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November 14, 2002
Running out of fuel while leading at Phoenix was the most recent in a season-long string of miscommunications, mistakes and miscues by the Budweiser team. At Daytona in February a confidant #8 team declared they were making a run for the 2002 Winston Cup Championship. Now, with only one race remaining they are struggling to get into the top ten in points. Despite winning both Talladega races inconsistency has plagued the team throughout the long season. Communication seems to have been a major part of the problem. Crew chief, Tony Eury Sr. says, "Dale Jr.'s probably not the best in the world at telling what's wrong with his race car. He has problems figuring out what's wrong with it a lot of times." While Eury Jr. is the car chief, he also performs some of the crew chief’s duties. In August Dale Jr. began speaking exclusively to Tony Jr. about the #8 Chevy. DEI vice president, Ty Norris said, "There sometimes was confusion with Junior talking to both Tony Sr. and Tony Jr., so now he only talks to Tony Jr. about the car and it's up to him to take it to his dad." How can this system be effective, frankly it sounds like a nightmare? However, Norris credited the simplification for Earnhardt's late-season surge, "The communication has been a lot better and that's why things have gotten…better lately." If this is an improvement one must wonder about the state of team communications prior to the change. To further complicate the situation for the majority of the season Dale Jr. was suffering the after effects of a concussion. Communication has not been the only issue; both crew and driver have made mistakes. After the Kansas race Dale Jr. said, "We had a disaster of a stop when I didn't mash the brake pedal hard enough and the left front hub was spinning, making it tough for the guys to put the new wheel on." And after Darlington Eury Sr. sidelined several crewmembers saying, "We had a pit crew that was making 13-second pit stops at the first of the year and they’ve gotten lazy. Now they’re making 16-second stops...We’re losing races on pit road." The "lazy" crewmembers returned to their positions the following week. Presumably they had learned their lesson. This is a multi-million dollar Winston Cup operation, not a playground. Time-outs will not solve the problem. The dynamics of the #8 team are unique; they are more family than team. Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Jr. are uncle and cousin respectively to Earnhardt Jr. As in all families there are disputes and disagreements within this race team. The Juniors admit they have a volatile relationship; heated and emotional exchanges over the radio are commonplace. DEI V.P. and spotter, Ty Norris has had to intervene and refocus them more than once. Dale Jr. dismisses these incidents saying, "We get done and the race is over and we say, 'All right man, tough race. I'll see ya. All right?' And everything's all right." It simply is not that easy to forget hurtful words uttered in the heat of battle, bruised egos have long memories. While everyone on the Bud team has the same goal, to win championships, can they achieve this together? Tony Jr. says, "I've told him [Dale Jr.] several times, 'Hey, if you want somebody else to come in here, I'll step back…I don't want you to hold me back and I don't want to hold you back. It's whatever it takes to get both of us where we need to go." Perhaps this is an option that should be explored. In the year of the "young gun" Dale Jr. is a seasoned veteran with three full seasons of Cup competition under his belt. And he is an excellent racecar driver. However, in the short span of three years Junior has buried his father, assumed a larger role at DEI and is dabbling in car ownership. He has gone from winning back to back Busch championships to popular Winston Cup rookie to pop icon. Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Jr. have been with Dale Jr. through it all. Has this relationship gone stale? A shake-up in personnel can be a positive thing for a race team. After a disappointing 2001 season Jack Roush moved veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig from the #6 car to Kurt Busch’s team. Second year crew chief, Ben Leslie was shifted from the #97 team to work with Mark Martin on the Viagra car. The record speaks to the success of this decision. Martin and Busch are second and third in Winston Cup points. While there are no guarantees it’s possible an infusion of new talent and fresh ideas could put the #8 team on the road to their first Winston Cup. Junior, it may be time for a change. TO THE WOODSHED: It’s a tall order but this week International Speedway Corporation must go to the "shed of dread." I have been to nine NASCAR events this season. All but one has been at an ISC owned track. With tickets to every ISC race came guidelines for fans on what was and was not allowed in the grandstands. The enclosure advised that each fan was allowed, "One soft-sided bag/cooler, no larger than 6 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches and one clear plastic souvenir bag, no larger than 18 inches by 4 inches." At no time did I see this policy consistently enforced. Not only did enforcement vary from track to track but from entrance gate to entrance gate. In the parking lot at Rockingham we talked with several fans that had been turned away at the gate for "illegal" coolers or bags. These poor souls had to walk all the way back to their vehicle to stow the offending articles. Knowing we live in perilous times we were gratified to see that security was strict. We were wrong. That afternoon in the grandstands we saw every size bag and cooler imaginable. One young woman had a backpack the approximate size of Montana. I shudder to think what could have been in that thing. There are valid reasons for these rules and ISC is shirking their responsibility by not insuring that they are enforced. Frankly, I do not appreciate my safety being at the whim of whatever bored high school kid or underpaid rent-a-cop is taking tickets that day.
Other articles by Orlena Miller.. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.
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Junior, It May Be Time for A Change
