Last December, as the world of NASCAR became refreshingly silent and it seemed that Silly Season finally had stalled, Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced that its marquee driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and his crew and car chiefs -- Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Jr. -- were parting ways.
Don't expect to wait as long for the reunion announcement. It's not a matter of whether the two Juniors -- call them Junior squared -- will work together in 2006 -- it's a matter of how soon the partnership will start.
Although not likely, it could happen this season if Earnhardt doesn't qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Tony and his cousin, Dale, appear quite sheepish when asked whether they will be together as driver and crew chief. Eury, known as "Stiffy," changes the subject. Earnhardt offers Junebugisms, such as: "There is definitely a lot to it that will be understood down the road as it all unfolds."
Hmmm.
What will unfold at DEI before next season is a major personnel overhaul. The 2006 season will be the first time since 2000 that Earnhardt hasn't raced with Michael Waltrip as his teammate. Earnhardt will miss him but will gain Martin Truex Jr., the defending Busch champion and current Busch points leader.
DEI sources expect a friendly rivalry to develop between the two, elevating both of their performances. Until DEI receives word on whether NAPA will sponsor the No. 15 without Waltrip, a third team is on hold.
Earnhardt isn't ready to go public with a new partnership with Eury, who is Waltrip's crew chief this season. Earnhardt has worked with his latest crew through transitions to two very different crew chiefs and doesn't want to jeopardize what he has right now, especially with the momentum his team gained in July. Earnhardt has climbed from 18th to 14th in points since Sonoma.
"The rest, we'll talk about all of that at the end of the season," he says. "We're just getting my (stuff) going, and I don't want to have to worry about any of that."
Fair enough. In the past seven months, the new No. 8 crew has endured the wrath of the other side of Earnhardt Nation. Earnhardt, 30, has been puzzled about how quickly some fans turned on him and the team. Spectators yelled obscenities and spit on and thrown objects at crew members.
Still, they stood by their man -- and were rewarded with the sweet taste of victory at Chicago, the type of 1.5-mile track that Earnhardt had struggled on for the past year. The week before at Daytona, Driver 8 complimented Eury Jr. for helping his team devise a setup. Earnhardt reiterated that point at New Hampshire, where he finished ninth.
After Earnhardt limped back to the hauler at New Hampshire, the victim of a newly installed car seat, Eury was waiting. It appeared to be like old times: How did your day go? How was the car? Same questions, different season.
Steve Hmiel has been a great interim crew chief, but his talents would be best used in DEI's developmental program. There's only one man for the No. 8 crew chief job, and that's Tony Eury Jr.
