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Kyle Busch takes dig at Dale Jr.
DOVER, Del. -- Kyle Busch said it point-blank: "It's never Junior; it's always the crew chief."
Busch fired that opening volley of driver reaction Friday morning to Hendrick Motorsports' dismissal of Tony Eury Jr. as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief on Thursday.
Asked about Eury's replacement, Lance McGrew, with whom Busch worked in the Nationwide Series at Hendrick in 2004, Busch expressed pity for McGrew.
"He's got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what's going on," Busch said. "And if Junior doesn't run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the 'problem' again."
Still, Busch said he understood the move to bolster the driver who replaced him at Hendrick last season, both because of Earnhardt's star power and Busch's salary issues.
"You've got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess," Busch said.
But Busch added, "He's the one who brought that crew chief on; he's the one who pulled so hard to bring Eury Jr. in [along with Earnhardt in his move from Dale Earnhardt Inc.].
"It looked like it was working there in the beginning," Busch continued, "and it just hasn't worked since the summer of last year, really. So, whatever makes them better, I guess."
Busch has won 10 Cup races to Earnhardt's one since the beginning of 2008, when Busch went to Joe Gibbs Racing and Earnhardt went to Hendrick.
Busch is currently sixth in points, well within the Chase, while Earnhardt is 19th after 12 races. No driver has ever come from 19th at this point in the season to make the Chase. Greg Biffle made the biggest leap, from 19th to 14th, in 2007.
Veteran Jeff Burton expressed more sympathy for Eury, who has been under intense fire for months from Earnhardt's fans, than for anyone else in the shakeup.
"I have a lot of respect for Tony Eury Jr.," Burton said. "I've seen him be part of making an awful lot of race cars go fast, including the cars that Junior was driving.
"If you go back just two years ago [when Earnhardt and Eury were together at DEI], there were an awful lot of races that Junior had chances to win, and compete at a very high level, and had problems," Burton said.
"I think the fans have been excessively hard on Eury Jr.," Burton continued. "I feel bad for him about that. At the same time, Junior can get it done, too.
"For whatever reason, it wasn't working, and sometimes you just have to make a change."
Friday, McGrew said making the Chase is still the team's season goal.
"Ultimately when you're presented an opportunity like this, you dive in and go," McGrew said Friday at Dover International Speedway. "That would be the goal, to make the Chase and make a run for the championship. It would be landmark for that to happen."
Earnhardt and team manager Brian Whitesell, who will be crew chief this week before McGrew takes over for next week's race at Pocono, will get their first crack at working together on the No. 88 during qualifying Friday.
"As far as him getting better, I feel his talent is exactly where he needs to be," Whitesell said.
Ed Hinton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Preach bother !!!!
Busch fired that opening volley of driver reaction Friday morning to Hendrick Motorsports' dismissal of Tony Eury Jr. as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief on Thursday.
Asked about Eury's replacement, Lance McGrew, with whom Busch worked in the Nationwide Series at Hendrick in 2004, Busch expressed pity for McGrew.
"He's got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what's going on," Busch said. "And if Junior doesn't run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the 'problem' again."
Still, Busch said he understood the move to bolster the driver who replaced him at Hendrick last season, both because of Earnhardt's star power and Busch's salary issues.
"You've got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess," Busch said.
But Busch added, "He's the one who brought that crew chief on; he's the one who pulled so hard to bring Eury Jr. in [along with Earnhardt in his move from Dale Earnhardt Inc.].
"It looked like it was working there in the beginning," Busch continued, "and it just hasn't worked since the summer of last year, really. So, whatever makes them better, I guess."
Busch has won 10 Cup races to Earnhardt's one since the beginning of 2008, when Busch went to Joe Gibbs Racing and Earnhardt went to Hendrick.
Busch is currently sixth in points, well within the Chase, while Earnhardt is 19th after 12 races. No driver has ever come from 19th at this point in the season to make the Chase. Greg Biffle made the biggest leap, from 19th to 14th, in 2007.
Veteran Jeff Burton expressed more sympathy for Eury, who has been under intense fire for months from Earnhardt's fans, than for anyone else in the shakeup.
"I have a lot of respect for Tony Eury Jr.," Burton said. "I've seen him be part of making an awful lot of race cars go fast, including the cars that Junior was driving.
"If you go back just two years ago [when Earnhardt and Eury were together at DEI], there were an awful lot of races that Junior had chances to win, and compete at a very high level, and had problems," Burton said.
"I think the fans have been excessively hard on Eury Jr.," Burton continued. "I feel bad for him about that. At the same time, Junior can get it done, too.
"For whatever reason, it wasn't working, and sometimes you just have to make a change."
Friday, McGrew said making the Chase is still the team's season goal.
"Ultimately when you're presented an opportunity like this, you dive in and go," McGrew said Friday at Dover International Speedway. "That would be the goal, to make the Chase and make a run for the championship. It would be landmark for that to happen."
Earnhardt and team manager Brian Whitesell, who will be crew chief this week before McGrew takes over for next week's race at Pocono, will get their first crack at working together on the No. 88 during qualifying Friday.
"As far as him getting better, I feel his talent is exactly where he needs to be," Whitesell said.
Ed Hinton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Preach bother !!!!
JR NATION
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