Stop sweating the other Junior
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fifth in the standings, far ahead of his other three teammates, including two-time defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson.
Earnhardt is also tied for the series lead in number of top-five (three) and top-10 (four) finishes – including showings of second, third and fifth in the past three races.
After five races, that seems like a pretty darned good start to the season. So, can someone please tell me why so many fans are ragging on Earnhardt’s crew chief, Tony Eury Jr.?
Since the third race of the season at Las Vegas, I’ve heard it from fans chastising Eury. The rants range from melancholy to downright nefarious.
How could Eury do this or not do that? What’s up with the unusual pit sequences, not calling for tires when he “should” or keeping Earnhardt on the track longer than he “should”?
There’s also criticism of the radio banter between the two Juniors. To critics, it seems Junior the driver wants one thing, but Junior the crew chief wants another.
Hold your horses right there, naysayers, because frankly, Eury Jr. is doing nothing wrong.
Sure, some of his calls may seem strange and inordinate at the time. And yes, he and Junior like to go at each other on the radio like a couple of old farmhouse hens.
What’s new about that?
Ever since Eury became assistant crew chief to Earnhardt at DEI in 2000, they’ve had a history of highly-charged banter and repartee – particularly when Eury was promoted to Earnhardt’s crew chief late in 2005.
So what’s the problem, Junior fans? Why are so many of you all but calling for the head of the second Junior in this equation?
If anything, you should be applauding both Juniors for what they’ve accomplished thus far in their ride at Hendrick Motorsports.
While Johnson sits in 13th place, Jeff Gordon right behind in 14th and Casey Mears a distant 33rd, the two Juniors have all but carried the Hendrick organization this season when it comes to performance.
I know Dale Jr. fans are hungrier than ever for success. I know they want more wins and a Cup championship, like yesterday. That’s understandable.
But let’s put expectations in perspective.
Both Juniors are with an organization that is completely unlike their former home, Dale Earnhardt Inc. For the first time in their careers, they have virtually unlimited resources, the best parts and equipment that money can buy, and a supporting cast of over 550 of the brightest technological minds in NASCAR.
Yet, Tony and Dale are still learning their ways together. They’ve gone from being a pair of hungry kids staring through a front window of a fancy restaurant to sitting inside at the best table nibbling on caviar and escargot.
If things were truly bad, as some fans have made things out to be, don’t you think Dale Jr. would be the first to be calling out Tony Jr.?
Look back to Sunday’s race at Bristol. Once again, Eury made a call to keep Earnhardt on the track rather than pit for tires late in the race. While the two Juniors debated that strategy over the radio, the guy behind the wheel didn’t overrule the guy on the top of the pit box.
What’s more, after the race Earnhardt said that even if they had stopped for tires, he still likely would have finished where he did (fifth), if not worse.
Everyone knows that Eury needs Earnhardt, not the other way around. And if there ever comes a time that Rick Hendrick needs a scapegoat to take the fall for a lack of success for Earnhardt, it’s going to be Eury.
Getty Images - Feb 24, 7:20 pm EST
But we’re not even close to that happening. In fact, the opposite is true.
Whatever you may think of the decisions Eury has made this season, the fact remains that Earnhardt is fifth in the points.
So, relax Earnhardt Nation. Your guy is going to win big real soon, perhaps as early as next weekend at Martinsville.
If not there, given his history at the next three tracks on the schedule – Texas, Phoenix and Talladega, where he has a combined eight Cup wins in his career – I’d be very surprised to not see both Juniors in victory lane in the next month.
Maybe even more than once.
And then all those calling for Eury’s head will suddenly anoint him as the greatest crew chief in the game.
This is just how it is when you sit atop Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit box. They’re throwing f-bombs at you one day, roses the next.
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