September 30, 2008
By Allen Madding
Martin Truex Jr. had potentially one of his best days in a long time at Kansas Sunday, but saw the day’s potential sliding out the window in the final 90 laps as crew chief Kevin Manion had gotten behind on keeping the car adjusted to the track changes. While other teams were getting their cars better as the track changed, Truex and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were losing positions.
It has been a pattern that has reoccurred several times for both drivers this season. Earnhardt and his crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., had a harsh radio conversation a few weeks ago over the same situation. And while Earnhardt was somewhat harsh with his words to Eury, his point was on target. How could a car that was leading with an eight second interval at one point in the race, not win?
Unlike Earnhardt, Truex never was harsh spoken to the team at Kansas, he simply was begging the crew chief to correct the ill-handling car while he watched car after car passing him. He was in a very frustrating position after leading laps in the early parts of the race.
A good crew chief understands the frustration and tries to calm the driver and encourage him. Instead Manion’s indifference shown through in his response to the driver’s pleading, “Shut up and drive.” Manion’s attitude under pressure speaks volumes to what has held Truex out of Victory Circle this year. Manion’s ego has obviously gotten out of proportion to the level of work that he and the team are producing.
Truex will probably let the comment go by and move on in a desire to promote as much harmony within the team as possible. But even Dale Jarrett found the indifference in the comment offensive. Manion should be glad that Jarrett was not driving the No. 1 at Kansas, as he might have found himself in a brawl with his own driver after the race as Jarrett might have crawled out the car and skinned up Manion for his smart-mouthed comment.
Two crew chief changes obviously need to be made during the off-season. Kevin Manion needs to be taken off of the top of the box for the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Bass Pro Shops No. 1 team and replaced with someone willing to take responsibility for the decisions made and someone that can encourage a driver and pump him up. Likewise Dale Earnhardt needs to be paired up with a different crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports.
If Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon’s teams can improve their cars at the end of a race when they both have been running outside the top-ten and put in contention for the win in the closing laps, Earnhardt’s team should be able to do so as well. Repeatedly we have seen the No. 48 and the No. 24 teams continue to improve on the handling on their cars and put the drivers into the fight for the lead at the end of a race. While at the same time we have seen Earnhardt in the running at the beginning of a race, and at times lead the majority of the laps, and the changes made by the team and Eury’s decisions, have effectively eliminated him from contention.
Manion likewise needs to take responsibility for not keeping a car adjusted to a changing track and take his licks when they are due.
In a sport where crew chiefs are making more money than a large portion of the United States working force, the crew chief needs to realize the big pay check he is receiving is to make the changes necessary to put their drivers in position to win. The teams are working long hours for it preparing the cars at the shops, the drivers are sweating and fighting for it for 500 laps, and the team owners and sponsors are expecting it.
Shut up and Drive might be an attitude that a crew chief could get away with in short track weekly racing where the crew chief is a volunteer with a day job outside of racing. It is not an attitude that should be tolerated from a supposed consummate professional and a team player.
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