAR, but after that incident, I really lost

a lot of passion for the sport.

>

First, I'm not a Junior fan.  I was a fan of his dad's.

Junior got where he is strictly because of his name.

He had zero success racing at the local level.  One year, while golfing at Myrtle Beach I went to the Myrtle Beach Speedway on a Fri or Sat night.

At the time I was involved with a local race team back home.

There was a black, tired looking, number 3 just turning laps at the back of the field.  Turned out it was junior.

Of all the Earnhardt kids, Dale's daughter Kelley showed the most promise at the local level.

But, back to Junior.

When he got to the big time, he showed he belonged there.  

Two Busch division championships were no fluke.  It can be argued that he had the best equipment.  That may be true, but equipment alone does not win championships.

He has won more races than most who have driven regularly at the cup level.

Last year, he was the top performer at Hendrick for most of the season.  Then he fizzled out.  That has continued to this date.

I'm of the opinion that Eury needs to go.  He never should have been hired in the first place.

It seems that Junior's heart is not in it.  If not that, something else is lacking, but he doesn't show any spark, let alone fire.

Too much money, popularity, or the pressure of trying to live up to dad's image, who knows?  Reality setting in?

The brouhaha with stepmother Theresa?

Do you suppose Rick Hendrick has second thoughts about letting Kyle get away?

First, I'm not a Junior fan. I was a fan of his dad's.

Junior got where he is strictly because of his name.

He had zero success racing at the local level. One year, while golfing at Myrtle Beach I went to the Myrtle Beach Speedway on a Fri or Sat night.

At the time I was involved with a local race team back home.

There was a black, tired looking, number 3 just turning laps at the back of the field. Turned out it was junior.

Of all the Earnhardt kids, Dale's daughter Kelley showed the most promise at the local level.

But, back to Junior.

When he got to the big time, he showed he belonged there.

Two Busch division championships were no fluke. It can be argued that he had the best equipment. That may be true, but equipment alone does not win championships.

He has won more races than most who have driven regularly at the cup level.

Last year, he was the top performer at Hendrick for most of the season. Then he fizzled out. That has continued to this date.

I'm of the opinion that Eury needs to go. He never should have been hired in the first place.

It seems that Junior's heart is not in it. If not that, something else is lacking, but he doesn't show any spark, let alone fire.

Too much money, popularity, or the pressure of trying to live up to dad's image, who knows? Reality setting in?

The brouhaha with stepmother Theresa?

Do you suppose Rick Hendrick has second thoughts about letting Kyle get away?

Kyle didn't have much more success when he was there (HAG).  I'm not saying he's not a good driver, but everyone thinks that since he's winning it has everything to do with him.  That's just not right.  Look at all the success Jeff Gordon had in the past.  He's fallen off considerably since his reign.  Do you really think he's lost the ability to drive a car?  Give me a break.  The kid is good but don't get carried away.  He has plenty of struggles ahead of him in his career.  Just look at his brother.

The difference though is that Kyle and Kurt have both already proven more than JR though and are younger than him.  All drive similar equipment.  From the sounds of that article, to me it really says something about JR.  Gordon, Martin and Jimmy all said their cars weren't good but got them inside the top 15.  JRs car wasn't very good finished at the back of the pack.  Its bad enough when a guy uses that excuse that everyones pit signs look the same, so he can't find his pit when you look down the row and none of them are the same.  Not the same color, not the same number, or sign or whatever.  

JR is a decent driver, but not a good or great driver.  Eury isn't the problem, nor firing him will be the answer.

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide).  He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle.  In fact, until last year it wasn't even close.  Kyle stumbled into a good thing.  He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.  

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors?  Lost me there.  If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup.  His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else.  We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place.  Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car.  I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one.  Junior has already proven he can drive a car.  I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his.  That's just plain ignorant (shocker).  

First, I'm not a Junior fan. I was a fan of his dad's.

Junior got where he is strictly because of his name.

He had zero success racing at the local level. One year, while golfing at Myrtle Beach I went to the Myrtle Beach Speedway on a Fri or Sat night.

At the time I was involved with a local race team back home.

There was a black, tired looking, number 3 just turning laps at the back of the field. Turned out it was junior.

Of all the Earnhardt kids, Dale's daughter Kelley showed the most promise at the local level.

But, back to Junior.

When he got to the big time, he showed he belonged there.

Two Busch division championships were no fluke. It can be argued that he had the best equipment. That may be true, but equipment alone does not win championships.

He has won more races than most who have driven regularly at the cup level.

Last year, he was the top performer at Hendrick for most of the season. Then he fizzled out. That has continued to this date.

I'm of the opinion that Eury needs to go. He never should have been hired in the first place.

It seems that Junior's heart is not in it. If not that, something else is lacking, but he doesn't show any spark, let alone fire.

Too much money, popularity, or the pressure of trying to live up to dad's image, who knows? Reality setting in?

The brouhaha with stepmother Theresa?

Do you suppose Rick Hendrick has second thoughts about letting Kyle get away?

Kyle didn't have much more success when he was there (HAG). I'm not saying he's not a good driver, but everyone thinks that since he's winning it has everything to do with him. That's just not right. Look at all the success Jeff Gordon had in the past. He's fallen off considerably since his reign. Do you really think he's lost the ability to drive a car? Give me a break. The kid is good but don't get carried away. He has plenty of struggles ahead of him in his career. Just look at his brother.

I don't think I mentioned Kyle, or Jeff.

I don't disagree about the crew chief.  In fact, the truth is auto racing is more about the car than it is the driver.  It's why communication/chemistry between driver and crew chief is so critical.

Jeff and Ray had that rarw chemistry, perhaps unlike any others before or since.

Some have had several win seasons, but Jeff and Ray combined for three seasons with more than ten wins.  Jeff was the dominant force in racing, and a threat to win every week.  Until they parted Jeff won nearly one out of every three or four races.

Of course, none of the above has a thing to do with what I said about Junior.

I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one.

The crew chief isnt necessarily responsible. There are very, very, very few drivers (one to be exact) who can clearly and consistently give feedback to the crew.

Earnhardt Jr. is not that good of a driver and as the competition level continues to rise he will continue to spiral downward toward mediocrity. His finishes were vastly above expectation for a good portion of his career, and he has since been performing at expectation, which is mid-pack.

Let the record speak for itself:

18 career wins

One win last year

(yellow flag finish)

breaking a 76 race losing streak.

No wins this year.

How "special" is that?

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide). He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle. In fact, until last year it wasn't even close. Kyle stumbled into a good thing. He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors? Lost me there. If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup. His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else. We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place. Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car. I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one. Junior has already proven he can drive a car. I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his. That's just plain ignorant (shocker).

What you have said is true.  But, it is also true that Kyle has matured (in on track racing, not off track antics) and has learned how to win.  He schooled everyone last year until the chase started and fell apart.

Junior started like a house a fire in his first two or three years then cooled off.

You are also correct regarding your assessment of Junior last year.

When I see Junior on television, he seems to lack the fire and the passion.  For whatever reason.

I expect a new crew chief for Junior after this weekend's race if Junior and his car do not perform as expected.

Long time and over due change, IMHO.  

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide). He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle. In fact, until last year it wasn't even close. Kyle stumbled into a good thing. He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors? Lost me there. If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup. His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else. We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place. Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car. I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one. Junior has already proven he can drive a car. I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his. That's just plain ignorant (shocker).

What you have said is true. But, it is also true that Kyle has matured (in on track racing, not off track antics) and has learned how to win. He schooled everyone last year until the chase started and fell apart.

Junior started like a house a fire in his first two or three years then cooled off.

You are also correct regarding your assessment of Junior last year.

When I see Junior on television, he seems to lack the fire and the passion. For whatever reason.

I'm not sure if Junior lacks the fire or not..., I don't know any definitive way to say for sure.

It blows my mind that a driver comes along and has one or two good years and people are ready to crown him the best in Nascar.  If you give him the best car he will win.  If you give another top tier driver the best car, they will win.  What makes a driver great isn't what they do with the best car, it's what they do with an average car.  Kyle hasn't had to face that much over the last season and a half, but don't worry his time will come again.  He's been there before and we all saw what he did...4 wins in 4 seasons with Hendrick.  How "special" is that?

First, I'm not a Junior fan. I was a fan of his dad's.

Junior got where he is strictly because of his name.

He had zero success racing at the local level. One year, while golfing at Myrtle Beach I went to the Myrtle Beach Speedway on a Fri or Sat night.

At the time I was involved with a local race team back home.

There was a black, tired looking, number 3 just turning laps at the back of the field. Turned out it was junior.

Of all the Earnhardt kids, Dale's daughter Kelley showed the most promise at the local level.

But, back to Junior.

When he got to the big time, he showed he belonged there.

Two Busch division championships were no fluke. It can be argued that he had the best equipment. That may be true, but equipment alone does not win championships.

He has won more races than most who have driven regularly at the cup level.

Last year, he was the top performer at Hendrick for most of the season. Then he fizzled out. That has continued to this date.

I'm of the opinion that Eury needs to go. He never should have been hired in the first place.

It seems that Junior's heart is not in it. If not that, something else is lacking, but he doesn't show any spark, let alone fire.

Too much money, popularity, or the pressure of trying to live up to dad's image, who knows? Reality setting in?

The brouhaha with stepmother Theresa?

Do you suppose Rick Hendrick has second thoughts about letting Kyle get away?

how well did that last name work for kerry earnhardt?

First, I'm not a Junior fan. I was a fan of his dad's.

Junior got where he is strictly because of his name.

He had zero success racing at the local level. One year, while golfing at Myrtle Beach I went to the Myrtle Beach Speedway on a Fri or Sat night.

At the time I was involved with a local race team back home.

There was a black, tired looking, number 3 just turning laps at the back of the field. Turned out it was junior.

Of all the Earnhardt kids, Dale's daughter Kelley showed the most promise at the local level.

But, back to Junior.

When he got to the big time, he showed he belonged there.

Two Busch division championships were no fluke. It can be argued that he had the best equipment. That may be true, but equipment alone does not win championships.

He has won more races than most who have driven regularly at the cup level.

Last year, he was the top performer at Hendrick for most of the season. Then he fizzled out. That has continued to this date.

I'm of the opinion that Eury needs to go. He never should have been hired in the first place.

It seems that Junior's heart is not in it. If not that, something else is lacking, but he doesn't show any spark, let alone fire.

Too much money, popularity, or the pressure of trying to live up to dad's image, who knows? Reality setting in?

The brouhaha with stepmother Theresa?

Do you suppose Rick Hendrick has second thoughts about letting Kyle get away?

how well did that last name work for kerry earnhardt?

Kerry didn't have Dale for a first name and a Jr. after Earnhardt.

Doesn't change the fact that the name and connection is what got Junior there.  His career in late models at the local level was less than mediocre.

It was not the stuff that would get any aspiring racer noticed by someone, other than family or close friend at the higher levels.

History is what it is.  It's not a matter of opinion.

i shouldnt even be reading these threads. thank god its not a matter of opinion cuzz now mine doesnt matter i guess.

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide). He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle. In fact, until last year it wasn't even close. Kyle stumbled into a good thing. He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors? Lost me there. If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup. His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else. We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place. Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car. I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one. Junior has already proven he can drive a car. I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his. That's just plain ignorant (shocker).

Congrats.  Jr has 3 more wins than Shrub in 5 more years of racing at the big boy level.  Shrub also had more wins in his first 48 races than JR has had in his first 48 with Hendricks.  I didn't say he was a wreck waiting to happen, its just that he's not an elite person to stick behind the wheel.  He an average driver, that tends to have a problem figuring out where he gets his car fueled and worked on occasionally.  

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide). He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle. In fact, until last year it wasn't even close. Kyle stumbled into a good thing. He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors? Lost me there. If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup. His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else. We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place. Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car. I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one. Junior has already proven he can drive a car. I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his. That's just plain ignorant (shocker).

Congrats. Jr has 3 more wins than Shrub in 5 more years of racing at the big boy level. Shrub also had more wins in his first 48 races than JR has had in his first 48 with Hendricks. I didn't say he was a wreck waiting to happen, its just that he's not an elite person to stick behind the wheel. He an average driver, that tends to have a problem figuring out where he gets his car fueled and worked on occasionally.

right, and all jrs fans are just rednecks, which must mean something.........

Junior has had plenty off success in his career (both Sprint and Nationwide). He still has more career Spritn wins than Kyle. In fact, until last year it wasn't even close. Kyle stumbled into a good thing. He didn't do squat when he was with Hendrick either.

So since Juniors teamates cars weren't good that automatically means their cars are just as bad as Juniors? Lost me there. If you saw how loose he was coming off of turn two every lap, you would know he was fighting a really bad setup. His car was so loose that he went to the back on purpose so he wouldn't wreck anyone else. We heard him say that on the scanner.

Last year he started the chase in 3rd place. Since then, something has gone drastically wrong with the handling of his car. I'm not an expert, but if in that amount of time the crew chief can't get the car right, it's time to find a new one. Junior has already proven he can drive a car. I'm not saying he's the best or even as good as his dad, but he's not the wreck waiting to happen that you think he his. That's just plain ignorant (shocker).

Congrats. Jr has 3 more wins than Shrub in 5 more years of racing at the big boy level. Shrub also had more wins in his first 48 races than JR has had in his first 48 with Hendricks. I didn't say he was a wreck waiting to happen, its just that he's not an elite person to stick behind the wheel. He an average driver, that tends to have a problem figuring out where he gets his car fueled and worked on occasionally.

Like I said, he walked into a good thing.  He's already proven he's capable of mediocrity.

Now official, Eury is no longer Jr's crew chief and will be taking on some other roll with the team.

If you've read the Reutimann threads, you'll see what the Jr. fans think of Kyle. The reason is obvious. Kyle drives like Sr. and they can't stand that Jr, can't. If Kyle Busch was the exact same person that he is with the name Dale Earnhart Jr., they would love him and hate Jr., who would hypothetically be Kyle Busch in this scenario. When Hendrick dropped Kyle to pick up Jr., I thought it was the stupidest business move I'd ever seen in NASCAR. Dropping a rising star to pick up a never was!

~B.A.S.S.~N.A.F.C.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~A.M.A.~

It seems from reading the replies, I've been misunderstood.

I said I was not a Junior fan, and I'm not.  That does not mean I do not like him.  It simply means I do not root for him, which puts him in the category of most if not all other drivers.

I said that because I was pointing out that while Junior did not have a racing career at the local level that justified Sr. putting him in a Busch Series car, he did prove that he belonged.

He won two championships, and several Cup races.

Had he been anyone, but Dale's, or perhaps another driver's son, he would not have gotten that chance.

However he did, and he made the most of it.  The first few years were kind to Junior.  

The last few years, not so much, in racing and his tribulations with stepmom.

It seems from reading the replies, I've been misunderstood.

I said I was not a Junior fan, and I'm not. That does not mean I do not like him. It simply means I do not root for him, which puts him in the category of most if not all other drivers.

I said that because I was pointing out that while Junior did not have a racing career at the local level that justified Sr. putting him in a Busch Series car, he did prove that he belonged.

He won two championships, and several Cup races.

Had he been anyone, but Dale's, or perhaps another driver's son, he would not have gotten that chance.

However he did, and he made the most of it. The first few years were kind to Junior.

The last few years, not so much, in racing and his tribulations with stepmom.

what i think is laughable is Dales son Kerry tried to pull the "im an Earnhardt" card as well and washed out. Dale jr ran better than Jeff Gordon for most of last year. how many races has jeff won of late? is jeff washed up too?

dale sr gave dale jr a Busch car. dale jr went out and won everything in that car. you think dale sr held a gun to Budweisers head and made them sponsor Dale jr?

what about Kevin Harvick? he has dale sr's old ride. how did he earn that?

the only reason jr is even a topic right now is 90% due to the media. the media shoved jr down our throats. the non-jr fans (including me) love the idea the balloon is deflating.

i dont like Kyle Busch, but it has nothing to do with sr. the reason i dont like him is hes not humble in the least. any time something goes wrong on the track he runs off like a spoiled brat. the last year he drove the #5 car he left the track while the car was being fixed, remember jr finishing the race in the car for him?

The redneck comment was a joke, lighten up Francis. I saw Kerry run at Myrtle Beach when he was trying to give it a go as well, much like JR. Wasn't bad, but wasn't good either. Jeffrey, Kerry's son, will probably be a better racer than JR from what I have heard.

And on the Harvick comment, he did earn it.  Basically, Sr told Childress that if he didn't hire Harvick (talking about a future ride in RCR) that SR was going to put him in a DEI car.  I don't like Harvick, but he impressed SR, enough so, that its basically why he replaced SR.  

This will really endure the JR fans to Shrub.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4214602

This will really endure the JR fans to Shrub.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4214602

i read that...................

i wonder why kyle is the only driver so far to come out and say stuff like that.