Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally got a break! Junior is getting a new crew! As many of us Earnhardt fans will tell you, "It's about time."
Not to take anything away from Tony Eury Sr., he's guided Junior to 15 Cup Series victories, six of which have come this season. Some observers might come to the conclusion that Eury has finally come into this own as a crew chief, and that moving him from Junior's team at this point could prove to be a fatal mistake for one of NASCAR's top star drivers.
Who can say at this point in time? Most of us have complained about Eury in the past, he's made some evident mistakes that may or may not have cost Dale Jr. race wins, and now he's getting moved up the ladder within the Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) organization. Eury Sr. will assume the post of Director of Competition, replacing Steve Hmiel, who will now serve as the company's technical director.
Pete Rondeau will replace Eury as crew chief of the #8 Budweiser Chevy. Rondeau recently filled in as crew chief for Michael Waltrip on DEI's #15 Chevy late in this past season. He also led Dale Jr. to a Busch Series victory in 2004 at Bristol, and led Ron Fellows to a second place Cup Series finish at Watkins Glen.
Tony Eury Jr., former car chief on the #8 for five seasons, will take over the crew chief duties for Michael Waltrip on the #15. Eury Jr. was also very much involved with Dale Jr.'s winning of two Busch Series Championships.
Not only will the crew chiefs change for the #8 and #15 Cup Series entries for DEI, the crews will change as well. The entire #15 crew will now be assigned to the #8 Budweiser Chevy, while the present members of the #8 crew will transfer to the #15 under Eury Jr.'s leadership.
It's hard to say if things will get better for Earnhardt and Waltrip, but you can rest assured, there'll be a learning curve associated with the transfer of both teams, even thought they do have some experience working together. They will both have to get used to the idiosyncrasies of the prospective drivers involved. To quote Bob Dylan, "Time will tell, who has fell, and who's been left behind. When you go your way and I go mine."
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