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StumblePublished Friday, May 29, 2009 | 3 a.m.
Updated Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 9:41 p.m.
It had become too painful to watch. Seeing the most popular driver with one of the most storied names in the sport continue a slide into a black hole of un-competitiveness was too much for Rick Hendrick to bear. On May 21, Hendrick told the media that he didn’t think the problems with the No. 88 team were a result of the Dale Earnhardt Jr.--Tony Eury Jr. combination. On May 28, Hendrick announced that he was replacing Eury with Lance McGrew.
I bet last weekend’s race was the last straw. The No. 88 team’s 40th-place finish probably made Hendrick wonder if Dale Jr. would have performed better on the banks of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway if he had been driving one of those teeny tiny Smart cars.
Was Hendrick tired of watching Kyle Busch kick Dale Jr.’s behind? Maybe. But I bet he was more tired of seeing the 50-year-old teammate Mark Martin kick Dale Jr.’s behind.
The expectations for Dale Jr. may be higher now than ever before. He’s on the best team and he’s got access to the best equipment and the deepest pockets. The one thing, fairly or unfairly, that fans have pointed to as the reason for Dale’s lackluster performance has been the crew chief. With that crew chief gone, it will be harder to avoid questioning Dale Jr.’s capability if things don’t go well.
It couldn’t have gone on much longer. Even if the fans and sponsors remained loyal, it was just too embarrassing to continue seeing things like the numerous pit road disasters. But now a decision has been made. Hopefully this will be a new beginning.
jr. has to stop being his own enemy at times. think the 5 car and 88 car, housed in same garage have to work together better. gordon's good season can be attruibuted to working better with 48 team. think jr. and tony jr. felt they could do things the old way. real dissapointed in lack of leadership from drivers at this weeks mandadory meeting. no new good ideas have come. we need lead lap cars together on restarts.
The clock is now ticking on Jr.
I think he will have until about 10th race of next year to show big improvement.
I am not saying that he will get fired.
I am saying that the pressure is so great on him that if he does not get back into the top 10 by the 10th race of next year then he might self-destruct.
I think he can get away with just being a top 10 year and not winning that many races.
He could do that for a few years.
I do not think that he will ever win a championship.
I does not have the driving skills for that.
The COT car (when not on the super speedways which are horsepower races) requires extreme technical race car driver.
Jr obviously currently lacks skill in technical driving and technical reporting to the crew chief.
Perhaps, he can learn.
Eury also lacks skills to help Jr in the COT world.
More like the beginning of the end.. the end of the excuses and the reality that Jr. really isn't all that talented of a driver. You can be a good racecar driver or a celebrity but you can't be both.
"Junior, Maury Povich just called, and you are NOT the son."
And didn't Kyle just say that it's time to stop blaming the crew chiefs for Jr's failures? Boy, Kyle better not have his personal car break down in the slave states, or he'll be toast with grits...
If Jr. can't make it work with McGrew then Hendrick might as well turn the No. 88 over to Danica Partick.