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Earnhardt and Eury ready to begin at HMS
DOVER, Del. - There was more that emerged from the Dale Earnhardt Jr./Hendrick Motorsports sponsorship announcement last Wednesday than just numbers and paint schemes.
The occasion had all the energy of Christmas morning. Rick Hendrick "wished that Daytona was tomorrow." Earnhardt Jr. was beyond giddy while describing his involvement in the car design process and joining forces with the most successful owner in NASCAR.
The exchange between the principals and guests went swimmingly until an absurd question was asked of whether future teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would act as mentors for Junior. The driver could have offered a very patronizing answer. He didn't. In true Hendrick fashion, the soon to be Driver 88 remained composed and diplomatic, hopefully enlightening the racing novice.
"To be honest with you, I feel like I'm the best driver out there," Earnhardt answered. "I think every driver will have that attitude. I don't feel it's overconfident to have it. I feel like my crew chief needs to feel the same way, and I need to feel that way about him. It goes on down the line to each crew member and everybody that ever touches or ever has any association with the car itself."
Hendrick made a point of clarifying the issue as well.
"I think when you have a driver of his caliber ... I don't think our guys are gonna be able to mentor Dale Earnhardt or teach him anything," Hendrick replied. "He's got tremendous talent, and so does Tony (Eury) Jr."
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr.'s belief in Earnhardt has enabled the No. 8 to remain competitive against the sports giants. Eury's seen what Earnhardt could do throughout Late Models, the Busch Series and Nextel Cup. He expects his driver to blossom within the Hendrick family, whose roots reach back to Eury and Earnhardt's maternal grandfather Robert Gee.
"When we come in this deal, you had Dale Sr., who had done everything," Eury said. "You had (Steve) Park, who was a rookie, but he'd been doing it for a couple of years. We were humbled when we came to Cup. We thought we could do a lot better than we did.
"Going over there, Dale Jr. is as good a driver, or better, than those two guys. That's what I think. Those are two great drivers, three great drivers. I think that whole group of guys over there are great drivers, but there's only a certain amount of drivers in this garage that can take it to the next level and have that extra gear to find out what the car has when it ain't at its best — and Dale Jr.'s one of them. We've been behind on a lot of stuff over the past couple years, and to be able to walk over there, it's like going in a candy store."
Earnhardt is enjoying a renewed confidence. He's never lost his driver's swagger but there's an assurance knowing he has the support of his trusted sidekick/crew chief/cousin Tony Eury Jr. and will be driving competitive, consistent equipment.
That has to be an aphrodisiac for a racer. Let's call it 'The Hendrick Experience.' Earnhardt had a little taste of that at Texas Motor Speedway when he subbed for Kyle Busch in the No. 5. Even a damaged Hendrick car was better than the average ride Earnhardt had competed in over the last eight years. While Earnhardt chose not to compare the resources of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Hendrick Motorsports, the numbers don't lie. There's not another organization that comes close to matching HMS' 12 victories in just 28 races this season.
"Everybody knows that Rick's is the best thing going right now," Earnhardt said. "He has the best cars, the best track record, he's got a lot of great drivers. His equipment, everything over there is top-notch, from one end of the shop to the other.
"So, I think, when you put me and Tony Jr., who have proven to be a successful combination, in that kind of equipment, it can only mean more success than we actually have achieved in the past. I'm anticipating hitting the ground running from Daytona on."
To achieve that goal, Eury, 34, will leave his DEI post after Talladega to lay the foundation for the No. 88 team. Current car chief Tony Gibson will assume the No. 8 car's crew chief role (a position he held for six races this season after Eury was suspended for a rules violation at Darlington in May) with Eury's engineer H.A. Merkin. For Eury, there are people to meet, systems to learn and cars to build for the extensive testing Earnhardt hopes to perform to acclimate to the Hendrick-style Car of Tomorrows that will run exclusively in 2008.
"When I first thought about getting out of my contract, I told Max (Siegel, DEI president of global operations), 'Look, if we make the Chase I'll work with you to November,'" Eury said. "If we don't, at some point in time I'll go do my deal and Gibson can step in and get ahead on his game. It's a benefit for both of us.
"The reason I picked the timeframe is because I think we'll have everything in line by then. These guys, I wasn't going to ditch them and leave them in a hole. All the cars should be lined up ready to go in the shop. They'll just have to put the motors in. We're not going to put these guys in a bind in any way shape or form."
Eury will work extensively alongside Casey Mears' crew chief Darian Grubb and Alan Gustafson, who is currently crew chief for Kyle Busch. Grubb will join the No. 88 next season as the team manager/engineer. Gustafson will lead Mears and the No. 5 team. He has worked at Hendrick since 2000 when he started as a shock specialist.
"It's definitely a new role for me," Eury said. "I have a bigger learning curve than Dale Jr. Dale Jr. just has to go over there and do his gig and I have to make the car go fast. I have to go over there, figure out my deal and get ready.
"There's a team there already. I'm going to take four of my guys from this particular team and jell them in with those guys. But the biggest thing, I have to figure out what those guys do. Everybody got hired over there for a reason. Each one of them has a special talent and I got to find out what that is in five weeks. It's a good race team and I just want to be part of it."
With the extensive testing schedule that lies ahead, one which likely includes weekly visits to Kentucky Speedway throughout November and December, Earnhardt is resigned to losing Eury for the remainder of the 2007 season. He knows it will give the No. 88 an advantage in 2008.
"It will give Tony Jr. the chance to know what he's up against, know what he needs to work on and get really acquainted with the atmosphere and get the team in the direction that he personally feels it needs to be going in," Earnhardt said. "If anything needs to be adjusted, it can be done in that period of time.
"If he waits until the end of the year, a lot of the stuff as far as preparing for speedway testing and preparing for off-season testing is already in the works. I would like him to have the opportunity to prepare that rather than someone else prepare it and him come in and take the reins from them. I would rather he have the chance to build all of our off-season preparation for next year and have as much time to understand that as he can knowing that the two companies are vastly different on the inside. I think it will be important for him to get there as soon as possible, but I will miss him on Sundays."
After DEI receives clearance from Budweiser, Junior should be able to test the No. 88 for the first time with Eury at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 29, the Monday following the race.
"I think I'm more nervous than he is," Eury said of his driver. "He's questioning how much different the cars are going to drive. What have I got to learn? I don't think he's got to learn anything. I know what we're doing this year. I know every piece of the car. I'm going to go over there, and we're going to compare notes. I think I can help them from some standpoints, but they can help me a lot more than I can help them.
"That's my biggest deal. I've got to figure out how quick I can get into the loop and have my "A" game. But I'm going to lean on Grubb, and I'm going to lean on Alan to help me with that. Look how much (Grubb's) done for the 48, and for Rick to say, 'Hey, this guy's going to be with you, he's going to be right there beside you, so you ain't got nothing to worry about.' That's all I need. I wouldn't have wanted to do it if I didn't think I could do it. I think I'm good enough to go over there and do it.
"It ain't nothing but a people sport — it's who you surround yourself with. If you go over there and surround yourself with a great group of guys, you're going to be successful."
Earnhardt says that "getting along with the people (he) works with is the most important thing" to him when it comes to racing. He wants to expand on those relationships once he gets to Hendrick. And if it's up to "Mr. H.," the one-team mentality that pervades through the halls of Hendrick now will continue and grow once the Juniors come on board.
"The way our organization works, we all kind of lean on each other so one day Jimmie Johnson will be a little bit better and he'll help Jeff Gordon," Hendrick said. "It might be Kyle Busch, it might be Casey Mears. They work together. They understand that together, just like the Guard, together we're stronger.
"If we all pull together, and Tony Jr., I've known him since he was 14. His first race he worked on a car that I drove. He came home on a plane with us the other night with our other crew chiefs. It's like they've been together forever. When you have people believing in each other and sharing, Tony Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., are gonna bring as much to our organization as we're going to get from them. So we're excited about that part of it, too."
DOVER, Del. - There was more that emerged from the Dale Earnhardt Jr./Hendrick Motorsports sponsorship announcement last Wednesday than just numbers and paint schemes.
The occasion had all the energy of Christmas morning. Rick Hendrick "wished that Daytona was tomorrow." Earnhardt Jr. was beyond giddy while describing his involvement in the car design process and joining forces with the most successful owner in NASCAR.
The exchange between the principals and guests went swimmingly until an absurd question was asked of whether future teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would act as mentors for Junior. The driver could have offered a very patronizing answer. He didn't. In true Hendrick fashion, the soon to be Driver 88 remained composed and diplomatic, hopefully enlightening the racing novice.
"To be honest with you, I feel like I'm the best driver out there," Earnhardt answered. "I think every driver will have that attitude. I don't feel it's overconfident to have it. I feel like my crew chief needs to feel the same way, and I need to feel that way about him. It goes on down the line to each crew member and everybody that ever touches or ever has any association with the car itself."
Hendrick made a point of clarifying the issue as well.
"I think when you have a driver of his caliber ... I don't think our guys are gonna be able to mentor Dale Earnhardt or teach him anything," Hendrick replied. "He's got tremendous talent, and so does Tony (Eury) Jr."
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr.'s belief in Earnhardt has enabled the No. 8 to remain competitive against the sports giants. Eury's seen what Earnhardt could do throughout Late Models, the Busch Series and Nextel Cup. He expects his driver to blossom within the Hendrick family, whose roots reach back to Eury and Earnhardt's maternal grandfather Robert Gee.
"When we come in this deal, you had Dale Sr., who had done everything," Eury said. "You had (Steve) Park, who was a rookie, but he'd been doing it for a couple of years. We were humbled when we came to Cup. We thought we could do a lot better than we did.
"Going over there, Dale Jr. is as good a driver, or better, than those two guys. That's what I think. Those are two great drivers, three great drivers. I think that whole group of guys over there are great drivers, but there's only a certain amount of drivers in this garage that can take it to the next level and have that extra gear to find out what the car has when it ain't at its best — and Dale Jr.'s one of them. We've been behind on a lot of stuff over the past couple years, and to be able to walk over there, it's like going in a candy store."
Earnhardt is enjoying a renewed confidence. He's never lost his driver's swagger but there's an assurance knowing he has the support of his trusted sidekick/crew chief/cousin Tony Eury Jr. and will be driving competitive, consistent equipment.
That has to be an aphrodisiac for a racer. Let's call it 'The Hendrick Experience.' Earnhardt had a little taste of that at Texas Motor Speedway when he subbed for Kyle Busch in the No. 5. Even a damaged Hendrick car was better than the average ride Earnhardt had competed in over the last eight years. While Earnhardt chose not to compare the resources of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Hendrick Motorsports, the numbers don't lie. There's not another organization that comes close to matching HMS' 12 victories in just 28 races this season.
"Everybody knows that Rick's is the best thing going right now," Earnhardt said. "He has the best cars, the best track record, he's got a lot of great drivers. His equipment, everything over there is top-notch, from one end of the shop to the other.
"So, I think, when you put me and Tony Jr., who have proven to be a successful combination, in that kind of equipment, it can only mean more success than we actually have achieved in the past. I'm anticipating hitting the ground running from Daytona on."
To achieve that goal, Eury, 34, will leave his DEI post after Talladega to lay the foundation for the No. 88 team. Current car chief Tony Gibson will assume the No. 8 car's crew chief role (a position he held for six races this season after Eury was suspended for a rules violation at Darlington in May) with Eury's engineer H.A. Merkin. For Eury, there are people to meet, systems to learn and cars to build for the extensive testing Earnhardt hopes to perform to acclimate to the Hendrick-style Car of Tomorrows that will run exclusively in 2008.
"When I first thought about getting out of my contract, I told Max (Siegel, DEI president of global operations), 'Look, if we make the Chase I'll work with you to November,'" Eury said. "If we don't, at some point in time I'll go do my deal and Gibson can step in and get ahead on his game. It's a benefit for both of us.
"The reason I picked the timeframe is because I think we'll have everything in line by then. These guys, I wasn't going to ditch them and leave them in a hole. All the cars should be lined up ready to go in the shop. They'll just have to put the motors in. We're not going to put these guys in a bind in any way shape or form."
Eury will work extensively alongside Casey Mears' crew chief Darian Grubb and Alan Gustafson, who is currently crew chief for Kyle Busch. Grubb will join the No. 88 next season as the team manager/engineer. Gustafson will lead Mears and the No. 5 team. He has worked at Hendrick since 2000 when he started as a shock specialist.
"It's definitely a new role for me," Eury said. "I have a bigger learning curve than Dale Jr. Dale Jr. just has to go over there and do his gig and I have to make the car go fast. I have to go over there, figure out my deal and get ready.
"There's a team there already. I'm going to take four of my guys from this particular team and jell them in with those guys. But the biggest thing, I have to figure out what those guys do. Everybody got hired over there for a reason. Each one of them has a special talent and I got to find out what that is in five weeks. It's a good race team and I just want to be part of it."
With the extensive testing schedule that lies ahead, one which likely includes weekly visits to Kentucky Speedway throughout November and December, Earnhardt is resigned to losing Eury for the remainder of the 2007 season. He knows it will give the No. 88 an advantage in 2008.
"It will give Tony Jr. the chance to know what he's up against, know what he needs to work on and get really acquainted with the atmosphere and get the team in the direction that he personally feels it needs to be going in," Earnhardt said. "If anything needs to be adjusted, it can be done in that period of time.
"If he waits until the end of the year, a lot of the stuff as far as preparing for speedway testing and preparing for off-season testing is already in the works. I would like him to have the opportunity to prepare that rather than someone else prepare it and him come in and take the reins from them. I would rather he have the chance to build all of our off-season preparation for next year and have as much time to understand that as he can knowing that the two companies are vastly different on the inside. I think it will be important for him to get there as soon as possible, but I will miss him on Sundays."
After DEI receives clearance from Budweiser, Junior should be able to test the No. 88 for the first time with Eury at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 29, the Monday following the race.
"I think I'm more nervous than he is," Eury said of his driver. "He's questioning how much different the cars are going to drive. What have I got to learn? I don't think he's got to learn anything. I know what we're doing this year. I know every piece of the car. I'm going to go over there, and we're going to compare notes. I think I can help them from some standpoints, but they can help me a lot more than I can help them.
"That's my biggest deal. I've got to figure out how quick I can get into the loop and have my "A" game. But I'm going to lean on Grubb, and I'm going to lean on Alan to help me with that. Look how much (Grubb's) done for the 48, and for Rick to say, 'Hey, this guy's going to be with you, he's going to be right there beside you, so you ain't got nothing to worry about.' That's all I need. I wouldn't have wanted to do it if I didn't think I could do it. I think I'm good enough to go over there and do it.
"It ain't nothing but a people sport — it's who you surround yourself with. If you go over there and surround yourself with a great group of guys, you're going to be successful."
Earnhardt says that "getting along with the people (he) works with is the most important thing" to him when it comes to racing. He wants to expand on those relationships once he gets to Hendrick. And if it's up to "Mr. H.," the one-team mentality that pervades through the halls of Hendrick now will continue and grow once the Juniors come on board.
"The way our organization works, we all kind of lean on each other so one day Jimmie Johnson will be a little bit better and he'll help Jeff Gordon," Hendrick said. "It might be Kyle Busch, it might be Casey Mears. They work together. They understand that together, just like the Guard, together we're stronger.
"If we all pull together, and Tony Jr., I've known him since he was 14. His first race he worked on a car that I drove. He came home on a plane with us the other night with our other crew chiefs. It's like they've been together forever. When you have people believing in each other and sharing, Tony Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., are gonna bring as much to our organization as we're going to get from them. So we're excited about that part of it, too."
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