A New crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr was announced May 28th!
We all knew that this was coming! Hendrick Motorsports named Lance McGrew as interim crew chief of the #88 Sprint Cup Series team of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. starting on June 7th at Pocono Raceway. Team manager Brian Whitesell will lead the team this weekend at Dover. “Our performance hasn’t been where it should be,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “It’s impossible to pin that on any one factor, but a change is the right decision at this point. We have a plan in place, and we’re going to move forward with it.” Whitesell and Rex Stump, Hendrick Motorsports’ lead chassis engineer, have been assigned to support McGrew on a full-time basis. Whitesell, who won two of seven races as Jeff Gordon’s interim crew chief in 1999, will join McGrew and team engineer Tom Stewart on the #88 pit box to assist with race strategy. “We’re going to put our full resources toward improving the situation and winning races,” Hendrick said. “It’s going to be a collective effort that includes all of our drivers, all of our crew chiefs and all of our engineers. Everyone in our company will be involved on some level.” Tony Eury Jr. will move into a key role with Hendrick Motorsports’ research and development group. Eury posted one victory, one pole position, 19 top-10 finishes and 11 top-fives in 48 races with the #88 team.
If this change is successful, and Dale Jr’s performance improves, it will help the sport all around. Dale Earnhardt Jr diecast collectibles remain the number one seller, despite his less than outstanding record and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also named NASCAR’S Favorite driver for 2009. NASCAR fans are the most loyal fans in any sport and they will not turn their backs on their favorite son even when he is not winning….but we all know that he will, it is in his blood.
